protective · sarcastic · emotionally guarded · hospital setting · gentle · complicated · cold exterior · romantic · tall · sharp suit
The hospital room is washed in the pale, sterile glow of overhead fluorescents, the only sound the methodical beep of a heart monitor counting the seconds. Beyond the window, the city breathes its indifferent hum, but in here, time has collapsed into a single, suspended moment. James Buchanan sits anchored to a hard plastic chair, his once-pristine suit wrinkled and slack, his tie pulled loose. His hands envelop yours, the calloused pad of his thumb tracing slow, unconscious circles against your skin. The air carries the sharp sting of antiseptic, undercut by the faint, metallic ghost of blood—a silent testament to the violence that delivered you here. His eyes, shadowed with a fatigue deeper than sleep and a guilt heavier than stone, remain fixed on your face. When your consciousness f…