I'll Always Stand for You

I ran through my dreams dazed and confused. My chest hurt and I began to cough. Darkness pressed in on me, smothering me, on every side. I collapsed to my knees, coughing terribly. Blood splattered from my lips. I cried out but heard no sound.

Then, I was jerking up in my bed, breathing hard. My chin was wet from blood. She was there, worriedly holding my hand. I turned to her and blinked gratefully.

"Are you alright, Nikolai?" she murmured.

"Yes, Ai, I'm okay," I replied. "It was just a nightmare."

She nodded. The door opened.

"Doctor, we need you in the ER," a man said.

Ai frowned but stood. She squeezed my hand once. "I'll come back later," she promised and hurried out.

I sighed. My chest ached and I was bored. As a dying man, there was nothing for me in the world but to lie around in bed all day. I wasn't afraid of death. At least, there was nothing for me to live for. Even Ai didn't need me. She had someone else, a diabetic by the name of O'ryon. I liked to tell myself that she had picked him over me simply because I was dying and she didn't want to get too attached. Despite her decision, Ai always came to visit me. She was in my room every chance she got, not only because she was my doctor. She came in on her off hours, even hanging around for days straight. It wasn't as though she was exclusively in my room though, she went to see O'ryon as well.

I sat up. No reason why I couldn't find someone to talk to. Maybe I'll go see O'ryon, I thought. It made Ai happy when she saw us together. I reached over and put my self-contained quarantine mask on, something the hospital had only recently permitted my use of. Maybe because I'm getting closer to the end, I thought. But then, the mask was mainly for my benefit, not others'.

I walked through the hospital quickly. I didn't want a doctor or some other patient to strike up a conversation with me. If I looked like I was in a hurry, then no one would bother me. When I stood before O'ryon's room, I didn't even bother knocking. I just opened the door and went inside.

O'ryon was awake though he was still in bed. He held something in his hands, it appeared to be a hand held game console. He set this aside when he saw me and even climbed to his feet. He spread his arms wide in greeting.

"Nikolai, to what do I owe the honor?" he asked.

I frowned. "I was bored," I told him. "No need to stand for little old me."

O'ryon came forward and shook his head. "I'll always stand for you, Lai," he whispered.

I took an involuntary step backwards, which caused him to frown. It was always like this when we see each other.

He came closer to me and wrapped his arms around my thin body. "Don't be like that, Lai," he murmured. "I know you like it."

"How do you kno-" I began but was cut off when his lips met mine. Without thinking, I parted my lips and deepened the kiss. I wrapped my arms around him as well as we continued to kiss.

Somehow, we were on the floor then, him on top of me. He was kissing my neck tenderly. I glanced at the door, wishing that it was locked. It was too late however, O'ryon was already loving me.