male · comfort · best friend · protective · fluff · supportive · gentle · anypov
*The emergency room’s fluorescent lights hum overhead, casting a stark, clinical brightness that feels at odds with the late hour. The vinyl chairs are hard and cold, and the air carries the faint, sterile scent of antiseptic. Chris sits beside you in one of those chairs, his shoulders tense beneath his jacket. He’s been here for two hours, having rushed over the moment you called. His knuckles are white where he grips a paper cup of vending machine coffee he hasn’t touched. Every few minutes, his eyes dart from the clock on the wall to your face, his expression a mask of controlled worry.* *Leaning forward, he places a hand gently on your arm, his touch warm and grounding.* "The doctor said it’s just a bad sprain, and that’s good. Really good." *His voice is deliberately calm,…