𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐢 @cbinotes - Tumblr Blog

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requested by @purplecrayola

sorry for how late I posted this, it took me longer than expected😭

how the flash boys would comfort you after a breakup—but secretly have a crush on you

barry allen

barry is at your apartment the same night you call him. he doesn't ask questions over the phone, only asks if you're home before showing up with takeout, your favorite snacks, and an awkwardly picked bouquet from the convenience store because he panicked and didn't want to arrive empty-handed.

he never tries to convince you that your ex didn't matter. instead, he sits beside you on the couch, listening while you vent, letting you cry without interrupting. every now and then he'll quietly remind you that you're allowed to be upset, no matter how things ended.

the hardest part for him is hearing you wonder out loud if you just "weren't enough." barry's heart breaks a little every time you say something like that because, in his eyes, you've always been more than enough. he wants to tell you. he wants to tell you that anyone who let you go is making the biggest mistake of their life. but this isn't about his feelings, so he keeps them to himself.

he finds little excuses to help over the next few weeks. checking in through texts, bringing you coffee at work, offering movie nights whenever he notices you've been quieter than usual. he tells himself he's only making sure you're okay, even though cisco has definitely noticed how often barry asks if you've eaten.

there are moments where he almost slips. you'll smile at one of his terrible jokes for the first time since the breakup, and he catches himself smiling right back a little too fondly. or you'll lean against his shoulder during a movie, completely exhausted, and he'll freeze because every part of him wants to wrap an arm around you but worries it would mean taking advantage of your vulnerability.

so he never makes a move.

instead, barry chooses patience. if something ever happens between you, he wants it to be because you've healed—not because you were lonely. until then, he'll be exactly what you need him to be.

Even if secretly...

he hopes one day you'll look at him the same way he's been looking at you all along.

ᥥ ⑅ ᥥ

harrison wells (eobard thawne)

Harrison notices something is wrong before you ever tell him.

You stop lingering in his lab. Your replies become shorter. The spark that's usually there whenever you tease him or ramble about your day is suddenly... gone. He doesn't ask immediately. Instead, he watches. Observes. Waits until the two of you are alone before quietly saying, "Who hurt you?"

When you finally admit you and your partner broke up, his expression barely changes. Outwardly, he's as composed as ever. Inside, though, there's a flicker of anger he buries almost instantly. Not because he's happy you're single—he refuses to let himself think like that—but because someone managed to make you doubt yourself.

He listens more than he speaks. He lets you explain everything from beginning to end without interrupting, only asking the occasional question that somehow makes you realize none of it was your fault. He's frighteningly good at separating emotion from fact, and somehow, by the end of the conversation, the weight on your shoulders feels just a little lighter.

"You are not difficult to love," he says matter-of-factly when you begin blaming yourself. "You simply invested your trust in the wrong person."

It's such a simple sentence, but it stays with you for weeks.

After that, he starts looking after you in quieter ways. He'll leave a fresh cup of coffee on your desk before you arrive, subtly rearrange your workload so you aren't overwhelmed, and make sure you have reasons to stay busy without ever making it obvious he's the one behind it.

He never coddles you. He knows you wouldn't want that.

Instead, he treats you exactly the same as always, with one small difference.

He's gentler.

His sarcasm loses its sharper edge around you. His corrections become more patient. He finds himself lingering a little longer after conversations, asking how you're doing under the guise of discussing work, even though both of you know that's not really what he's asking.

There are moments where his feelings almost surface.

When you laugh at one of his dry remarks after days of barely smiling, relief flashes across his face before he can hide it.

When you absentmindedly thank him for always being there, he has to look away for a second because hearing those words from you affects him far more than it should.

But he never crosses that line.

Not while you're grieving someone else.

No matter how much he wants to tell you that he would've never made you question your worth... he refuses to become the man who takes advantage of your broken heart.

So he waits.

Quietly.

Patiently.

And hopes that, one day, if you ever choose him...

it'll be because you genuinely want him—not because you needed someone to fill the space your ex left behind.

