Work Text:
“Dinner has been served.”
No answer. Eli stepped closer, listening for a breath, a shift, anything.
The unease creeping up his spine told him to walk away, but concern outweighed instinct.
“I’m coming in.”
The lamp’s glow cut into the dark. Luchino sat hunched at the bed’s edge: a turned back that flinched at the sudden light.
“…Everything’s fine?”
“Yes. Fine.”
But even in the dim, Eli caught the wrongness in Luchino's trembling silhouette. His heart dipped, yet he didn’t dare approach. Breath held, he placed the lamp down gently.
“I'll… leave this for you.
Come when you feel able.”