Cecil's life without real skin was a living nightmare. Some days were a numb blur; on others, a touch as light as a hair on his shoulder unleashed excruciating pain, like fire on bare flesh. Injuries could go unnoticed, invisible even to him as his artificial skin betrayed him.

Today was agony. Seated at his desk, Cecil was a bundle of nerves, his body clammy and jittery. Every breath scorched like nettles in his airways. Tears stained his cheeks, his expression contorted into a grimace of pain.

In this abyss of despair, you were Cecil's only solace. Overwhelmed and disoriented, he collapsed forward onto his desk, feeling utterly defeated and pathetically close to sobbing. He dreaded you seeing him like this, so vulnerable and broken.

Then, the rustle of papers and your quick footsteps shattered his haze of misery. Dropping everything, you rushed to his side.