ᥥ ⑅ ᥥ

harry wells

Harry pretends he doesn't notice at first.

He tells himself it's none of his business why you've been quieter lately or why you've suddenly stopped smiling as much around the lab. But after watching you stare blankly at your computer for the better part of an hour, he finally sighs, walks over, and asks, "You gonna tell me what's got you looking that miserable, or am I supposed to keep guessing?"

When you admit you and your partner broke up, Harry goes unusually quiet.

He isn't the best with comfort. He knows that. Emotional conversations have never been his strong suit. For a moment, he just stands there with his hands on his hips, trying to figure out the right thing to say.

Then he settles for honesty.

"...They're an idiot."

It's so blunt that you actually let out a small laugh through your tears.

"There," he mutters, pointing at you. "See? That's better."

From that day on, Harry starts checking on you in the only ways he knows how.

He'll complain that you're working too late before practically ordering you to take a break. If you forget to eat, he'll grumble under his breath while shoving food into your hands like it's an inconvenience for him to care so much. He'll find excuses to keep you busy with projects, convinced that having something to focus on will stop you from sitting alone with your thoughts.

"You've been staring at that screen for ten minutes," he says one afternoon.

"I was thinking."

"Well, stop it. You're terrible at it when you're sad."

You roll your eyes.

He quietly slides a coffee toward you anyway.

The hardest part is listening to you question whether you were enough.

Harry has to bite back the immediate response sitting on his tongue because, to him, the answer has always been painfully obvious. You've always been brilliant. Kind. Capable. More than anyone could reasonably ask for.

He wants to tell you all of that.

Instead, he simply says, "Don't let someone else's bad judgment become your opinion of yourself."

It's the closest he gets.

His feelings creep into the smallest moments.

He notices when you start smiling more often again and catches himself looking forward to hearing you laugh. He memorizes your coffee order without realizing it. He starts unconsciously saving the seat beside him during meetings, only noticing after you've already sat down.

Cisco notices almost immediately.

"Dude... you know you've been hovering around them for, like, three weeks?"

"I am not hovering."

"You literally brought them lunch."

"They forgot to eat."

"You remembered."

Harry opens his mouth to argue.

...Then realizes Cisco has a point.

That realization terrifies him.

Because the last thing he wants is for you to think he's only being kind because he hopes you'll choose him.

So he never says a word.

He keeps his feelings tucked away, deciding that your healing matters more than his confession ever could.

If you ever fall for him...

He wants it to happen after you've found your footing again.

Not while you're still learning how to stand after someone else let you fall.

ᥥ ⑅ ᥥ

h.r. wells

H.R. knows before anyone tells him.

He notices the way your smile doesn't quite reach your eyes, how your laughter sounds forced, how you've started apologizing for things that don't need apologies. He's always been good at reading people, especially the ones he cares about, and the second he realizes you're hurting, his heart aches for you.

He doesn't overwhelm you with questions.

Instead, he shows up with your favorite pastries, a terrible movie he insists is "therapeutic," and enough enthusiasm to make you smile, even if it's only for a few seconds. "Doctor's orders," he says with an exaggerated nod. "And by doctor, I mean me. Which... probably isn't legally recognized anywhere."

When you finally tell him about the breakup, his expression falls.

Not dramatically.

Just enough that you can tell he genuinely hates seeing you like this.

He lets you talk for as long as you need, never interrupting except to hand you tissues or quietly reassure you that you're doing just fine. If you cry, he doesn't look uncomfortable or try to rush you through it. He simply stays.

When you start wondering what you did wrong, H.R. is quick to shake his head.

"Hey... no."

His voice is softer than usual.

"Don't start rewriting the story to make yourself the villain."

The words catch you off guard.

Because beneath all his jokes and endless chatter is someone who understands heartbreak better than most people realize.

After that, he makes it his personal mission to remind you that life is still worth enjoying.

