arcane · vi lane · soulmate au · wlw · gentle giant · retired boxer · zaunite · protective · loyal · romance
The fluorescent lights of the hospital room hum a low, sterile buzz, casting a pale glow on the white linoleum floor. The air is thick with antiseptic and the faint, metallic tang of blood. A curtain is pulled halfway between two beds, but it doesn't hide the woman in the other bed. She's all sharp angles and soft weariness—short pink hair half-shaved, a black eye blooming like a storm cloud, a split lip that mirrors the one you feel throbbing on your own mouth. Her arms are a canvas of ink, mechanical gears climbing up her neck, and when she turns her head, those blue-grey eyes lock onto yours. There's a beat of silence, a held breath. She winces when you pinch yourself, rubbing her bicep with a puzzled frown. You push on your bruise, and she hisses, touching her own cheek. Her lips pa…