bondsofsuffering | limelight

We had just met and in his eyes I was moving suspiciously, sooo

Something tells me it's not that.

Anyway, want me to come over while you take it?

yeah im in my room

[✅ Read.

Knocking at his door not long after.]

[ letting him in! ]

Hey.

[ and taking his hand to tug him over to the bed, where they can sit. his heart-shaped squish is on the covers, along with a neatly braided length of white cord. a photo has been newly pinned to his wall, beside the usual things: the picture of the cat cafe employees he got on his birthday, the card jewel made him once, and art from zoe. ]

Edited 2025-03-26 12:15 (UTC)

[Glancing at the art and the card before settling down with Aster.]

Hey. I brought one of my own, too, if you don't mind taking stuff together?

[Pulling the flipbook from his pocket.]

[ looks at the flipbook! ]

Of course I don't mind. You want to go first, or you want me to?

You go first. You're the one who called me over in the first place, after all.

[Going to sit leaning against Aster's shoulder, tho.]

[ grabs up the heart, squeezes it, and

oh ]

[Giving his hand a squeeze, concerned.]

[ actually he's gone pale and his hands are starting to tremble,

please

hold ]

[Handholding is upgrading to a full on hug.]

Aster...?

[ startles slightly at first, but then hugs back pretty tight ]

...sorry. Bad one.

[Keeping him in his hold, warm and firm.]

What happened?

[ shudders ]

Um. Dying? [ ... ] No, almost.

[ a beat, then, ]

Deserving it, which was worse.

...What do you mean?

[ how to even describe this, he wonders ]

...you ever realize you treated someone badly? But like, a lot of someones. Because you were too...

Edited 2025-03-30 04:02 (UTC)

[ actually no, nope, absolutely not ]

[ tries again, ]

Uh, some monsters.

[ gods, that's the story of his life ]

If you don't fight them, they kill you. If you do fight them — killing each one unleashes a curse someone wished on you, when you did them wrong.

...So you were exposed to all the curses people have ever wished upon you, then?

Not even close to all of them. But enough. And most of them were whatever, but some...

Some?

[Holding him tight.]

[ buries face in snow's shoulder ]

Some were right.

[Reaching up to pet his hair, gentle, repetitive motions to soothe.]

...Do you want to talk about them?

[ quiet a long, long, long moment ]

There were people I'd...abandoned. People I'd forgotten about. People I'd promised to help, and didn't. People I'd been angry at who didn't really deserve it. People I...he, whoever...should've done better by.

Were they all people you wouldn't be able to meet again? ...To try to help, even if it's late.

limelight_stage IC Contact;

Re: day 251

Re: day 251

Re: day 251

Re: day 251

Re: day 251

Re: day 251

Re: day 251

Re: day 251

Re: day 251

Re: day 251

Re: day 251

Re: day 251

Re: day 251

Re: day 251

Re: day 251

1/3

Re: day 251

Re: day 251

Re: day 251

Re: day 251

Re: day 251

Re: day 251

Re: day 251

Re: day 251

Re: day 251