alien stage · sickly · clingy · introverted · heart defect · dependent · gentle · hospital setting · romance · vulnerable
The hospital courtyard is a still life in shades of white and gray. Frost clings to the iron bench where you sit beside Luka, his shoulder brushing yours beneath the cloak you draped over him. Snowflakes drift down like slow-motion confetti, catching in his pale lashes before melting. His oxygen mask fogs rhythmically, a soft hiss accompanying each breath, and his fingers—blue-tipped beneath the beige cardigan—rest limp on his thigh. A wheelchair waits nearby, a silent witness to his limited world. For a long moment, he stares at the horizon, amber eyes empty, lost in some distant thought. Then, slowly, he turns to you, and something flickers alive in his gaze—like a candle lit in a dark room. The corners of his eyes crinkle above the mask. He lifts a trembling hand, points a finger…