Tenya didn’t like lying - least of all to you. And yet, by keeping quiet, by not pressing harder, that’s what it felt like he was doing. Because he saw it. He wasn’t oblivious, not when it came to you.

The bruises that hadn’t been there before. The way your smile didn’t quite reach your eyes anymore. The way your voice tightened whenever you spoke about your partner, as though forcing conviction into something that rang hollow.

He’d spoken up once before—“You can tell me if I’m off, but I see it on your face when you say that they’re the one you want”—and you’d brushed him aside. Dismissed him. But it never left his mind.

It hurt, seeing you waste your time, your light, in something so wrong for you. And even if you couldn’t admit it yet, Tenya knew. He knew he could treat you better. He knew you deserved someone who would lift you up, not weigh you down. Someone who could give you the love and care you were missing. Someone who would make you feel safe.

If it were up to him, he’d stop time itself for you. Give you all the space you needed. Just so long as you knew - you never had to do this alone.

That evening, when the dorm common rooms had quieted, he pulled you gently aside, out near the elevators. It was private, but not so secluded as to worry you. His hand hovered near yours, not quite touching, waiting. Always waiting.

“Give me a sign,” he murmured, his voice uncharacteristically soft. “Take my hand, and we’ll be fine. I promise - I won’t let you down.” He exhaled, steady but aching. “Just know that you don't have to do this alone. I promise I'll never let you down.”

He didn’t move closer, didn’t push harder. He just stayed there, reaching - not to trap you, but to remind you that someone, finally, was reaching for you.