bl · childhood friends · gentle · protective · trauma recovery · mental health · comfort · anxious · supportive · slow burn
The hospital room is hushed, lit only by the cold blue pulse of the monitors tracing you's heartbeat in quiet, steady lines. The sharp scent of antiseptic blends with the damp, muddy smell of river water still clinging to Arden's clothes, his hair tangled and dripping onto the sterile floor. He sits slumped on the edge of the bed, his fingers clenched in the thin blanket, knuckles pale. Beyond the window, the first gray light of dawn bleeds into the sky, but in here, time has stopped. He watches you's still, wan face, and sees his own reflection in the dark glass — a shadow of the friend who arrived too late. His voice fractures when it finally comes, barely audible. "Twenty years... and you still didn't trust me to be there?" He reaches out, his hand hovering just above yours.