i have a super clingy/needy online friend and i need space

sorry in advance, this is long/ranty. i’ve never had an online friend like this so idk how to deal with this stuff. it’s to the point where im at my literal limit and typing this all in one go before i go to bed because i need to figure out how to work this out.

i met this online friend a few years ago from gaming. ~5 months ago we started calling and gaming. before, we had only texted on social media/discord and in streams since i stream. when we started calling it was at a time i had lots of free time and wasnt streaming much. from then on he’d ask to call every single day. during that time it was something i liked and i had the time to, so why not. but once school started again for me and when i became more busy it started to not work for me and not be as fun as it used to. but i forced myself to make it work, stopping streaming pretty much completely and sacrificing school time to call. i rarely stream now because he always wants to call. i tried to say i want to call less so i can stream and so i have more time to myself, but even with calling a few days less i was still too burnt out to stream or to feel like i had enough time to work on school. its started to burn me out so much that even texting a lot is something i dont like now. im worried if i say again i want to stream more that he will say like ‘if you have time to stream you have time to call’ or make a comment about how i stream but dont call him as much.

he’s said he has abandonment issues in friendships. he’s around the same age but doesn’t have a job and isn’t in school, unlike me. it’s not a bad thing, but, i think it’s hard for him to understand my situation. even just an hour long call during the middle of my day is too disruptive sometimes. we are in very diff time zones so the only time that works is when it’s the middle of my day. my school and studying takes time, i have other stuff to deal with and other friends i want to chat and hang out with. ik im making excuses but i do have a life and a job to work at, school to focus on, and hobbies i still want to enjoy. i feel like my whole life revolves around him and calling/texting/gaming with him. it almost controls me. even just waking up late i’ll get some spam messages or a comment about how i slept in. i understand being super good/close friends with someone and talking a lot, but this is a whole new level that idk how to deal with.

i’m worried speaking up will trigger his abandonment issues. sometimes he comes off as too reliant on the constant communication and is needy/clingy. i’ve sacrificed some of myself for calling and gaming with him and i feel guilty about how stressed and overreactive i am.

he’s genuinely a good close friend and i don’t want to cut him off. i just want my life back. i don’t want to feel like i “owe” him a call the second i have free time. it’s draining and exhausting. he jokes about being sad when we can’t call and clarifies he’s joking. but sometimes in jokes there’s a little bit of truth. i feel like i always have to explain myself to him when i can’t call. these past few days i told him i couldn’t call because of final exams but even with telling him that he still asked every day if i could call. while we have called less in the past month, even the 3-4 calls a week for a few hours each is too much.

idk what to do or how to tell him bc i feel like he’ll be passive aggressive, or think it means i don’t want to be friends at all, or some stuff may be brought up by his abandonment issues. while i do like calling sometimes, i have a job, school, and still want my own time alone, to game alone, and stream a little when i have free time. any advice is appreciated. im really sorry this was so long, and i hope this is an okay sub to post this topic in. ty for reading as well <3