It had been two days since Julian had been in the hospital. Time felt strange—neither fast nor slow, just passing in quiet stretches of waiting and thinking.

  He y back against the pillow, eyes open but unfocused, his thoughts drifting back to something that had caught him off guard.

  He had stumbled to the bathroom that morning, muscles weak but steady beneath him. The sterile tiles were cold beneath his bare feet as he stood in front of the mirror.

  The face staring back wasn’t quite his own—blonde hair, lighter and softer than before. Hazel-green eyes that felt unfamiliar. Pale skin stretched over a scrawny frame, small and slight.

  Julian’s breath caught.

  “What the FUCK!” he had whispered, voice cracking with disbelief.

  He blinked at the mirror again, as if the reflection might somehow change. Short. Scrawny. And—no way—definitely not the Julian he remembered.

  How did I get so short? he thought, eyes narrowing. Maybe the hospital bed shrunk me? Or was this some cruel side effect of whatever happened?

  He poked at his arm, which felt like a twig. Great. I look like I’d get mistaken for a high schooler sneaking into a college lecture.

  Julian’s mind raced—should he be worried, or just start practicing how to reach the top shelf?

  Julian shook his head, trying to clear the fog. Okay, so I’m definitely shorter than I remember… He gnced down at his arms, thin and almost fragile. “Great,” he muttered. “The pocket-sized edition of myself.”

  The dull beep of the hospital room slowly returned, pulling Julian back to the present.

  A repetitive song pyed over the speaker, its four lines looping again and again, simple and hollow, blending into the sterile hospital atmosphere:

  “I’m the king, I’m the boss,I don’t take no loss,Power in my veins,I’m breaking all the chains.”

  Julian groaned softly, already imagining how he could break the speaker without anyone noticing — just a quiet tap here, a loose wire there — anything to make it stop.

  “Seriously, who has such terrible taste in music?” he thought, rolling his eyes just as the door clicked open.

  Doctor Ramsay stepped inside, Julian’s parents right behind him. He spoke carefully, his tone calm but serious.

  “Julian has been through a lot. We’re not sure how he’ll respond when he wakes up.”

  Before the words fully settled, Veronica and Leo caught sight of Julian’s open eyes. A flicker of disbelief fshed across their faces, quickly repced by a surge of relief and panic.

  “Julian!” Veronica whispered, her voice trembling as she rushed forward.

  Leo moved just as fast, his arms reaching out to gently pull Julian into a tentative embrace.

  Julian blinked up at them, overwhelmed but too stunned to speak.

  He forced a small, uncertain smile and cleared his throat. “H-hi,” he said cautiously, his voice quiet but steady.

  He forced a small, uncertain smile and cleared his throat. “Do I… know you?” he asked quietly.

  His eyes searched theirs, trying to pce them, but his mind was still foggy.

  Veronica’s arms slipped from his shoulders, her brow knitting in disbelief. Leo loosened his hold, stepping back so abruptly his feet shuffled on the floor.

  “Julian?” Veronica whispered, voice trembling. She gnced at Leo, as if seeking confirmation that this was really happening.

  Leo swallowed hard, his mouth opening and closing without words. He ran a hand through his hair, his eyes wide. “You… you don’t remember us?” he managed at st, each word heavy with shock.

  Julian’s forehead creased. He shook his head slowly. “I’m sorry, I… I’m not sure.” His voice was barely above a whisper.

  Silence settled over the room, broken only by the soft beep of the monitor, as Veronica and Leo exchanged a gnce of raw, stunned worry.

  Doctor Ramsay stepped forward, his voice steady and low.

  “I was concerned this might be the case. Based on my earlier checks, Julian’s memory is impaired. He doesn’t seem to recognize familiar faces or remember anything.”

  He paused, then continued with a grim edge to his words.

  “From what the toxicology reports revealed, the person who attacked him used a combination of Rohypnol and another unknown sedative—something experimental, possibly homemade. The cocktail was strong enough to shut down rge parts of his central nervous system. Frankly, it’s a miracle he’s awake at all.”

  His expression darkened slightly.

  “We believe the memory loss is a side effect of what he was drugged with. That kind of trauma, combined with the physical injuries… it’s not surprising his brain is doing everything it can to protect itself.”

  A pause hung in the air, heavy and suffocating.

  Julian, who had been sitting still through the conversation, finally found his voice. It came out soft, almost hesitant.

  “…Was I raped?”

  The word lingered, louder in meaning than in sound.

  Leo let out a small, choked sound and turned away, his hand covering his mouth. His shoulders quivered as he fought back the rising tide of emotion, as if hearing Julian say it aloud made the pain real all over again. He didn’t speak—he couldn’t.

  “Oh God…”

  Veronica, by contrast, stayed rooted. Her eyes narrowed slightly, jaw tightening—not from anger at Julian, but from the storm building behind her restraint. She reached out and pced a firm hand on Julian’s arm.

  “Yes,” Doctor Ramsay said gently.

  Julian blinked, his brows knitting as he stared between them all. The word lingered in the air, too heavy, too strange.

  “…By a man?” he asked hesitantly, voice hoarse. “That can’t be right… I’m a guy. Why would…” He trailed off, his face tightening with discomfort. “Was he some old, ugly creep or something?”

  Silence followed.

  Veronica’s expression barely flickered, but the tension in her stance deepened. Leo covered his face again, shoulders trembling.

  “No, it wasn’t a man. It was someone who followed you. She pulled you into an alleyway, and after that…” Veronica’s voice trailed off, her gaze dropping to the floor.

  Julian’s eyes darted wildly, a nervous ugh escaping his lips. “You’re joking, right? This has to be some kind of joke…” He shook his head, unease flickering across his face. This isn’t how it’s supposed to happen. Not to a guy. "How would a woman even… rape a guy?”

  Doctor Ramsay cleared his throat gently. “Aronix — it’s an illegal drug often slipped into drinks at rge parties to target men. It acts as an aphrodisiac, increasing libido.”

  Julian’s eyes gzed over, his body going numb. A hollow, almost empty sound slipped out of his lips.

  “Oh…”

  cuzzies

  Will probably go back and edit this eventually, writing with 3 hours of sleep is not it :(