The incessant distant beeping was the only sound he could hear, echoing in the empty silence around him. Focusing on the rhythmic electronic ticks, he tried finding its source, trying to approach the sound.
He set his mind to the task, to find the source of the sound, pin pointing its direction and heading towards it. As it got louder and clearer, he started to hear other sounds mixed in. Voices, muffled and indistinguishable could be heard in the background. Still he pushed on.
"How are you doing?" He heard, the first thing that he could make out. The voice was familiar but he couldn't put the face to it.
"About as good as I can be." The other party replied, but this voice he knew without a doubt. He loved that voice, the smooth tenor he wanted to wake up to every morning. Will.
His senses slowly came back to him; the sounds of the place, the smell of coffee and the feeling of a warm blanket over his body. All this paled in comparison to the warmth he felt in his left hand though, feeling Will's fingers interlaced with his own. The last thing he remembered was seeing Will in The Spire, confronting Dart on his nefarious plans. All he could remember was how, since his capture, he kept wishing he could tell Will he loved him
Thane cracked open his eyes, the light in the room blinding him temporarily. As his eyes adjusted, he found himself in a hospital room, Will by his bed talking to his mother. Neither the other two had noticed him, going on about a conversation regarding Will getting some much needed sleep. Thane gave Will's hand a light squeeze, trying to get the other man's attention.
The pressure he felt in his hand brought Will's attention straight to the elite lying in bed, forgoing any conversation he was having with his mother. "Thane?" He said, shock filling him as he saw the man he loved with his eyes open.
"Hey." Thane croaked out, his voice hoarse and gravely.
Upon seeing Thane show signs of consciousness, Sarah wasted no second, immediately running out of the room in search of a doctor.
"Thane? Oh my god, you're awake. You're really awake." Will said, a tear spilling from his eyes. Happiness filled him to the point of tears, unable to hold back his feelings. Since that day in The Spire, Will had been worried sick for Thane. Sure he had managed to jump start his heart, but Thane hadn't regained consciousness. For five days, Will feared that Thane never would, with the fear only growing with each passing day.
Thane brought his hand up, wiping away the tears from Will's face, seeing the IV lines connected to his wrist. "Hey, don't cry. I'm fine...at least I think I am." Thane joked, cracking a small smile.
Will chuckled into Thane's palm, relieved that he still could joke around. "You were out for five days Thane. I thought I had lost you."
"When Dart captured me, I thought I would never see you again." Thane said, running his finger across Will's cheek. He needed to say it, tell Will what his heart was screaming to the sky. "I love you Will."
Will's eyes bulged as he looked into the silver eyes of Thane, wondering if he had heard correctly, not expecting Thane to say that. He had to admit, that he only realized he loved Thane when the other man was on the brink of death and he didn't know if Thane shared his feelings, but now Thane had said it out loud, putting to rest any doubts he may have had.
Thane watched as Will stare at him in shock, unsure of how to take the reaction Will was giving. He feared that he may have spoken too soon, that perhaps Will didn't love him in the same way, afraid that this might scare Will off, which was exactly the last thing he wanted.
Will was just about to speak when the door burst open, in coming his mother and Tracey, a healthcare droid following in after them. Thane's attention shot up to the two new occupants of the room. "Thane, it's great you're awake. How are you feeling?" Tracey asked, walking over to Thane's side.
"A little sore all over but I think I'm otherwise fine." Thane said, adjusting his body slightly, noticing how his muscles and joints ached, something he hadn't even realize until Tracey has asked, what with being preoccupied with Will prior.
"That's to be expected." Tracey said, retrieving a small flashlight from her pocket, instructing Thane to look at her, shining the light in each eye. "Pupils equal and reactive to light." She stated, the droid behind her immediately copying her words onto their online patient database. "Keep your head still and just look at my finger." She instructed once again, moving her finger left and right, up and down and watched for Thane's eye movements, after which proceeding to snap her fingers on each side of Thane's head, checking if he could hear just fine.
"Are you feeling any giddiness or feeling lightheaded?" Thane shook his head, waiting for Tracey to complete her assessment. "Everything seems to be in order. We'll remove the IV lines later on and we'll see if you're able to ambulate properly. After what happened to you, it's amazing there isn't any permanent damage. If fact, you may be healthier than you previously were."
"What actually happened to me to be exact? I don't remember much." Thane asked.
"I'll leave that to Will to explain. For now, I'll leave you two. It's good your back to joining the living Thane." Tracey smiled, turning on her heels and leaving the room. Sarah too smiled warmly at him before leaving the room, leaving the two men alone once again. Thane turned his attention to Will, who he still worried that he might have scared off due to his declaration of love.
