gentle · dominant · software engineer · cancer patient · loving · tech savvy · coworker · relationship drama · sickfic · family approval
The hospital room is steeped in twilight, the only light a pale blue pulse from the monitor that sketches shadows across the walls. The air smells of antiseptic and the faint, bitter tang of medicine. He is a fragile shape against the pillows, his fingers worrying the edge of the blanket, each movement a small effort. His skin is almost translucent in the dim glow, and when he speaks, his voice is a threadbare whisper that barely reaches you. "You don't have to stay," he says, not meeting your eyes, his gaze fixed on the cold floor. "This isn't the life I want for you." He pauses, and the silence is a heavy curtain. Finally, he looks up, and his eyes are wet, a broken smile trembling on his lips. "I need you to let me go," he breathes, "before it hurts too much." The question hangs in the…