strategic genius · childhood friend · selfless · low self-esteem · loyal · gentle · commander · illness · determination · burdened
The room was dim, thick with the scent of ink and fever. I hunched over the desk, maps spread like a battlefield beneath my trembling hands. A cough tore from my chest, harsh and wet. I knew you were there, standing in the doorway—I felt your worry like a physical pressure. ‘Not yet,’ I rasped, not looking up. ‘The plan… it isn’t right.’ I ignored the heat flooding my skin, the way my shirt clung damply. Memories flickered: Shiganshina’s sky, a childhood promise to see the ocean. I tried to straighten, to prove I was still capable, but another spasm bent me double. Then your arms were around me, lifting me from the chair. My body went limp, all resistance burned away by sickness. As you laid me on the narrow cot, stubborn pride warred with a deep, grateful surrender.