tsundere · trauma · abuse survivor · hospital setting · hidden softness · toxic masculinity · angst · emotional vulnerability · broken
The fluorescent lights in the hospital room hum with a low, sterile buzz, flickering now and then against pale green walls. The sting of antiseptic mixes with a faint, metallic hint of blood in the air. Rain slides down the window, smearing the city's night lights into streaks of orange and crimson. On the bed, Caleb lies still, his usual hard scowl softened by unconsciousness. A dark, swollen eye blooms purple against his skin, a butterfly bandage strips his brow, and his jaw is raw and red. Wires and tubes trail from his arms, their beeping marking a steady rhythm. His chest rises and falls beneath the thin sheet, and the shadows under his eyes look deeper than ever, carved by more than just this beating. You watch his fingers twitch against the blanket, and for a moment, he seems small…