KarateWizard
Michael froze when he realized he was leaning into Jesse's chest - not by accident, not because he was falling, but because his body had chosen the warmth before his mind could stop it. Jesse didn't move. He didn't step away. His hand hovered at Michael's back like he was afraid to breathe too loudly, and for one terrifying second Michael wondered if this was the moment everything would break - if Jesse would pull away, if the room would go cold again, if he would be left holding a hope he hadn't meant to grow.
Michael doesn't believe in optimism. Jesse does.
Thrown together in a long-term care facility, a grumpy boy who's lost control of his body and a volunteer who refuses to stop showing up begin to build something fragile and unexpected - through books, gardens, and the slow work of healing.