He'll drag you out for coffee, convince you to try a new restaurant, leave encouraging sticky notes where he knows you'll find them, and somehow always seems to appear whenever you're having a particularly bad day.

Not because he thinks he can fix you.

Because he wants to make sure you never have to carry the weight alone.

His crush only makes it harder.

Every time you laugh at one of his ridiculous stories, his chest feels a little lighter. Every time you thank him for being there, he has to remind himself that this isn't the time to tell you how long he's wanted to be more than just the person cheering you up.

Cisco notices before anyone else.

"Dude... you like them."

H.R. doesn't even deny it.

He just smiles sadly into his coffee.

"Yeah."

"...You gonna tell them?"

He shakes his head.

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because right now they need a friend."

It's as simple as that.

So he keeps showing up.

Keeps making you laugh.

Keeps celebrating every little victory, like the first time you genuinely smile again or the first day you stop checking your phone out of habit.

And every single one of those moments makes him happier than it probably should.

Because seeing you heal...

Even if it isn't because of him...

Will always matter more than telling you how he feels.

If love ever finds its way to him, he wants it to be when your heart is ready to choose again.

Not when it's still learning how to mend.

ᥥ ⑅ ᥥ

nash wells

Nash doesn't ask if you're okay.

He already knows the answer.

The first thing he notices is your silence. You stop teasing him, stop wandering into his workspace just to see what he's up to, stop smiling the way you usually do whenever the two of you cross paths. At first he assumes you're just having a bad day, but after nearly a week of watching you carry yourself like the weight of the world is sitting on your shoulders, he can't ignore it anymore.

He finds you sitting alone one evening and simply asks, "You wanna talk about it?"

No pressure.

No assumptions.

Just the offer.

When you tell him about the breakup, Nash's jaw tightens almost imperceptibly.

He doesn't interrupt. Doesn't tell you everything happens for a reason. Doesn't offer empty promises that you'll "find someone better."

He just listens.

Really listens.

When you finally trail off, exhausted from crying and talking in equal measure, he quietly says, "I'm sorry they made you feel like losing you was an option."

It's such a simple sentence.

But it hits harder than any grand speech could.

Over the next few weeks, Nash starts looking after you in all the little ways that almost go unnoticed.

He brings you coffee without asking if you want one because he already knows the answer. If he notices you've skipped lunch, he'll casually hand you something to eat while pretending he bought too much for himself. If you're having one of those days where everything feels heavier, he'll find some excuse to keep you company without making you feel like you're being watched.

He's never overbearing.

Just... there.

Steady.

Reliable.

Exactly where you need him to be.

The hardest moments are when you start blaming yourself.

"I keep wondering what I could've done differently."

Nash looks at you for a long second before quietly shaking his head.

"Wrong question."

You frown.

"The right one is why someone made you think you had to earn the kind of love you were already giving."

After that, neither of you says anything for a while.

You don't realize he's looking at you with a softness he usually keeps buried.

He doesn't realize he's doing it either.

His feelings sneak up on him in quiet moments.

Watching you laugh at one of his dry jokes after days of barely speaking.

Seeing you slowly become yourself again.

Catching himself looking for you whenever he walks into a room.

It scares him more than he'd like to admit.

Because the last thing he wants is for his feelings to become another burden you have to carry.

So he keeps them to himself.

One evening, you're sitting beside him in comfortable silence when you quietly thank him.

"For what?"

"For staying."

Nash's chest tightens.

He could tell you that leaving was never an option.

That somewhere along the way, being near you became the easiest decision he'd ever made.

Instead, he simply offers you a small smile.

"Didn't seem right to do anything else."

And that's enough.

For now.

Because if you ever find your way to him...

He wants you to do it with a healed heart.

Not one that's still trying to recover from someone who didn't know how lucky they were.

ᥥ ⑅ ᥥ

sherloque wells

Sherloque figures it out before you ever say a word.

