25. Awake

The room was dimly lit, the soft glow from the moonlight casting long shadows on the walls. Ethan stirred for the first time in months. His body felt leaden, every muscle aching with the weight of his long slumber.

It took all his strength just to open his eyes, his vision blurry and unfocused. The hospital room was silent save for the soft rustle of fabric and the faint sound of someone breathing—no, sobbing.

As his vision cleared, Ethan spotted a figure slumped over a table near the window.

The soft, silvery strands of long black hair reflected the dim light, and the quiet sobs came from none other than Adrian. Ethan's heart clenched at the sight. Adrian...

Adrian had a bottle of wine beside him, though half-empty, and he was gripping the glass so tightly it looked as though it might shatter. Tears streamed down his pale cheeks, and his lips were trembling with the effort to hold back his sobs. He lifted the glass again, taking another gulp of the alcohol, his silver eyes glazed over and filled with despair.

Ethan's chest tightened. He hadn't seen Adrian like this before—so fragile, so broken. A deep ache formed in his heart. He wanted to call out, but his voice was still weak, unused for so long. Summoning every ounce of willpower, Ethan pushed himself up in bed, his movements sluggish. His body screamed in protest, muscles atrophied from the coma, but he ignored the pain.

At the slight rustle of movement, Adrian's head jerked up, his glass slipping from his fingers and hitting the table with a dull thud. His eyes widened in disbelief, and his lips parted as if he wanted to say something, but no words came out.

Instead, fresh tears welled up in Adrian's silver eyes, and they fell down his cheeks like a dam had broken.

"You... you're awake..." Adrian whispered, his voice breaking as he gasped for air between sobs. He blinked rapidly, as if he couldn't quite believe what he was seeing. But when Ethan moved again, struggling to prop himself up with his arms, it became real. Adrian choked on a sob, his emotions overwhelming him.

Ethan's heart raced. He wanted to reassure Adrian, to tell him everything would be okay, but his body refused to cooperate. He reached out weakly, his hand trembling as he gestured for Adrian to come closer.

"Adrian..." Ethan rasped, his voice barely a whisper, hoarse from months of disuse. "Come here."

Adrian stood there frozen, tears still spilling from his eyes. But then, as though something snapped inside him, he rushed to Ethan's bedside, collapsing into his arms. He buried his face in Ethan's chest, his body shaking with sobs. Ethan's arms, weak as they were, instinctively wrapped around him, holding him close.

Adrian wept openly, his sobs muffled against Ethan's hospital gown. "I thought... I thought I lost you," he gasped, his voice choked with emotion. "I thought... you will leave me too..."

Ethan's fingers threaded through Adrian's long black hair, gently brushing it away from his tear-streaked face. His heart ached at the sight of Adrian so broken, so fragile. The once strong and composed man now clung to him like a child, seeking comfort and reassurance.

"I'm here," Ethan whispered softly, his voice gaining strength with each passing second. "I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere."

Adrian's sobs quieted slightly, but he still trembled in Ethan's arms. "You don't understand," he muttered, his voice thick with despair. "It's been so hard... so hard without you. And then... then he came."

Ethan frowned, confusion clouding his features. "Who?" he asked gently, his fingers still brushing through Adrian's hair, trying to soothe him.

"Anshi," Adrian whispered bitterly, his grip tightening on Ethan's hospital gown. "He said... he said you loved him. That I was nothing. That I was just a pawn. That when you woke up... you'd leave me."

Ethan's eyes darkened with anger at the mention of Anshi, though his heart remained focused on Adrian's pain. "Adrian," he said firmly, cupping the side of Adrian's face with his hand and gently lifting his head so their eyes met. "Listen to me. I don't care what Anshi said. You are not nothing. You're everything to me."

Adrian's breath hitched, his eyes widening in shock. He stared at Ethan, searching his face for any sign of doubt or hesitation. But there was none. Ethan's gaze was steady, filled with sincerity and warmth.

"Ethan..." Adrian whispered, his voice barely audible as fresh tears welled up in his eyes. "Hold me... please. Just... just hold me."

