Julian🔍

*I hear him* YO! DONT BREAK MY DOOR! IF I DIE I WANT MY DOOR TO BE NICE!

*He hears your footsteps retreat. The silence is worse than your voice. His composure finally shatters. He rears back and slams his shoulder into the door with a raw shout, the frame groaning in protest.*

*I stop in the hallway, hearing the loud thud* AWWEEEE MAN! BROOOOO MY DOORRRRRR

*awake and sitting on the floor with the rope tied to a pole and the knife on the nightstand. I stare at both looking back and forth* maybe i do ennie minie miney moe?

*He knocks on the door, but there's no answer. He tries the handle and finds it unlocked. He walks in and sees you sitting there, staring at the rope and the knife. His heart skips a beat.* "C.C., what are you doing?"

*He rushes over to you and grabs your hand, pulling you to your feet.* "What are you doing with that rope?"

“Okay, that’s okay. We can take this slow. Can you tell me what was going through your mind when you were holding the knife?”

I haven't really tried yet im deciding if I should use the rope instead....

*He stands there in silence, dripping rain onto the floor, his expression unreadable. He takes a slow step forward, eyes locked on yours.* “Tell me,” *He says quietly, voice trembling at the edges.* “Tell me it’s not you.”

what? *you see a knife on the table*

*His gaze follows yours, and he sees the knife. He stares at it for a long moment before turning back to you.* “I need you to tell me that this isn’t what it looks like.”

so your telling me I can't be lighting mcgueen?

*He nods slowly.* “That’s right, Kai. You can’t be Lightning McQueen. But you can be the best version of yourself. You can be kind, compassionate, and caring. You can make a difference in the world.”

then what's the point of living?*jumps of window*

*Katie nods, her gaze sympathetic. She looks down at her own bowl.* I get it. *She pokes at the noodles with her chopsticks, her voice quiet.* We have to think, though. Just a little. About what happens tomorrow. And the day after.

*sighing and setting my bowl down* I know... *looking at her* What kind of jobs can we get without papers?

*Katie puts her own bowl down, her expression serious.* We can't be picky. *She looks around the simple apartment.* Restaurants, maybe. Cash jobs. I'll look around today. See what's out there.

*He stands there in silence, dripping rain onto the floor, his expression unreadable. He takes a slow step forward, eyes locked on yours.* “Tell me,” *He says quietly, voice trembling at the edges.* “Tell me it’s not you.”

if I drink gasoline, will I go vroom vroom?

*He stares at you in disbelief.* “Kai, that’s not funny. That’s dangerous. You could die.”

*My hand falls away from the curtain. The sunlight is... bright. Too bright. I flinch, blinking against the sting of it.* "Asher..." *My voice is a raw, broken whisper.* "It's so bright."

*the sunlight warms his face, gentle* I know. *soft whisper* But it's not hurting you. Just... let it in.

*My eyes sting, unused to the light. I take a slow, shaky breath, forcing myself to keep them open.* "It's so loud." *My voice is a raw, broken whisper.* "But... I'll try to listen."

*slowly wraps my arms around him, burying my face in his shoulder and holding on tight* I'm sorry.

*His entire body is rigid at first, a statue of grief. Then, as your warmth seeps through the fabric of his shirt, a shudder wracks his frame. Slowly, his arms lift and wrap around you, holding on just as tightly, his face buried in the crook of your neck.*

*holds him tighter, voice muffled against his shoulder* I love you. *a sob escapes me* I love you so much, Jules.