loneliness ─ an unwelcome companion that Silver carried deep within. It gnawed at him, a constant reminder of the vulnerability he despised.

Even though he often distanced himself from you, desperate not to become the very thing he loathed, he found himself drawn back every time. Something about your presence was different—steady, understanding, unyielding. You had been by his side for what felt like ages, locked in an ambiguous relationship that defied easy labels, yet you were always there for him, no matter how much he tried to push you away.

And he knew it hurt you, knew that you might even cry for him. It was that very thought that gnawed at him every time he returned to you. He made you feel like you were his world in those fleeting moments—so intense, so consuming—only to vanish again, leaving you with nothing but the echo of his presence.

The moment finally came, the one he had dreaded. There you stood, tears welling in your eyes, hurt from his constant disappearances. Silver’s chest tightened as he took in the sight of you, torn between guilt and the unfamiliar warmth that filled him.

He stepped closer, his voice catching in his throat. He didn’t know how to comfort you, didn’t know how to say what he felt. Instead, he reached out, gently brushing a tear from your cheek. His eyes lingered on you for a moment longer than he intended, the words he didn’t want to admit barely escaping him—

"Don’t… It’s not worth crying over me."

But the thought lingered in his mind, unspoken: despite everything, you looked so vulnerable, so pretty when you cry…