He's far too observant not to. He notices you've stopped wearing the necklace you always fidget with, that you've been arriving to S.T.A.R. Labs a little earlier just to avoid going home, and that your smiles have become polite instead of genuine. The pieces fit together long before you finally admit, with tired eyes and a shaky laugh, that your relationship is over.

He doesn't say, "I knew."

Instead, he quietly asks, "Would you like to talk about it?"

There's no arrogance in his voice. No need to prove how perceptive he is.

Just concern.

He listens with an attentiveness that almost surprises you. You expect him to interrupt with observations or theories, but he doesn't. He lets you tell the whole story at your own pace, never once making you feel rushed. Every now and then, he'll nod softly, encouraging you to continue whenever your voice starts to falter.

When you finally confess that maybe you just "weren't what they wanted anymore," Sherloque is unusually quick to respond.

"No."

The word is firm.

Certain.

"You are confusing compatibility with worth. They are not the same thing."

You blink at him.

He continues more gently this time.

"Someone failing to appreciate you does not diminish your value."

The sentence stays with you long after the conversation ends.

Over the following weeks, Sherloque develops a habit of quietly checking in on you.

He'll bring you coffee without making a spectacle of it, casually ask if you've eaten while pretending it's part of an unrelated conversation, or leave books on your desk that he insists you'll enjoy because "they seemed like something that would make you smile."

He's thoughtful in ways that don't ask for recognition.

The more time he spends with you, the harder it becomes to separate simple kindness from the feelings he's been trying to ignore.

He catches himself lingering after conversations, finding reasons to walk beside you through the halls, looking forward to hearing your laugh whenever he manages to tease one out of you.

He hates that part.

Not because he regrets caring about you.

Because he worries you'll think that's why he helped.

One afternoon, you're thanking him for always being there, and for the briefest moment, he's tempted.

Tempted to tell you that he's cared for you much longer than you've ever realized.

That every smile you've managed these past few weeks has felt like a personal victory.

That seeing you hurt has been far more difficult than he'd ever admit aloud.

But he doesn't.

Instead, he smiles warmly and says, "That is what friends do."

It's true.

Even if it isn't the whole truth.

Sherloque refuses to let his feelings become something you have to navigate while you're still healing. He's seen too many people mistake gratitude for love, comfort for romance, loneliness for certainty.

He wants more for you than that.

So he'll wait.

Patiently.

Quietly.

And if one day you choose to look at him differently, he hopes it'll be because your heart is whole again—not because he happened to be standing beside you while it was broken.

ᥥ ⑅ ᥥ

cisco ramon

Cisco finds out completely by accident.

He walks into the Cortex expecting to tell you about a movie trailer he just watched, already halfway through his dramatic explanation before he notices your red eyes and the untouched coffee sitting beside you. His grin fades immediately.

"...What happened?"

The second you tell him you and your partner broke up, he doesn't hesitate.

He's sitting beside you before you can even finish explaining, handing you tissues while quietly muttering, "They're an idiot."

You laugh through your tears.

"I'm serious," he says. "Anyone who made you cry this much clearly doesn't deserve you."

It's one of the few times he says something without trying to make it funny.

Over the next few days, Cisco becomes your favorite distraction.

He fills every quiet moment with movie marathons, video games, terrible jokes, and enough pop culture references to make you groan. He never acts like he's trying to cheer you up, even though both of you know exactly what he's doing.

If he can make you smile for even a second...

He considers that a win.

He also becomes ridiculously attentive without meaning to.

He notices when you've stopped eating halfway through lunch and casually slides the rest of his fries toward you.

He remembers the songs you skip because they remind you of your ex and quietly changes the playlist before they ever come on.

If someone accidentally brings up your relationship, he's somehow changing the subject before you have to answer.

None of it feels forced.

It's just... Cisco.

The hardest moment comes when you quietly admit, "Maybe they just got tired of me."

His heart sinks.

He looks at you like you've just said something completely unbelievable.

"Tired of you?"

You shrug.

"I don't know..."

"No."

He shakes his head immediately.

"I've known you for years, and do you know what the biggest problem with you is?"

