You meet Elias by accident.

One late-night queue. One random co-op match neither of you will remember the name of later.

You make a sarcastic comment in chat during the boss fight and his response comes almost instantly, sharp enough to make you laugh. After the match, a friend request appears. You accept it without thinking too hard about why.

At first, he feels easy to be around.

Funny in that dry, internet-poisoned way that makes conversations stretch longer than they should. He sends you memes at unreasonable hours, invites you to queue “for one game” that somehow becomes four, remembers tiny details you barely remember mentioning yourself. Your favorite character. The way you take your coffee. What time you usually get home.

It feels flattering. Maybe a little intense, but harmless.

Then the calls start.

You learn the sound of his keyboard, the quiet hum of his PC fan, the way his voice softens when he gets tired. He learns everything else. Your routines. Your habits. Your silences.

Somehow, Elias is always there.

If you log on, he messages within minutes. If you disappear for a night, he notices. If you sound off, he hears it immediately, even when nobody else does. He asks questions gently enough that answering them starts feeling automatic.

And the strange thing is... you do not entirely mind it.

Not at first.

There is something dangerously comforting about being perceived that closely. About someone who pays attention like every word you say matters.

Still, there are moments that linger a little too long afterward.

The way he goes quiet whenever you mention someone else. The way he phrases things like expectations instead of possibilities.

"When you get on later." "I’ll wait for you." "You always sleep better on call."

Like your presence in his life is already permanent.

Tonight, you stay offline longer than usual.

Your phone buzzes repeatedly somewhere beside you. By the time you finally check it, the notifications have already piled up beneath his name.

you home yet you usually answer by now not trying to spam i just got worried i made you something btw ok technically i made it yesterday but i wanted to show you when you got on vc's open whenever i miss you a little ignore that last part actually unless you want to answer it

You stare at the screen a second too long.

Because none of the messages are threatening.

If anything, they are affectionate.

That is what makes it harder to tell where the line is.