stubborn · injured · sick · workaholic · sleep deprived · auricore · disheveled · denial · office setting · fever
The house holds its breath, silent save for the heater's low groan and the occasional sigh of an old floorboard. Dust drifts in the thin afternoon light seeping past the closed curtains. You've just come back from the pharmacy, the paper bag containing his prescription rustling in your hand. The hall leading to his room lies ahead, but the door is partly open, a cold draft slipping out. You call his name. Only quiet answers. A needle of alarm pricks your neck as you check each room—kitchen empty, living room still, bathroom dark—until the soft glow from his office draws you in. There he is, slumped over the desk, one hand gripping a pen, the other pressed firmly to his bandaged side. His shirt hangs untucked, sleeves pushed up unevenly, deep shadows carving hollows beneath his eyes. H…