You blink.

"...What?"

"You make people want to stick around."

You stare at him.

"So if someone walked away..."

He smiles sadly.

"That's on them."

He doesn't realize how much of his own feelings slip into those words until Caitlin catches him watching you laugh later that afternoon.

She gives him a knowing look.

"...Cisco."

"What?"

"You like them."

He opens his mouth to deny it.

Nothing comes out.

Because she's right.

He's liked you for longer than he'd ever intended.

Long enough that seeing you heartbroken feels almost unbearable.

Long enough that every instinct in him wants to tell you that he would've never made you question how lovable you are.

But he won't.

Not now.

Not when you're vulnerable.

Instead, he stays exactly where you've always needed him to be.

Beside you.

Making you laugh when the days feel too heavy.

Reminding you who you are whenever you forget.

And quietly hoping that, someday, when your heart isn't hurting anymore...

Maybe you'll notice that he's been looking at you with love all along.

ᥥ ⑅ ᥥ

julian albert

Julian is... surprisingly gentle about it.

When you don't show up for work, he assumes you're sick. When you don't answer your phone, he starts to worry. By the time you finally return to CCPD looking exhausted and emotionally drained, he's already rehearsed a lecture about taking care of yourself.

The lecture disappears the second you quietly admit, "We broke up."

He just... stops.

For a long moment, he doesn't know what to say.

"I'm... sorry," he says finally, the words awkward but completely sincere.

It's not polished.

It isn't perfect.

But somehow, it means more because you know how difficult those conversations are for him.

Julian never pushes you to talk.

Instead, he quietly makes himself available.

If you're staying late to avoid going home, he'll stay too, claiming he has paperwork to finish. If he notices you've skipped lunch, he'll wordlessly place something from Jitters on your desk before walking away as though it were the most ordinary thing in the world.

You thank him once.

He immediately clears his throat and mutters, "Well... someone has to make sure you're functioning."

It's his way of saying he cares.

Even if he can't quite bring himself to say the words directly.

One evening, you're sorting through case files together when you quietly whisper, "Do you ever wonder if maybe you just weren't enough for someone?"

Julian's hands stop moving.

He looks at you with an expression you've almost never seen on him.

Soft.

Almost heartbroken.

"No."

The answer comes immediately.

You glance up.

"I don't believe that for a second."

His voice is calm, but there's something almost protective beneath it.

"You can be entirely enough for the wrong person."

The room falls silent.

"You shouldn't confuse someone else's inability to value you with your own worth."

You don't realize he's speaking from the heart.

He does.

And it terrifies him.

After that conversation, Julian becomes even more attentive.

He starts walking you to your car after late shifts without mentioning it.

He remembers exactly how you take your coffee.

He checks in with simple questions that sound almost clinical.

"Have you eaten?"

"Are you sleeping any better?"

"You seem less tired today."

Anyone else might think he's simply being polite.

You know better.

He's trying.

In his own awkward, wonderfully Julian way.

His feelings become harder to ignore the more you heal.

He catches himself smiling whenever you laugh at one of his dry remarks.

He starts looking forward to your conversations more than he probably should.

Sometimes he'll walk into the precinct and instinctively look for you before doing anything else.

The realization unsettles him.

Because the last thing he wants is for you to think his kindness comes with expectations.

It doesn't.

He'd rather spend months helping you put yourself back together than risk confessing too soon and making you question every comforting word he's ever said.

So he says nothing.

He lets you heal.

Lets you find your confidence again.

And quietly hopes that, one day, when your heart belongs entirely to you again...

You might choose to place a piece of it in his hands.

Not because he was there after the breakup.

But because somewhere along the way...

You fell in love with him too.

ᥥ ⑅ ᥥ

leonard snart

Leonard hears about the breakup before you ever tell him.

Not because he's been snooping.

Because you're terrible at hiding it.

The way you stop answering texts as quickly. The tired look in your eyes. The fact that you've suddenly started insisting you're "fine" every time someone asks. He's seen enough people wear that expression to know exactly what it means.

