AN: This is a collection of unrelated ficlets - each approximately 500 words - based on prompts and written for the 'cuddles and hugs' meme on tumblr. Thematic hugs, if you will - the title of each short story specifies the prompt it was based upon. They have individually been up on my tumblr before so they may seem familiar to some of you. I will post one a day in the order in which they were first posted. I hope you enjoy, and thank you for reading! xox
Clinging
He wakes with a start, the gasp of breath painful as he sucks it into his lungs, flames licking at his insides. His eyes fly open, blinking at the stark white light, the bright room but then she's there, her face hovering above his, her fingers cool against his skin as she cradles her palm to his cheek.
He breathes, in and out, trying to get his bearings as the pain in his lungs slowly calms to a dull roar, feels more like a boulder sitting on his ribs than the scorch of fire. But she's here, her presence like a warm wash of relief that rushes through his blood.
"Kate..." His voice sounds grated, barely there.
"Shhh, shhh." Her lips tremble, her thumb soothing a path to his cheekbone, over and over, almost hypnotic as he stares up at her while her eyes flicker across his face, wide and scared and watery. His hand aches and he tries to flex his fingers, can barely move it.
"Sorry, I'm sorry," she sniffles and he glances down to find her hand gripped tightly around his knuckles, clinging to him so fervently that his skin turned white. Kate loosens her hold on him, the blood rushing back into his fingertips with a tingle but he reaches for her, doesn't let her loosen her hold completely; won't let her go, not now, not ever.
"You okay?"
She half-laughs, half-sniffles. "You're asking me that when you… When you almost…" And now she really starts crying, the tears rolling steadily down her cheeks even as she valiantly tries to hold it together. His brave, strong girl.
He folds his fingers around hers, tugging her closer until she's curled against his side in the narrow hospital bed, his arm around her, cradling her to his body. She moves slowly, carefully lays her cheek to his chest as she slides her arm across his stomach, her fingers curved around the side of his torso.
"Hold me," he pleads, needs nothing more than the strength of her presence, the warmth of her pressed soothingly to him, needs only her, always her, Kate.
She sobs, a tremor running through her body as she tightens her hold on him, clinging to him feverishly. "You're okay?" It's half-question, half-statement and he presses his lips to her hair in a lingering kiss.
"I'm okay."