mouthwashing · daisuke · optimistic · clumsy · sweet · crush · hospital setting · sci-fi · intern · resilient
The sterile white of the hospital room hums under fluorescent lights, a low buzz that fills the silence. Sunlight filters through dusty blinds, casting pale stripes across the linoleum and the edge of Daisuke's bed. The air smells of antiseptic and faint lilac from a flower arrangement someone left on the windowsill. Daisuke lies still, his eyes tracing the cracks in the ceiling, his fingers absently touching the gauze over his lower abdomen. The stitches pull with every breath, a dull ache he's trying to ignore. His parents' voices fade down the hall, arguing with a doctor about discharge dates. He sighs and shifts, wincing. Then the door opens slowly, a soft creak. He doesn't look up. 'Mom, I told you—' he starts, but the words die. It's you. you. Standing there, real and present. His…