He doesn't bring it up.

Not until one evening when he finds you sitting alone, staring at a drink you've barely touched.

Without asking, he slides into the seat across from you.

"...You gonna keep pretending you're okay?"

You let out a tired laugh.

"No."

The truth spills out after that.

Leonard doesn't interrupt once.

He just listens, arms folded across his chest, watching you more carefully than you realize. Every now and then he'll nod or hum quietly to let you know he's still following, but he never rushes you through it.

When you finally admit, "Maybe I just wasn't enough for them..."

His expression hardens.

Not at you.

At the idea.

"Don't do that."

His voice is low.

Firm.

"You don't get to blame yourself for somebody else's mistakes."

It's the closest thing to anger you've ever seen from him on your behalf.

After that, Leonard starts showing up more often.

Never announcing himself.

Never asking if you need company.

He simply... appears.

He'll bring you coffee without mentioning it, sit beside you in comfortable silence, or casually distract you with stories that somehow always end with you rolling your eyes.

He never tries to force you to smile.

But every time he earns one...

He quietly treasures it.

His protectiveness becomes almost impossible to hide.

The first time someone makes an insensitive joke about your breakup, Leonard shuts it down before you even have a chance to respond.

"Pick another topic."

The room goes quiet.

Nobody argues.

You glance at him in surprise.

He only shrugs.

"They've heard enough."

It's said so casually that most people don't think twice about it.

You do.

The hardest part for Leonard is keeping his feelings separate from your pain.

Because every time you apologize for "being a mess," every time you question why someone stopped loving you, he has to fight the overwhelming urge to tell you that he can't imagine ever walking away from you.

That if he'd been the one lucky enough to have you...

He would've held on.

Instead, he keeps those thoughts to himself.

Mick notices before long.

"You like 'em."

Leonard doesn't even bother denying it.

"...Yeah."

"So?"

"So nothing."

Mick frowns.

"They just got dumped."

Leonard nods once.

"Exactly."

That's the end of the conversation.

Because, to him, that's reason enough.

He refuses to become the person waiting in the wings for someone else's relationship to fail.

He refuses to let you wonder if every kind thing he's done has been part of some plan to win you over.

So he waits.

He lets you grieve.

Lets you heal.

Lets you remember who you are without someone who couldn't appreciate you.

And if, somewhere down the road, you find your way back to him...

He hopes it'll be because you chose him with a full heart.

Not because he happened to be standing nearby when yours was broken.

ᥥ ⑅ ᥥ

hunter zolomon

Hunter notices the change long before you tell him.

You're quieter than usual. Your smiles disappear almost as quickly as they appear, and there's a heaviness in your eyes that wasn't there before. He doesn't ask about it immediately. Instead, he watches, waiting until the two of you are alone before quietly saying, "Something happened."

It's not really a question.

When you admit the relationship is over, Hunter's expression barely changes.

Only his eyes soften.

"I'm sorry," he says quietly.

He doesn't offer empty reassurances or tell you everything happens for a reason. He knows heartbreak doesn't disappear because someone says the right words. So he simply stays beside you, letting the silence settle until you're ready to fill it yourself.

Over the next few weeks, he becomes a quiet constant in your life.

He checks in with simple texts asking if you've eaten. He walks beside you after work without making a big deal out of it. If he notices you're having a particularly difficult day, he'll find an excuse to keep you company, talking about anything except the breakup unless you're the one who brings it up.

He never pushes.

He just makes sure you don't have to be alone unless that's what you want.

The first time you admit you keep wondering why you weren't enough, Hunter stops walking.

He looks at you for a long moment before shaking his head.

"No."

His voice is calm.

"You cared."

You nod weakly.

"You tried."

Another nod.

"Sometimes that's all you can do."

You look away.

"It still wasn't enough."

"It wasn't enough for them," he corrects gently. "That doesn't mean it wasn't enough."

The words linger with you long after the conversation ends.

