sleepless cinderella ☆ ten | ✔

10

Zhengting greeted you at the front desk of the ER, immediately grabbing your shaking hands to re-center you, "Y/N, look at me for a second."

You'd been frantically looking around the space, the multitude of beds, cots, carts, and people, desperately trying to find Ten.

"Y/N," he repeated your name, much sterner this time.

Your gaze focused on him, a shaky breath leaving your nose.

"He's not out here, he's in a private room, due to the... sensitive nature of his situation."

"What happened to him?"

"I can't tell you everything, patient confidentiality. But I can tell you that we found him standing in the parking lot outside the doors where patients are released from, and he said something that was cause for concern."

At the distress that came to your features, Zhengting quickly went to reassure you again, "He's going to be just fine; I promise. He just really should see you right now. Are you up for that?"

"Yes," you practically whimpered, knees trembling.

"Alright, come on."

Zhengting guided you down the hallways with a gentle but firm hand on your elbow. You were grateful for it, it felt like he was supporting you both metaphorically and physically. Like you might have collapsed if he didn't have a hold on you in some way.

He stopped in front of one of the rooms, turning the door handle and pushing it open for you.

Everything was numb, dull, and blank. You felt nothing, nothing mattered.

Until you caught sight of Ten.

He was sitting cross-legged on the bed that was in the center of the room. A hospital gown covered his thin frame, an IV coming from his arm and wires attached to electrodes on his chest. The machines he was hooked up to beeped with his heartrate, a sound that you were so glad to hear.

For the first time ever he looked... weak. Like all the life had been drained from him, his spirit sucked out. For the first time ever, you knew that he wasn't going to give you a bright smile, or tease you about looking like a wet dog, or try to make you blush by saying something dumb along the lines of how he'd still fuck you despite you looking like a wet dog. He wasn't going to do any of those things, and you didn't know how you felt about that.

Ten looked up at you, and it was his eyes that made you lose it. They were filled with tears and such a deep sadness that you'd never expected to ever see within them.

You couldn't say who had started crying first, but the two of you were in tears before you'd even crossed the room to his bed.

Yours were tears of relief, all the agonizing anxiety of his safety being washed away with them as you clutched him tightly to your chest.

Ten's that would've soaked through your shirt if it wasn't already damp from the rain, were different than yours. Sobs hiccupped through him, but you still clung tight to him. You didn't want to let go of him again.

He was mumbling something against you, but you couldn't make it out, not sure if you even wanted to. You were afraid that whatever he was going to say would ruin it. Ruin the catastrophic swirling of emotions going on inside you. Make all your worry and care that you had for him worthless because he still wasn't going to open up to you.

So you kept your iron grip on him steadfast, wanting to hold onto this moment for just a little longer. And Ten let you, tucked neatly under your chin and arms looped around your waist. You could feel him shivering. Or maybe you were the one shivering.