Academy One Shots

The Failed Date Night

*I published this for a fun little date night special during the TAFF Facebook anniversary week <3 for now, this is just a one shot, but it could potentially turn into a full story. Enjoy!*

The sounds of obnoxious beeping and distorted voices met my ears.

A heaviness to my eyelids kept them sealed shut like glue despite my confusion about what was going on. There was the occasional touch on my wrist or neck, but other than that, I was left wondering what was going on in a puzzled haze.

I could feel myself being moved around, the roll of wheels vibrating beneath me, but my brain felt too fuzzy to really focus on any particular thing for too long. Sleep threatened to capture my mind as I came to a stop somewhere.

What was going on? Why was I so tired?

My heart drummed loudly in my ears, which gave me the reassurance that I was still alive.

"Sang," a muffled voice crooned in my ear, "can you hear me?"

I wanted to say that I could hear him, whoever he was, but my throat stung when I tried to speak. Why hadn't I noticed the burning before? Now that it had caught my attention, it was all I could think about.

It was a painful itch that was nearly overwhelming, and when I tried to clear my throat in hopes that it would help, it only seemed to irritate the fire flaring up inside my esophagus. Tears welled up behind my closed lids and I bit back a broken sob as I once again attempted to stamp out the flames by clearing my throat.

"Sang," the voice came again, though it was a little clearer now, "can you look at me?"

I didn't want to open my eyes, or even if I could, but maybe if I obeyed the voice, they would get me some water.

After several failed attempts, I managed to squint into the room, surprised to see a flurry of activity going on around me. Simplistic white walls surrounded me on either side of the bed I was currently occupying, and several men and women wearing white lab coats and scrubs stood around the room, peering over clipboards together. Odd equipment beeped and chimed in my ears, and I wished that the beeping would stop. My head hurt enough as it was.

There was an IV in my arm and I cringed. I hated needles.

Where was I?

Panic sought refuge in my chest, its heavy fingers clawing up my neck. I cleared my throat again, attempting to calm myself, and with a confused, furrowed brow, my gaze searched out the owner of the voice that had been speaking to me.

Two piercing green eyes met mine, concern carved in their depths. A man who only seemed around twenty years old sat beside my bed, his hand pressed firmly along my own. His blonde hair was in chaotic disarray, with random locks curling disjointedly around his head. Small cuts marked his cheeks and his nice dress clothes were torn and disheveled.

If not for the look on his face, I would have found his appearance amusing.

"Pookie," he said in a cracked whisper. He brought my hand up to his lips to press a warm kiss to my scratched skin and I froze in shock from his action. "Oh, thank heavens, you're okay."

"Water," I croaked out, wincing at the dry scratch from speaking. At this point, I didn't even care that he'd kissed me. I needed to drench the fire in my throat.

His eyes brightened, as if he was happy to be able to do something for me, and he reached over to a metal trolley and grabbed a paper cup off of it. There was a straw sticking out of the top and he held it up to my lips.

"Small sips, Pookie," he said gently as I followed his instructions, despite the desire to gulp down the saving liquid.

The cool water soothed my throat and I hummed in appreciation as the burning dulled slightly. The pain was still there, but it was endurable.

"Better?" the man asked.

I nodded and let him take away the cup.

He smiled, though his lips were still tense. "What do you remember from the incident, Pookie?"

I could feel a crease form between my eyebrows. "Why do you keep calling me that?"

It was his turn to look confused. "Do you mean "Pookie"?"

"Yeah," I said, "it sounds weird."

Something shifted behind his green eyes and his face hardened marginally. "Sang, who am I?"

"Um-"

"Dr. Green," a man called from the entrance of the room and his presence alone was enough to put me on edge. He was dressed differently than the rest of the people in the room. Instead of a white lab coat, he wore a sleek, gray suit and a satin, maroon tie. When his sharp, keen eyes landed on me, I shrunk back against my pillows.

The man crossed the room, relief evident on his face as he came straight over to where I was huddling under the blankets. He fell to his knees at the side of my bed and snatched up the hand the man with the green eyes wasn't currently holding.

"Sang," he murmured, his smooth voice like an intimate caress. His calm voice helped ease some of my nerves from his heavy presence, but only by a small fraction. His silver gaze roamed over my face, as if searching for anything out of the ordinary, and I squirmed, still feeling uncomfortable with his scrutiny. I was so surprised by his forwardness. What was going on? "How are you feeling?"

I looked back and forth between him and the man with the green eyes, my mouth opened in bewilderment. "I'm, uh, fine. I think." Glancing around the room again, I felt my panic return. Why was I here? "Why am I in the hospital? Where's my family?"

"Po-Sang," the first man said. He was sending the second man an odd expression and I almost felt like they were communicating without words. "I promise that all of your questions will be answered, but I need to ask you a few first, all right?" The man with the silver eyes appeared confused as his friend went on, giving me his full attention. "Do you remember what happened this morning?"

I shook my head. "No. What happened?"

The green eyed man frowned. "You were involved in a car accident this evening. It seems we must have missed something because you've sustained a head injury. We're going to need to send you down to get a second MRI and-"

"Wait," I interrupted, fighting the cloudiness hovering over my brain, "how are you sure that I have a head injury?" Yes, my head ached and I was a little disoriented, but it didn't seem that bad.

He sent me a sad smile, his green eyes swelling with unspoken pain. "Pookie, what's my name?"

My heart fluttered at the brokenness in his voice, but I pushed the feeling aside as I focused on his question. "Um, Dr. Green, right? Isn't that what he called you?" I asked, pointing my chin at the man with the silver gaze.

I turned to the second man for assurance that I had gotten the question right, but paused at the horror plastered over his handsome face. His grip tightened on my hand before he released it completely, leaving my fingers cold and numb from the loss of his warmth.

"Did I get it wrong?" I asked gently the first man with the green eyes. I didn't know why he expected me to know it in the first place. This was the first time I had met him.

The man shook his head. "You were right, Sang. My name is Dr. Green." He pointed to his companion. "This is my best friend, Mr. Blackbourne."

Something stirred within the depths of my mind, almost like a wisp of deja vu, but I couldn't catch a hold of it as it fluttered away. Instead, I smiled hesitantly at the two men.

"It's nice to meet you."

Mr. Blackbourne turned away and Dr. Green gave me a smile that didn't reach his previously bright eyes.

"It's nice to meet you too, Sang."