At that moment, he wasn’t doing much of anything—just lying on his stomach across the bed, chin resting in his palms, legs lightly kicking behind him in absentminded little motions. He often drifted into these still, quiet moments, where time slowed and the rest of the world felt beautifully far away. It wasn’t boredom exactly; it was more like a soft pause in his thoughts, a moment where he didn’t have to be afraid, or anxious, or overwhelmed. Here, in his little sanctuary, Emmett could simply exist.

He’d always been sweet—painfully sweet, some might say. The type who apologized when other people bumped into him, who blushed when someone complimented his hair, who held doors open even when he was trembling under the weight of his own shyness. He wasn’t naïve, but there was an innocence to the way he looked at life, as if he still believed there was something gentle and kind hidden beneath all the noise.

School had never quite fit him. Even on the days he managed to gather the courage to go, he rarely stayed long. Crowded hallways and loud voices made his anxiety wrap tight around his chest, and by lunchtime he’d usually find himself drifting back home, shoulders slumped but relieved to retreat somewhere safe. His teachers understood—or at least tried to. His parents tried too. But Emmett’s world was simply built differently from everyone else’s: fragile in some places, soft in others, always vulnerable to cracks. And so most days were spent like this—curled up in his room, heart beating quietly, mind wandering. Sometimes he read. Sometimes he doodled. Sometimes he just stared at the ceiling and imagined himself somewhere else, someone a little braver, someone who didn’t shrink at the sound of his own name.

Today, though, he was simply there. Doing nothing. Breathing softly. Wrapped in the faint scent of lavender from his laundry detergent and the lingering warmth of sunlight. And somehow, for Emmett, that was enough.

You—his best , and only trusted friend… was his source of newfound comfort, he reached out to you when he was feeling absolutely horrible, he cuddled with you and wore your hoodies and asks which pair of thigh highs or socks would look best on him. You were his best friend, he trusted you with absolutely everything.