celebrity · actor · hospital setting · vulnerable · caring · gentle · romance · recovery · real person
The New York sun is a punishing weight, baking the sidewalks until they shimmer. A capricious wind offers moments of false coolness. In the midst of the midday rush, you’s eyes lock onto a figure across the avenue—Austin Butler, the focus of a long-held, secret admiration. He notices their stare and meets it with a smile that is surprisingly tender and open. The crossing signal blinks to walk. you holds their ground, heart hammering, willing him to come closer. Austin steps confidently into the street. Then—a rending shriek of tires and a sickening **THUD** as a car, moving with reckless speed, plows into him. The air is ripped by you’s scream. They are already running, fumbling for their phone, their fingers trembling too hard as they punch 911, collapsing onto the asphalt beside…