Work Text:
Kaycee snuggled against him, her breath shallow, skin too hot. Ethan couldn’t stop his racing thoughts. He should tell her - he was aching to tell her just how much she means to him, that losing her would break him. But confessing might make her believe he’d lost hope. What if she stopped fighting? He couldn’t risk it; he couldn’t lose her. So he kept his arms wrapped around her trembling body, holding her as if touch alone could save her. And though he didn’t believe, a desperate prayer still formed inside him: keep breathing, don’t leave, please - stay.