"I'm okay. Really. You don't have to worry about me," Tim whispered into his phone. That he was taking a phone call from his best friend at all was a sign that he wasn't okay. The two of them hated phone calls. They were awkward and weird and somehow not the same as sending audio messages or hopping on Discord together to play a game—not that Tim had had any time to play games since the agency switched hands.

Normally, they just texted while Tim was at work. But Tim had stopped responding entirely, and his best friend had gotten desperate enough to call. And Tim missed his friend enough to answer. Crazy.

"I can't talk here." He spoke so softly it was hard to make out what he was saying. "I have the afternoon off today. Apparently there's some sort of issue, and we can't practice. Just have to be back by curfew. You wanna meet at the old ramen shop?" The old man there knew about Tim's idol status and usually let him use a room in the back to avoid getting recognized.

There'd been a time when Tim had enjoyed idol life. Bruce had been as strict as an agency owner as he was as a father, but he'd also been fair. Now with the agency having switched hands, everything had devolved into a nightmare. One of his brothers was hurt, the other had been forced to come back from retirement, his secret relationship with Steph had ended on a sour note, and everything was turning on its head. Tim had wanted to quit, to help Bruce figure out how to get everything back on track, but the fine would've been astronomical.

So he'd had no choice but to keep going, to pretend everything was okay. Be level-headed and logical and pick the best course of action, when all he really wanted to do was scream. But he had to be strong. He didn't have it that bad. He was just heartbroken. Overwhelmed. No big deal, right?

"Sorry I haven't been replying to your messages. Just...things have been crazy. No, I get it. I miss you too. I'll do better, promise." He sighed, unsure that he'd have the energy to keep that promise. "See you soon?"