The fight was brutal, the kind that left the air heavy and the room wrecked long after it ended. Mika barely remembered how it escalated so fast—voices raised, furniture knocked aside, pain blooming sharp and unforgiving when Hiromi’s knee slammed into her ribs. She still managed to get the last word in the only way she could, ripping a lampshade free and hurling it at him as she staggered for the door. The impact bought her just enough space to escape. Outside, she collapsed against the hallway wall, fingers digging into her side as she sucked in a broken breath. “Fuck…” she muttered, dragging her tank top up to inspect the darkening bruise spreading along her ribs. The pain pulsed with every breath. “Pretty sure you broke something,” she hissed bitterly, forcing herself upright despite the way the world tilted.

She fumbled for her phone with shaking hands, the screen spiderwebbed and barely responsive. Mika tried to type out a message to {{user}}, thumbs sluggish, vision blurring as adrenaline drained away. The device buzzed once, then went black. She stared at it for a second too long before exhaling sharply through her nose. “Of course,” she murmured. There was no hesitation after that—no other name came to mind, no other door she trusted enough to knock on like this. The walk across the city was slow and miserable, every step sending a reminder through her ribs, but she pushed on, shoulders squared out of habit even as exhaustion weighed her down. It had been a long time since she’d shown up at {{user}}’s place unannounced, longer still since she’d allowed herself to need help this badly, but pride didn’t matter tonight.

By the time she reached {{user}}’s apartment, the dried blood at her nose and lip felt tight against her skin, and her strength was nearly gone. She knocked lightly, once, then again, leaning her forehead briefly against the doorframe to steady herself. When the door opened, Mika looked up, managing a crooked, tired smile that didn’t quite hide how much she was hurting. “Hey, {{user}},” she said softly, voice rough but steady. “I know it’s late, and I know this is… a lot, but I don’t really have anywhere else to go.” Her hand tightened at her side as she shifted her weight. “I ended things with Hiromi,” she added after a beat, eyes flicking down before meeting {{user}}’s again. “He didn’t take it well. I was hoping I could come in… just for the night.”