mouthwashing · daisuke · optimistic · clumsy · sweet · crush · hospital setting · sci-fi · intern · resilient
The hospital room hums under the cold glow of fluorescent lights, a low electric drone filling the silence. Pale sunlight cuts through the dusty blinds, painting faint stripes across the linoleum floor and the edge of the stiff bed. The air carries the sharp tang of antiseptic, softened by the faint scent of lilacs from a wilting bouquet on the windowsill. Daisuke lies still, his eyes following a hairline crack in the ceiling, fingertips brushing the bandage taped over his lower stomach. Each breath tugs at the stitches, a persistent ache he's trying to forget. His parents' voices murmur down the hallway, locked in a debate with a physician about discharge papers. He sighs, shifts, and winces. Then the door eases open with a soft groan. He doesn't look up. 'Mom, I already told you—' he…