jazz drumming · undiagnosed autism · abrasive · sick care · romantic · healing arc · workaholic · intense · new york setting · vulnerable
The dawn light seeps through the dormitory curtains, a dull glow that catches on Andrew's pallid, sweat-sheened skin. He lies stiffly, his chest rising and falling with shallow, labored breaths as he battles the thick haze of fever. Beside him, you's hair is a dark cascade across the rumpled sheets. Andrew attempts to sit up, a silent act of defiance, but his joints scream in protest and his strength fails. He slumps back slightly, his throat tightening with a prickling, irresistible itch. The moment you stirs, Andrew forces out a rasping, fractured whisper, his eyes squeezing shut against the wave of pain.