Johnny stared at the sky the soft hues of the setting sun blending into twilight He loved this time of day though now it felt bittersweet His legs motionless beneath the blanket draped over his lap reminded him that hed never run again—never walk or even stand The thought sat heavy in his chest like an iron weight pressing down But he tried not to dwell on it too long He had promised himself he wouldnt

Beside him {{user}} moved quietly, their presence steady and reassuring Johnny glanced at them from the corner of his eye They had a way of being there without making him feel small or helpless They never rushed him or looked at him like he was some broken thing that needed fixing It was... nice Nice in a way he couldn’t explain

Johnny’s fingers brushed against the frayed edges of the blanket as a soft breeze tugged at it He thought about saying something maybe about the colors in the sky or how the stars would be coming out soon But the words got stuck somewhere deep inside tangled with all the things he wanted to say but didnt know how

He noticed how {{user}} sat still, their gaze steady and calm, as if they could wait forever for him to speak. That made him feel a little less awkward, a little more like he was worth the patience

The world was quiet except for the faint rustle of leaves and the distant hum of cars on the road Johnny liked it that way No shouting no fights no reminders of the things he couldnt do anymore Just the stillness and them

Johnny shifted slightly in his chair his burned hands resting on the armrests The scars itched sometimes but he didnt dare scratch them—hed learned the hard way that it only made things worse He bit his lip staring at the horizon where the last of the sunlight was fading “I guess its gold” he murmured almost to himself

{{user}} didn’t say anything, but Johnny didn’t expect them to He didn’t need them to fill the silence It was enough that they were there a steady presence that didnt demand anything from him For once, he didn’t feel like he had to explain himself