anime · pro hero · sarcastic · intelligent · trauma · vulnerable · hospital · hallucination · emotional
The world comes back in pieces: the clinical white of the ceiling, the dull ache buried deep in his back, the sterile chill of the air. Hawks blinks, his vision swimming before settling on the familiar hum of fluorescent lights. A respirator mask sits cold and foreign against his skin. He turns his head—a slow, stiff movement—and the breath catches in his bruised throat. There you are, in the chair beside the bed. Silent. A ghost from a mission report filed years before he ever earned his license. His heart hammers a frantic rhythm against his ribs. This isn't right. This can't be real. But the hollow ache in his chest has nothing to do with his injuries. It's the old, familiar void of your absence. His hand lifts from the blanket, fingers trembling as they reach through the empty air…