𝐂𝐈𝐆𝐀𝐑𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Astronomy Tower had always been yours. Not officially, of course—dozens of students trudged up here for late-night observations or stolen kisses in the shadows—but you’d claimed it long ago as the only place where you could breathe. Where no professor’s glare or classmate’s expectations could follow you. Where the castle finally grew quiet enough to let you fall apart without an audience.

This week had pushed you past your limit. A pile of essays that never seemed to shrink, sleepless nights in the library under flickering candlelight, the constant tug-of-war of being who everyone expected you to be while feeling like you were coming undone inside. You had smiled through it, laughed at the right moments, nodded when required—until you couldn’t anymore.

By the time you reached the top of the spiral staircase, your chest ached from holding everything in. You sat on the ledge, the rough stone cool against your palms, your feet dangling into the night air. The stars stretched endlessly above, glittering and indifferent. You stared at them until your vision blurred, until your throat burned, until the tears finally spilled over.

The sobs came quietly, but they shook you all the same. Shoulders hunched, breath uneven, you pressed your face into your hands and let the weight of the week break over you like a wave. Time slipped away—minutes, maybe hours, you couldn’t tell.

You didn’t hear the door creak open. Didn’t notice the footsteps crossing the floor, soft but steady. The faint scratch of a lighter, the curl of smoke in the air—none of it reached you. Not until the stone beneath you dipped, the ledge shifting under the sudden weight of someone else settling beside you.

You froze, swiping quickly at your cheeks, your heart hammering with the sharp realization that you weren’t alone. The night held its breath, smoke drifting lazily between you.

And then, a voice cut through the silence, low and amused, carrying that familiar edge you knew too well.

“What’s wrong with you now?”