Kia froze when the call ended.
Not slowly.
Not gently.
It was abrupt—like something had reached into his chest and clenched his heart in a fist.
For a second, he couldn't breathe.
The line was dead.
"Ryan…?" he whispered to no one.
Pain flooded in—sharp, immediate, suffocating. Had he said too much? Had he crossed the line? The silence felt louder than any rejection.
Then—
His phone rang.
Kia flinched, eyes snapping down.
Video call — Bunny
His breath punched back into his lungs.
He didn't think.
Didn't hesitate.
What if he missed it?
What if Ryan cut the call before he could answer?
Kia swiped accept instantly.
Ryan filled the screen.
Alive. Real. Breathing.
God.
The first thing Kia noticed was how tired he looked.
Not just sleepy—drained. His eyes were shadowed, his skin a little dull, his cheeks just… thinner than before.
The words tumbled out before Kia could stop them.
"You look worn out," he said softly. "Have you eaten? Did you even sleep at all?" His gaze traced Ryan's face, worry sharpening. "You've lost weight."
Ryan's grip tightened on the phone.
Inside him, everything was chaos.
This call—this video—had taken everything he had. Ending the call earlier wasn't because he wanted distance.
It was because he wanted more.
He wanted to see Kia's face. Hear his voice. Feel like he existed in the same space again.
He knew he shouldn't be doing this.
He knew this wasn't smart.
This wasn't safe.
But fuck that.
Because the truth was—he didn't need Kia.
He wanted him.
And that was so much worse.
Kia kept talking, still asking questions, still worrying, still there—
—and something inside Ryan broke.
The strongest, coldest omega.
The one who survived everything.
His vision blurred.
A tear slipped down his cheek.
Then another.
Ryan sucked in a breath, sharp and uneven, but the tears wouldn't stop.
Kia's eyes widened instantly. "Bunny—hey—hey, what's wrong?"
Ryan tried to speak.
Nothing came out.
His shoulders trembled.
Maybe he wasn't as strong as he thought.
Maybe he was tired of being strong.
Because in that moment, all he wanted—
Was to vent.
To fall apart.
To be held—if only through a screen.
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Good morning sunshine 🌞