| Fandom: Falling Skies
| Pairing: Hal Mason x Maggie/Margaret
| Content warnings: canon age gap, mention of canon injuries and canon-typical death/violence, that should be it
| Word count: 446
| Author's note: set between 2x5 "Love and Other Acts of Courage" and 2x6 "Homecoming"
The hospital seemed to drain a bit out of Maggie every day, like it was killing her slowly. Weren't hospitals supposed to do the opposite- you know, heal people? Make them feel better?
She was finally healed enough to be out of that awful room, thank God, but as she wasn't healed enough to go on patrols yet she was still confined to the building, and the rest of the hospital was only a little less suffocating. It was too cold to open windows, even for fresh air, so Maggie found herself hanging out by the doors, clinging to the occasional gust of fresh air when they opened and the sight of the outdoors.
On this particular evening,
"I thought I'd find you here." Hal's voice came. Maggie turned in her swivel chair to see him striding down the hallway. "Don't suppose any Skitters have checked in with bullet wounds?"
Maggie smirked. "Afraid not. I'd've prescribed them with death if they had."
"That's my girl." He replied. "C'mon, there's something I want to show you. Up for a walk?"
Maggie shrugged. "Sure."
She stood, taking his proffered hand. He hooked his arm through hers and walked her to the stairwell door, where he opened the door for her. "Such a gentleman." She joked, heading up.
Upon reaching the roof, he opened the door for her again. What she saw wasn't what she had expected. There was an air mattress with a handful of blankets- not hospital sheets, real blankets- piled on it, two pillows, a backpack, and a half-dozen lanterns scattered around the area.
"Hal, what's this?" She asked,
"Well, I heard you telling Lourdes that you wished you could go outside and be in the fresh air, and it occurred to me I can't take you to dinner properly... so I came up with a compromise for both. C'mon, sit down."
She eased herself down on the mattress, leaning back but keeping herself propped up with her arms. Hal sat down next to her and opened the backpack, producing two hospital cafeteria trays, two bottles of water, and several miscellaneous food items. He let her pick first and took the rest, and they dug in.
"In about half an hour, we'll be able to see the stars." He told her. "I found both Dippers and Gemini last time I looked."
"My favorite is Leo, I think." She mused. "Wonder if we'll find him."
"Leo? That your sign?"
Maggie shook her head. "I just thought it was cool."
"Well, I have no idea what he looks like, so you'll have to point him out to me so I can decide if I agree."
She smiled. "Deal."
