he’d heard stories of what happened to pilots when a jaeger is critically hit. but, nothing really prepares you for the chaotic echoes of fear that reverberate through both. fear, determination, and pain. when metal caved in he thought the sharp stabs through his arm were from hits taken by SOLIS EXCALIBUR itself. it wasn’t until he first woke up in the medical bay that arthur realized the tearing of muscles was happening to his physical body.
there’d been too many images. in the drift he was too connected to tate’s emotions and too focused on getting his partner out alive. he’d been too worried about the kaiju making it to shore and not at all about whether or not he came out the other side. but, what the training never prepares you for is how disorienting all the sensations could be. as he stared up at the ceiling he couldn’t pick fact from fiction. all he knew was every angle of his brain was on fire. a pulse rattled through his skull like nothing he’d ever experienced before.
seeing tate when his eyes opened had him smiling. no matter how many times he told himself sunshine walked away from the battle in one piece it was good to see it. his memories were so jumbled being able to hold that cheek in the palm of his hand did wonders. “ see? not broken. “ a chuckle followed, or something that sounded like the exhausted echo of a chuckle. how long had he been strapped to the stupid bed? the better question was when was the last time he even tried getting out of it.
reluctant fingers drop from the back of tate’s neck so arthur could push himself over in bed. a tap on the space next to him is meant to signal that the other pilot could crawl in if he wanted. in fact, arthur needed it but he wasn’t the type to ever say as much out loud.
“ i am immortal, my dear sunshine, “ his head rolls to the side so he can let a mischievous smile stretch across his lips. “ gotta keep going until i know you’re okay. speaking of, how long have i been in this stupid bed and please tell me you’ve eaten today. “
tate swallows the words that form on his tongue when arthur begins to shift. hold still. you shouldn’t be moving. but he knows arthur will do what he chooses in the end. his stubborn, gallant, fool of a partner. would he be any different if their roles were reversed, though ? is he really that much better of a patient ? they are far too similar in that regard for tate to cast stones. and besides, once he realizes what arthur is doing, that he’s making room for tate to close the distance that’s been driving him so THOROUGHLY UP THE WALL, how is tate supposed to hold it against him ?
❝ immortal, huh ? ❞ he asks as he climbs oh so very carefully into the bed. it’s not an easy thing, maneuvering six foot three of relatively solid mass into an infirmary cot certainly not meant for two. it’s so very worth it to feel arthur’s warmth at his side again. it seeps into his skin, easing tension and unfurling the knots his stomach has tied itself into in the others’ absence. ❝ i’m gonna hold you to that. ❞ he leans, pressing a kiss to arthur’s forehead as the blond turns his head.
how long has he been out ? tate tries to think of something a bit more descriptive than an eternity, even though that’s exactly what it’s felt like. an eternity of not being able to breathe for fear that, once again, he might lose a part of himself. he’d already lost a half with his brother, how much more could he lose before what was left behind was no longer enough to carry on ?
but no. now isn’t the time for such thoughts. his hand finds arthur’s, fingers slipping into the spaces between the other’s. arthur is here. arthur is alive. that’s enough for him. ❝ you’ve been asleep for two days. almost three. ❞ asleep. yes, he’d liked it better when the doctor said ❛ asleep ❜. not unconscious. unconscious sounded too . . . MEDICAL. ❝ shouldn’t i be the one fussing over you ? did you eat, tate ? did you wash behind your ears, tate ? ❞ a scoff, but the smile that creeps onto weary features betrays another emotion altogether : relief. he finally feels whole again. ❝ i ate at lunch. maybe we can eat dinner together, if you’re up for it ? ❞