The morning sunlight filtered through the thin blinds like weak tea - golden but watered down. Dee stirred under her soft quilt, one habit she hadn't managed to fully kill yet. Miso was already up, curled in a loaf at the edge of the bed, blinking lazily with those judgy little amber eyes that seemed to say, "Oh, you're still alive? Impressive."
Dee exhaled. Not a sigh, not quite. Just a breath with some history behind it.
She sat up and rubbed her eyes, her fringe falling into her face like a curtain dyed in sunset. That deep orange streak - a warning, a war paint, a statement. She kept it like armor. Sometimes she swore it glowed under the right light, like a caution sign and a beacon both.
The phone was the first thing she checked - behavior worthy of a millennial. Not Instagram, not TikTok, not even her art commission requests. Discord, the single best "dating" app for queers. Top of the chat list: "Void." Of course.
Nothing new since the goodnight voice message around 2 AM. Void's voice always sounded like it was speaking directly into her chest, skipping the ears entirely. Gritty, focused, yet weirdly full of care. Rough edges smoothed with intention. Soft words delivered like a punch. That voice had grown roots under her skin.
Dee smiled to herself in that stupid, slow, fragile way of someone learning to believe the world could be something other than sharp.
She rolled out of bed, her bare feet sinking into the worn carpet of her flat, and padded toward the kitchen. Miso followed, weaving between her legs like a spoiled ghost. She almost tripped, muttered "you little asshole," and got a chirpy mrrp in response.
Coffee came first. She liked it cheap and bitter, just like the jokes she'd make at her own expense. The kettle clicked on, loud and authoritative. Her reflection in the microwave caught her off guard - eyes ringed with sleep, that asymmetrical haircut magically held up with copious amounts of hair spray. She tilted her head. "Still here, huh..."
In the old days - before Void, before getting to experience someone else's softness - she might've spent another hour staring at that reflection, picking herself apart. Nowadays, it was more of a nod. A truce.
The kettle clicked off. She poured, stirred, blew on it absent-mindedly.
In the background, a faint hum of music trickled from her laptop - some playlist Void had sent her last week. Something between synthy gloom and sweet dream-pop, all pulsing bass and breathy vocals. One of the songs had a chorus like "you saw the ghost in me, and kissed it anyway." Dee had cried the first time she heard it, alone in the dark, phone to her chest like it could press Void's presence closer.
Today, though, she didn't cry. She just nodded to the rhythm and muttered, "fuckin' sapphic banger," before taking a sip.
Her chores weren't dramatic. A plate left from dinner last night. The laundry pile glaring at her from the corner. Miso's litter tray needed a refresh, and the cat made damn sure she knew it. Dee tied her messy hair back into a low, uneven ponytail, fringe still defiantly hanging in her eyes, and got to work.
As she scrubbed the plate, her mind wandered like it always did - to the sheer absurdity of the past few weeks. A witch overseas with magenta hair and a mouth like a flamethrower had wandered into her digital life and just... stayed. Not for nudes, not for drama, not to fix her - but just to see her. To ask how her day was. To remember Miso's name. To send her weird memes in the middle of the night that made her snort-laugh into her pillow.
And Dee didn't know just what to do with that. With kindness that didn't come with a price tag or a catch. The dudes in her past had offered love like it was a loan - take once, pay for-fucking-ever. Void? She gave it like a gift - and then forgot she gave it, like it was just something natural to do. One of Aura's echoes resonating through her.
Dee stared at the soap bubbles and blinked.
She remembered the night she told Void about the worst thing that ever happened to her. Not all the details, but just enough. Enough to make her hands shake after she hit send. There had been no silence, no awkward "I'm so sorry" that made her feel like a broken toy. Just, "I'm proud of you. You're better than them. You stayed soft, when life begged you to harden. That kind of strength? I've seen it before. It's the kind that leaves fingerprints on your soul."
And then Void added: "Also, if you ever want me to 3D print a knife and mail it to your past, I'm available. Custom design ideas welcome, gotta fight your demons in style, y'know."
Dee laughed out loud at the memory, nearly dropping the plate. Miso meowed, either offended or hungry, or both.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming."
The chores went quickly with music in her ears and Void in her head. She folded her laundry in slow, imperfect stacks, pausing every now and then to admire some hoodie or shirt Void had complimented in a past photo. The clothes weren't special - but they had new context now. They'd been seen. That made them different.
She was halfway back to the kitchen when Miso flopped in front of her feet with the grace of a furry potato, his belly exposed like he trusted the world, like he trusted her. Dee paused, barefoot on the cold floor, looking down at this tiny creature who had chosen her for whatever reason cats decide these things. He blinked slowly, then stretched his paw toward her like he was asking for a moment. Just one. She crouched down without a word, ran her fingers behind his ears the way he liked. "You always know when my head's a little too full, huh?" she whispered. He headbutted her wrist, leaving a bit of his long fur on it. That soft persistence, the way he demanded love but gave it right back, the way he just was there - it reminded her of someone.
She made toast. Peanut butter and banana slices, because she was feeling vaguely healthy today. She took a picture, captioned it with "trying to human. toast status: achieved. 💅" and sent it to Void without thinking too hard.
By the time she'd settled on the couch, Miso was already curling into her lap, purring like a tiny chainsaw. Dee stared out the window for a long moment. The world outside looked the same - same clouds, same dull buildings across the way, a river full of corporate chemicals and indifference to its immediate surroundings - but something in her didn't match it anymore. It felt lighter. Or maybe it just didn't hurt the same way it used to.
Her phone buzzed.
Void :: 10:17 AM
toast queen. you get bonus points if that banana was sacrificed in a ritual.
Dee chuckled. Her fingers hovered over the keyboard.
Dee :: 10:18 AM
Every bite was a curse against my exes. May their cereal always go soggy.
Void reacted with a string of emojis - skulls, knives, sparkles. Classic Void energy.
Dee stared at the screen for a second longer than she meant to. She realized, in that quiet way that truth sneaks up on you, that she missed someone she'd never even touched. Someone who lived across borders, across wounds, and somehow made her feel closer than people who'd shared her bed.
She didn't rush the thought. Just let it hang there, gentle and uncertain.
Miso shifted on her lap, pawing at her hand like, "Pet me, or perish."
Dee obeyed, still staring out the window, fringe in her face, heart a little louder than usual. The world was still a mess. She was still a mess. But for once, that didn't feel like a death sentence.
"Life might be shit, but fuck it, we ball."
At least she wasn't balling alone anymore.