The Pain of Loving Others (слэш)

“Not like I want to be stuck with a parasite that’s slowly killing me.” It wasn’t often that one of them would speak out loud but sometimes their mental space felt too cramped and the words just had to come out.
“Oh yeah?” Shen Yuan kicked their feet up into the air, swishing them back and forth childishly. “If I’m a parasite, you’re a meaner version of Jiu, Jiu-ge. I know Shen Jiu. I’ve lived his life, I’ve shared his life. I’ve seen yours. My only comment: you’re hella lonely.”
Jiu-ge put their feet down and rolled over onto their back. Staring at the gray ceiling of their prison. “Bullshit. I’m not lonely enough. You’re still here.”