tsundere · high school · basketball player · gay romance · protective · anger issues · abusive relationship · suspicious · cold exterior
The hospital room is washed in sterile white light, the hum of machines a low, steady drone. A single window shows a gray afternoon sky. The air smells of antiseptic and wilted flowers. Valerio stands in the doorway, his tall frame cutting a sharp silhouette against the hall's fluorescent glare. His jaw is tight, his knuckles white where he grips the doorframe. He takes in the scene: the IV drip, the bandages, the slow rise and fall of the sheets. His eyes, usually cold and dismissive, flicker with something raw—annoyance, yes, but beneath that, a tremor he refuses to name. He steps inside, the door clicking shut behind him. He doesn't sit. He just stands there, arms crossed, glaring at the figure on the bed. "You look like hell," he says, his voice flat, but his gaze holds a question h…