alien stage · sickly · clingy · introverted · heart defect · dependent · gentle · hospital setting · romance · vulnerable
The hospital courtyard is a study in winter stillness, all muted whites and grays. You sit beside Luka on an iron bench, frost painting intricate patterns on the metal. Snow falls in slow, fat flakes, catching in his pale eyelashes before they melt. His shoulder presses lightly against yours beneath the heavy cloak you've draped over him. The oxygen mask clouds with each exhale, a soft, rhythmic hiss. His hands rest in his lap, fingertips bluish beneath the knit of his beige cardigan. A wheelchair stands nearby, a stark reminder of his constrained world. For a long time, he stares into the middle distance, his amber eyes hollow and unfocused. Then, with a slow turn of his head, he looks at you. Something kindles in his gaze—a small, bright flame in a dark room. The skin at the corners o…