MultiFandom Imagines

Simon Gruber Pt.1: A Stranger

Imagine being Hans Gruber's best friend, and him sending you back to Germany to stay with his brother before his death:

Losing Hans was one of the hardest things I've ever endured. I, of course, knew of his activities since I was his right hand man. We practically grew up together, staying best friends all the way through adulthood.

Most people assumed we would start dating as teenagers, but the love we felt for each other was far more of a brother-sister bond.

I was actually there with him at Nakatomi Plaza, but I had been shot in the abdomen by McClane. Blood was gushing from the wound, however I barely registered the pain, my focus remaining on the mission. Naturally, when Hans found out he had me rushed off to his private doctor, then having me immediately flown back to Germany where his brother awaited my arrival. I would have objected - fought even - to stay and finish the mission, but between blacking out and the pain medication, I was barely even conscious.

———————

Waking up in an unfamiliar room wasn't something I normally thought was unusual - after every mission, Hans and I would drink until we couldn't stand. I would always find myself waking up the next morning feeling groggy and uncomfortable, glancing around an empty and unfamiliar room until my eyes landed on Hans' figure slouched next to the bed. He would always be there, sometimes he would be asleep, but he was always there. Having said that, today was the day that he wasn't there.

The second thing I noticed was how expensive everything looked, which is something that I am used to seeing, as Hans does have expensive tastes. The curtains allowed a shallow light to filter into the room, painting the floor in a cold, pale yellow; the glare aggravating my sensitive eyes. My mind feels fuzzy, and my body numb, but I only focusing on finding Hans.

Glancing around in a daze, I hastily push the covers away from me, not even noticing the bandage, or the throbbing pain in my abdomen until I stand up. It hits all at once, it feels like I might faint, but the tearing pain forces me to stay conscious; stumbling slightly before falling against the frigid wall with an audible 'thump'.

My chest feels heavy, and I can't quite catch my breath. I'm practically gasping for air, but the weakness seems to beat my attempts to stay awake. The last thing I see is a blurry figure rushing through the wood door to my huddled form.

———————

That was the first time I met Simon Gruber.

Hans had rarely talked about him, only mentioning the conflicts and arguments they had. From the description he gave, Simon was an overly-controlling older brother who never tried to understand or listen to anything Hans had to say. However, it is clear that Hans must hold some level of trust for him to entrust him with his dying best friend.

My first day was off to a very rocky start, I didn't even remember it the next time I awoke. But the second day was probably when I had the worst moment in my entire life.

Simon had taken to sitting by my bed, he wanted to ensure there wasn't a repeat of yesterday.

After he had found me, he immediately picked up my limp body and placed me back on the bed before calling for the doctor. I had managed to tear some of my stitches, which promptly started bleeding again, my blood pressure was already low, so this was quite worrisome. After a while though, the doctor had me stabilized again, giving Simon specific instructions for when I woke up. He wasn't to let me stand up again until I've rested a bit more, and he also needs to give me medication every 6 hours to fight infection and dull the pain.

When I awoke, I immediately noticed the figure to my right. My eyes were only partially open, vision distorted and blurry.

"Hans?" My voice felt broken, it pained me to talk because it didn't sound like me. The person was apparently asleep because they jumped in surprise when I spoke.

"Not quite my dear." His voice was different, the only sense of familiarity being that he was obviously German. He didn't sound like any of Hans' partners that I knew, and I know this definitely isn't Hans, so who is he?

I blinked my eyes a few times to readjust to my surroundings, attempting to sit up only to be gently pushed back down.

"I wouldn't recommend that." I couldn't help but feel a nagging sense of familiarity, but from where, I simply couldn't pinpoint.

I focused on his hand first as it was pushing me down, he has light skin, but not pale; and large hands. His arms are strong, strong enough that I feel more than uncomfortable being this defenseless and vulnerable around him. He's dressed in business casual, but comfortable, his short blond hair framing his face nicely. Lastly was his face itself, the expression looked permanently stern, but I can see the underlying glint of gentleness, and the smile he wore was wrought with mischief.

"Wer bist du?" I didn't even realize I'd switched from English to German until the man chuckled and exclaimed.

"Ah, are you the girl that Hans loved to talk about?" Though he said it as a question, it felt more like a statement, one which was immediately followed by a fond smirk. I don't know how to respond, I didn't really know Hans would talk about me.

"Who are you?" My voice is sharper this time, I'm done with his games, at this moment I just want to know who he is. His smirk lessened as a new emotion took over his features... grief. He looked sad, depressed even, but only a trained eye would notice the subtle micro-expressions.

"Call me Simon."