Survivor | S. Ghost Riley

Happy ever after's

The soft beeping of a monitor was the first thing to grace my ears as I slowly stirred from unconsciousness. It was softer than I would have expected, like someone had turned the volume down. But as I started to wake, the sound started to increase. It felt as though I was coming out of thick fog. The second thing I felt was a gentle pressure on my arm. I cracked my eyes open, briefly flinching from the bright fluorescents, only to see a hand grasping my arm.

I followed the arm to a man sprawled on a blue hospital chair beside my bed. His eyes were closed and his blonde hair was tousled like he had been running his hands though it, or wearing a mask for too long, probably both. I smiled softly at the sight, he looked at peace while asleep, more so than I ever saw him while he was awake.

My muscles felt stiff from the position I was laying in, so I made an attempt to move slightly, which I quickly found to be a mistake as a pang of pain shot through my abdomen. The slight groan that slipped my lips along with my movement immediately woke Simon "light sleeper" Riley. His brown eyes immediately met my own.

A look of relief passed over his expression, his gaze softening for a moment before worry took over him again, causing his jaw to tighten, which wasn't something I usually got to see through the mask. "How do you feel?"

"Sore and stiff." I replied, the innuendo was clear as day to me as I said it. I half expected Simon to make a comment, or at least give a small laugh, but his expression didn't change. His jaw still tight and his eyes full of worry and other emotions.

"Are you okay, Si?" I asked him gently, concern etched onto my face as I watched his expression closely

He sighed gently and moved to the edge of his chair. One of his hands took my own while the other gently ran through my hair for a moment before falling back on his lap. "Thought you were dead."

I exhaled softly. "I'm sorry."

"I thought...I thought you died and I didn't get to say..." Simon seemed to be struggling with what to say

"Say what?" I prompted him gently.

Simon looked down at our hands, his brown eyes swimming with hesitation and guilt. "I love you."

My gaze softened at his words, and I went to reply to him, but he spoke before I could. "You fell unconscious before I could tell you."

"I love you, too. And...even though you didn't say it, I knew." I said with a soft smile, trying to reassure him

My words seemed to take a small amount of weight off of his shoulders. He lent forward and gently pressed his lips against mine, pouring all of his emotions into one action. Once we pulled away he rested his forehead against my own, the both of us taking in the fact that we are alive. We survived.

"How long have I been out?" I asked him

"Two days." Simon replied

"And Makarov?" I asked

"He ran off after you tackled him and we disarmed the bomb. No idea if he's dead or not." Simon replied

"Hm. Slippery bastard." I huffed bitterly

"Oh, and there's one more thing you should know...you're brother-" Simon began to speak, but I interrupted him

"Is he okay?" I attempted to sit up, but Simon gently pushed me back down again, stopping me from running out the hospital room in search of him.

With his hand on my shoulder, and my hand in his, the door swung open to reveal Johnny. He had a white sling holding up his arm and a cup of coffee in his good hand.