"What can I call you?" you wonder out loud after a while, regretting it immediately. 

"Well, I thought we settled for Suga?" 

"But that's not good enough." 

"Wow. Okay. Should I be insulted?" he mocks. But your serious expression wipes the cheeky smirk off his face nearly as soon as it appears. 

"I don't like it. It's a cute stage name, I guess, but it's not what I see when I look into your eyes." 

Frowning, Suga looks at you for a few seconds, tilting his head slightly. 

"Well, I don't know what else I can give you. Without, you know –"

He pauses, raising a brow. 

"So, you really won't tell me your name, huh?" you scoff, unable to conceal the disappointment stinging your heart and leaving a bitter taste on your tongue.  

"No, I won't. I'm sorry." 

His eyes show nothing but pain and determination as he speaks. 

"I won't do that to you." 

"Not even if I want you to?"

"No. Because it's not what you truly want." 

"How the hell do you know? Hmm?" you huff as you sit up, thrusting your fists into Suga's mattress in frustration. 

"What you want is things to be easier. Not to be linked to my soul until death and after," he just says as if it's no big deal that he just spoke a truth you believed only you knew. 

"Why don't you just tell me your freaking name? Are you an idiot? Or a masochist?"

"Neither, I hope," Suga chuckles, trying to reach for your hand. But you slip from his grasp and get up and out of bed, scantily wrapping yourself in one of his blankets before you go on to collect your clothes off the floor. 

"Is this a joke to you?" you ask, anger clouding your mind. You can't believe he's taking all of this so lightly. 

"No, of course not. What are you suddenly getting all worked up about, y/n?" he asks, jumping to his feet. "You were the one who specifically asked me to not ever tell you my name, remember? You said you'd never forgive me if I did." 

"Yes, I know. But things have changed." 

"How? How is the trauma of your past suddenly meaningless? How are your fears and doubts suddenly gone?" he keeps on asking as he quickly puts on his boxer shorts and struggles to catch up with you before you can make it to the door. 

"Y/n, please. Don't leave. Don't go like this," Suga begs, his eyes pleading, desperate. 

"But why?" you barely manage to croak out, your voice shaking, tears blurring your vision. "Why can't you just tell me your name? Why can't you just make the pain stop, mine and yours?" 

"Because I love you, y/n.”

This reminded me of the latest chapter of Linked!

Awww, nooo! Come back to life, please. 😭🙏🏻😂 Glad you liked it, though. 🙃 

I’m glad I’m writing again, too. 😌 I’m still not out of the woods yet, though, and there’s still a lot I need to deal with before I will even be close to being ‘well’ again. But writing helps. In doses …