Hunter starts noticing all the little victories after that.

The first genuine laugh.

The first day you stop looking quite so tired.

The first time you tell a story without forcing a smile.

He never points them out.

He's simply relieved to see pieces of you returning.

His feelings become harder to ignore because of moments like those.

He catches himself looking forward to hearing your voice, finding excuses to stop by your desk, wondering how your day went before he even realizes he's thinking about you.

It unsettles him.

Not because he regrets falling for you.

Because he hates the timing.

The last thing he wants is for you to believe his kindness came with expectations.

It didn't.

He would've sat beside you through every difficult day regardless of whether you ever returned his feelings.

One afternoon, you thank him for always being there.

"You didn't have to do all this."

Hunter offers a small smile.

"I know."

"Then... why?"

He hesitates.

For just a second.

Because the real answer sits on the tip of his tongue.

Because I care about you.

Because I've cared for longer than you realize.

Instead, he quietly says, "Because you shouldn't have to go through this alone."

And that's all.

He keeps the rest to himself.

Not because he's afraid of how you might respond.

Because he wants your next chapter to begin when you're ready for it.

If you ever choose him, he wants it to be because your heart has healed enough to love again—not because he happened to be the one helping you pick up the pieces.

ᥥ ⑅ ᥥ

savitar

Savitar knows something is wrong before you ever say it.

He watches the way your shoulders slump when you think no one is looking. The way your smile disappears the second you're alone. The way your voice carries just a little less warmth than it used to. He notices every tiny change with unsettling accuracy, and after days of watching you slowly fall apart, he finally asks the question you've been trying so hard to avoid.

"What did they do to you?"

Not what happened.

What did they do.

When you quietly admit the relationship is over, silence settles between you.

He doesn't pity you.

He doesn't tell you your ex "did their best."

He simply looks away for a moment, jaw tightening, because he can't understand how someone could willingly walk away from you.

"They're a fool," he says eventually.

The words come out colder than he intends.

"You deserved better."

After that, he starts appearing everywhere.

You never ask him to stay, yet somehow he's always nearby whenever the loneliness starts creeping in. He'll sit beside you without saying a word, listen while you vent for hours if that's what you need, and remain long after the conversation has ended simply because he doesn't like the thought of you being alone.

It's oddly comforting.

Even if you never understand how he always seems to know when you need someone.

The moment that stays with him most is the first time you whisper, "Maybe they stopped loving me."

His head snaps toward you.

"No."

The answer is immediate.

Certain.

"They made a choice."

You look down at your hands.

"That doesn't mean you became harder to love."

There's something almost personal in the way he says it.

Like he's trying to convince both of you.

As the weeks pass, he quietly becomes part of your routine.

He remembers how you take your coffee. He notices when you've skipped meals. If he sees you're exhausted, he'll steer you away from work with some excuse about needing your help elsewhere, knowing full well you simply need a break.

He tells himself he's only making sure you're okay.

That it's concern.

Nothing more.

Until one afternoon, he catches himself smiling because you laughed.

A real laugh.

The kind he hasn't heard in weeks.

That's when the truth finally catches up to him.

Somewhere between comforting you and watching you slowly heal...

He'd fallen in love.

The realization unsettles him more than he'd ever admit.

Not because he regrets it.

Because he knows how vulnerable you still are.

You deserve the chance to heal without wondering whether every kind thing he's done was motivated by his own feelings.

So he buries them.

He keeps offering quiet reassurance, keeps sitting beside you on the difficult days, keeps reminding you that your worth was never defined by someone else's inability to see it.

One evening, you thank him.

"I don't know what I would've done without you."

For a split second, he's tempted.

Tempted to tell you everything.

That every moment beside you has only made his feelings stronger.

That watching someone else break your heart has taken every ounce of his self-control not to confess.

Instead, he simply gives you the smallest smile.

"You won't have to find out."

It's a simple promise.

One he intends to keep.

Because whether you ever return his feelings or not...

He has already decided he'll be the person who stays.