Ethan's heart clenched at the vulnerability in Adrian's voice. Without hesitation, he tightened his arms around Adrian, pulling him closer, his own strength returning with every passing moment. "I'll always hold you," he whispered, pressing a gentle kiss to Adrian's forehead. "You're mine, Adrian."

Adrian's breath hitched again, but this time, instead of breaking down, he buried himself deeper into Ethan's embrace, his hands clutching Ethan's gown as if afraid to let go.

For a long moment, they stayed like that—wrapped in each other's arms, the outside world forgotten. The pain, the doubts, the fears... all of it seemed to melt away in the warmth of Ethan's embrace.

But then, something shifted in the air.

Adrian pulled back slightly, his eyes searching Ethan's face. His silver eyes shimmered with an emotion Ethan hadn't seen before—something raw and desperate. "Ethan," he whispered, his voice trembling. "Make me yours."

Ethan's breath caught in his throat, his heart skipping a beat. He looked down at Adrian, whose cheeks were flushed from both the alcohol and the intensity of the moment. "Adrian, I..."

"Please," Adrian pleaded softly, his voice barely a whisper as he leaned closer, his breath warm against Ethan's skin. "I need you. I need to know that I'm yours. Completely."

Ethan's body, though still weak from the coma, stirred with an unfamiliar warmth. His heart raced in his chest, and the blush that spread across his face mirrored Adrian's. He had never seen Adrian like this before—so open, so vulnerable, so... beautiful.

Unable to resist the pull of the moment, Ethan leaned in, his lips brushing softly against Adrian's tear-streaked cheek. The taste of salt lingered on his lips as he moved to kiss away the tears from Adrian's eyes, his fingers tangling in the long strands of Adrian's hair.

"Adrian..." Ethan whispered softly, his lips barely touching Adrian's skin. "You're mine."

Ethan's heart swelled with emotion, and he pulled Adrian closer, his lips finding Adrian's once more. The kiss was soft at first, tentative, as if Ethan were afraid that Adrian might break beneath his touch. But as Adrian responded, his hands gripping the front of Ethan's shirt, the kiss deepened, growing more passionate with each passing second.

The world around them faded away. There was no hospital room, no cold machines, no looming threats—only the warmth of each other's bodies, the shared heat of their lips moving in unison. Ethan's hands roamed up and down Adrian's back, pulling him closer until there was no space between them.

Adrian moaned softly against Ethan's lips, his hands clutching at Ethan's shoulders as if desperate for more. His long black hair fell over his shoulders, brushing against Ethan's skin as they moved together, their breaths mingling in the heated space between them.

Ethan's hands moved to cradle Adrian's face, his thumbs gently brushing against the softness of his cheeks as he pulled back slightly, his breath coming in ragged gasps. "You're everything to me," Ethan whispered, his voice thick with emotion. "I'll never let you go."

Adrian's silver eyes shimmered in the low light, filled with tears but also with something deeper—something fierce and unbreakable. "Then prove it," he whispered softly, his lips barely brushing against Ethan's. "Make me yours, Ethan. Right now."

Ethan's heart raced, his body responding to the urgency in Adrian's voice. His fingers moved to tangle in Adrian's hair again, pulling him closer until their bodies were pressed together. He kissed Adrian's forehead, his nose, his lips—each kiss filled with a promise, a reassurance.

The night passed in a blur of whispered words, heated touches, and shared breaths. They moved together like two halves of the same whole, their bodies intertwined, their souls connected in ways words could never express.

And when the dawn finally broke through the window, casting soft light across the bed, Adrian lay curled against Ethan's chest, his silver eyes closed in peaceful sleep, his hand resting over Ethan's heart.

Ethan gazed down at him, his fingers gently brushing through Adrian's long hair as he whispered, "You're mine", Ethan's eyes were full of possessiveness as if a dragon guarding his treasure.

He pulled Adrian closer and his hands roamed on his beautiful lips. "Don't leave me...or else..."