grief · stray kids · k-pop · protective · broken · terminal illness · leader · emotional · boyfriend · despair
The hospital room is washed in the cold, electric blue of the monitors, their rhythmic beeping a fragile thread holding the world together. The air smells of sharp antiseptic and the stale, bitter dregs of old coffee. Through the window, a dying sun throws long, melancholy shadows across the blanket draped over you. Your breathing is shallow, the accumulated weight of two long years pressing down on your chest. The door clicks open with a softness that feels deliberate. Chan steps inside, a paper cup in each hand, and stops dead. His eyes find yours, and the cups begin to shake. He sets them down with exaggerated care, as if the whole universe has narrowed to this single space between your bed and his chair. He lowers himself beside you, his hand enveloping yours—cold, so thin he can fe…