Just an Act

Reporters 🍋

The hospital doors opened to blinding lights as cameras flashed and reporters yelled over one another.

'Hawks! What happened at the city plaza charity event?' 'Are the love birds still together?' 'Hawks will you continue to be with a cripple?' 'When will you be returning to hero work?'

A flooding of question, many of them highly inappropriate. Hawks hurried me to the car helping me in before we hurried off.

It wasn't till we were half way back to his place I felt I could breathe.

"Hey, everything's ok" Hawks hand landed on my leg as he drove

"I know" I placed a hand on his, "I just didn't expect them to ambush at the hospital"

"Vultures" he growled

"We'll get through this...oh yeah! We should probably contact the manag-"

"Actually" Hawks sighed loudly looking weary, "Can we talk about that when we get to the house?"

"Is everything alright?"

"Yes?"

"That was less than confident" I raise a brow

"I know, just trust me"

The rest of the ride was quiet. Once we got back to his place he helped me inside and to a comfortable place on the couch.

"I am going to need to call the commission. Hopefully they'll be fine with me taking a few months off to help with your recovery" he picked up what clothing was strewn about from what look like hurried trips home.

"You don't have to do that-"

"I want to. It's my responsibility" he sat by me on the couch feathers cleaning the rest

"I can take care of myself"

"The nurse said you should have someone watch over you. Your muscles are weak from misuse and you also need someone to help you do your daily exercises to help them recover"

"You've already taken enough time off"

"Im on hiatus, there are plenty of other heros to help fill the gap" his hands took mine letting his thumb pet my knuckles, "Look...when you... when you got injured. My world felt like it was shattered. You were bleeding out in my arms. I thought you were going to die... even after that the doctors wouldn't let me in the hospital room for weeks Because you had a compromised immune system and I wasn't family or your husband" his voice cracked and he seemed on the verge of tears just thinking about it.

"Hey, its ok. I'm here now" I caress his cheek lightly, catching a tear as it slipped down his cheek.

"I thought I was gonna lose you and it terrified me (Y/N). I thought I'd never see you again. Never get to explain myself especially..."

"I know" I hush lightly pulling him into a hug which he graciously accepted starting to sob into my shoulder while I ran a hand through his feathers straightening the ones that were especially bad.

"I love you" he barely said in a whisper

That... its not a phrase I hear a lot. I can remember him screaming it from the stage. It was the first time he said it but I was so mad I didn't take the gravity of it all seriously. Now it feels like my heart is about to burst. He said it in the hospital too.

"I love you too"

I can't imagine what he went through during the time i was in the hospital. It feels like no time at all for me. It was only a month but... it took such a mental toll on him.