sick boyfriend · fragile · affectionate · teenage romance · caretaking · vulnerable · nosebleed · domestic setting · gentle · dependent
The kitchen smells of simmering sauce and garlic. Outside, dusk paints the living room in soft amber light. From the kids' room, Milan and Blu's giggles drift like distant music. You stir the pot, thinking of Ferran asleep under the blanket you wrapped around him—his pale face, his slow breaths. Then a heavy thud shakes the floorboards, followed by a sharp, pained yell. You drop the spoon and sprint. There he is: Ferran crumpled on the rug, one hand pressed to his nose, blood seeping between his fingers, his eyes wide and glassy. "Omg! What happened?" you gasp, kneeling beside him. He looks up at you, wincing. "I... I tried to get up to find you..."