"Dart basically tore you up from the inside, using these nano bots that are in your BIC." Will began without Thane even asking. "You went unconscious, your heart stopped, about everything bad that could have happened. I reversed it, using the nano bots to repair you instead, but you still didn't have a pulse, so I fashioned a makeshift defibrillator and jump-started your heart. Eventually got you to the hospital somehow, where you have remained unconscious for the past five days." Will said. All this time, he stood at the foot of the bed, a little too far for Thane's liking and he really thought he had screwed up big time.
"Oh...Will...I'm sorry if I scared you."
"It's not your fault. You didn't ask to be unconscious, but I'm glad you know I was worried as fuck." Will chuckled. Thane was at least relieved that Will was still joking with him.
"I didn't mean that. I mean...about what I said...just now."
Will raised an eyebrow, one side of his lip curling up in a smile. Walking over to the side of the bed, he sat down, grabbing Thane's hand in his. "Who said you scared me?"
Now Thane was confused. "But it looked like you didn't like what you heard."
Will shook his head, chuckling lightly. "Some psychologist you are. I was just shocked, and happy to be honest. If you can't tell I love you too, you should really apologize to your mother for being such a failed successor to her."
Thane didn't know if he wanted to smile or have his jaw hanging open. "You...love me too?" He repeated, a little dazed.
"You may have brain damage after all." Will joked, poking fun at Thane's apparent lack of coherence. Preoccupied with laughing, Will was caught off guard when Thane pulled him, his body landing on top of Thane's, where their lips met each other. The feeling of Will's soft lips made Thane melt into the bed. It seemed like so long ago since they last kissed, and it was like abstaining from a drug that you have grown dependent on. For Will, the kiss meant so much to him, watching over Thane the past few days wondering if he would wake, and finally being able to kiss the man he loved brought him immense joy.
They broke the kiss, Will smiling down at the man in front of him. "I love you." Will muttered, knowing that he hadn't actually said the phrase directly to Thane.
"I love you too." Thane said, bringing his hand up and cradling Will's cheek in his palm.
"Aww, that's so sweet." The petite voice came from the entrance, belonging to a girl no taller than 5'2". She had silver eyes that matched Thane's and platinum hair to match. The left side of her head was shaved in an undercut fashion; her long hair flipped across her head and lay in soft curls on the opposite side of her head. Her left exposed ear had three piercings running along the top, giving her an almost punk kind of look. She also had perfectly proportional features, indicative of her elite status.
"Hey Alena." Thane chuckled at his sister. Behind her, Cassandra walked in, beaming when she saw her son. She ran over to his side, giving him a big hug. Will smiled at the scene, although a little shocked at Cassandra's show of emotions, always being the stoic figure he knew her as. He figured even an expert like her let her emotions show under the right circumstances.
"Oh honey, I'm so glad you're awake. I've been worried sick." She said, brushing the stray hair off Thane's face.
"I think Will has got you beat though Mom." Alena spoke, turning to her bedridden brother. "You're boyfriend here hasn't left your side for more than an hour at a time."
Thane turned to Will only to see him blush a shade of crimson. He smiled, giving Will's hand a squeeze to show how much he appreciated it. "Where's Dad?" Thane asked, noticing his missing father.
"I called him as soon as we heard you're awake. He has some new responsibilities to take care of." Cassandra said, her cryptic words doing nothing but confuse Thane. Seeing his puzzled expression, Will decided to enlighten Thane, reaching over to the bedside console, turning on the TV in the corner of the room, directing his attention to it.
What played was a news segment, the newscaster narrating as images flashed across the screen. Thane saw his father in the video, in the counsel chamber. "Earlier today, Varek Hopper was sworn in as the new President of Lunaris. This is following the vote by the Lunaris counsel, which elected Hopper to succeed former President, Everett Dart. It was President Hopper, who earlier this week, exposed Dart's plans of murdering two Lunarisions, as well as his unethical use of nano bot technology to prolong his lifespan. Investigations have uncovered evidence that Dart had been involved in a number of other elite deaths, all of whom had voiced disagreement with Dart on his many policies he implemented while in office. Dart has since been tried in court and awaits the death penalty for murder as well as crimes against society."
Thane stared at the TV in shock. He didn't know which news was more shocking, that his father was the new president, or that Dart finally got what he deserved. "Dad's becoming president?" He spoke to no one in particular, simply voicing out his thoughts.
"Became. The counsel didn't have a tough time deciding." Cassandra corrected.
"Apparently, Varek recorded the entire monologue Dart gave when I confronted him. When I lost contact with him in Dart's quarters, I didn't know he could still hear us. Well, he could, and he captured every single detail of Dart's plan." Will said.
"Wow, this all seems so unreal to me."
