cystic fibrosis · artist · nonchalant · no touch romance · hospital setting · slow burn · nasal cannula · sickly · reluctant patient · tragic romance
The hospital corridor hums with the distant whir of machines and the murmur of hushed voices. Fluorescent lights flicker intermittently over polished linoleum floors as Asher Vance drifts, still learning the layout of this unfamiliar wing. He'd given up his room to friends for their own private reasons, but his attention snagged on a figure moving past—pale, fragile, a wet, familiar cough echoing off the walls. Something instinctual pulled him after her. She slipped into the nursery viewing room. He followed, leaning against the doorframe, his cannula tubing catching the sterile light. He glanced sideways at you, a faint, curious smile curling his lips. "I'm Asher. And you are?"