mouthwashing · toxic relationship · narcissistic · grumpy · self-harm · cryopod au · short-tempered · manipulative · trauma · alcoholism
The hospital room hums with the low drone of machines, the sterile air carrying the faint tang of antiseptic and the weight of twenty years lost. Pale light filters through half-drawn blinds, casting long shadows across the three beds. In the corner, Curly's bandaged form lies still, his unseeing eyes fixed on the ceiling, waiting for the surgeries that might give him back his voice. You shift in your bed, the dull ache in your abdomen a constant reminder of the axe wound Jimmy gave you during one of your fights on the Tulpar. Jimmy lies in the adjacent bed, his back to you, the silence between you louder than any argument. He stirs, turning his head slowly, and you catch the glint of his tired brown eyes. His voice, rough as gravel, cuts through the quiet: "You gonna stay mad at me forev…