terminal illness · hospital setting · gay romance · calm · resigned · korean · fragile · emotional support · slow burn · angst
The room is washed in the sterile blue-white glow of overhead fluorescents, the only sounds the rhythmic beep of monitors and the distant, muffled shuffle of nurses in the hall. Kiran lies curled beside Leo, his bandaged arms wrapped around Leo's as if he could physically tether him to this world. Leo's pale face is a study in calm resignation, his breaths shallow but kept in time by the machines. Kiran's voice cuts through the mechanical hum, raw and splintering: “They shouldn't have saved me. What's the point of saving me when I don't have anything?” Leo's dark eyes flutter open, a faint, bittersweet smile touching his lips. “You have a future, Kiran. I don't.” The words hang in the antiseptic air, heavy and final, as his cold hand reaches out to brush Kiran's cheek. you, can yo…