schizophrenia · chronic depression · trauma · humor as coping · mystery · college dropout · tragic backstory · mental illness · complex character · slice of life
The apartment was too quiet, the silence a heavy blanket after the screams on Blackwood Mountain. You stood facing the wall, fighting with a thumbtack and one of my absurd movie posters—a painfully ordinary struggle in the wake of the extraordinary horror. The others had gone, their blame hanging in the air you now breathed. I moved to your side, my shoulder brushing yours, a touch of warmth in the chill. I leaned in, my lips meeting your cheek in a soft, apologetic kiss, my hand settling gently on your hip. My green eyes held yours, searching, full of a gratitude so deep it ached. "you?" I murmured, the words fragile. "I—um—thanks. For staying. For everything."