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Ricky practically barged into Noel’s hospital room, looking like a mess, tears falling down his cheeks. He hadn’t even said a word, just looked at Noel, saw he was awake and alive, and practically threw himself at the other.
Noel was shocked at getting tackle-hugged, hugging Ricky back. He was still very much out of it, only having been away for about five hours, but he was happy to see Ricky.
Even if he was crying into his shoulder.
Noel moved Ricky to sit properly on his lap, holding him close and running his fingers through his hair, aching to reassure him that he was okay despite the fact he couldn’t communicate at all.
Ricky’s tears soon stopped, his sobs turning into sniffles, which was when Ricky looked at Noel for the first time. And when Noel saw Ricky for the first time.
While wiping his eyes, Noel noticed that not too much has changed about Ricky aside from a few new scars. He noticed a ton of new scars on his own hands and arms as well.
He pulled Ricky into another hug, this time he was crying too, burying his face in Ricky’s shoulder.
Ricky made soft cooing noises while rubbing Noel’s back, letting Noel cry and hug him. They’d both missed each other to hell – whether Noel registered any time that had passed or not, he missed Ricky so much.
And Mischa and Ocean and Constance and Penny.
He’d missed everyone.
And right now, he felt the safest he had since waking up. He felt safe being held by Ricky Potts.
“You…are…o-kay, No-el…” Ricky spoke softly, voice weak. He’d only heard Ricky speak in the warehouse, so he’d honestly thought he imagined hearing that.
Though, Ricky wasn’t totally mute. He’d gone to speech therapy in the past and can somewhat speak, though, from what Noel remembers, he really struggles with it. And it hurts, too. So he speaks only when he has to.
And apparently this was one of those times. And Noel could hear the pain in Ricky’s voice, unsure if it was from speaking or seeing him in his current state. Maybe it was both.
Noel had only made a weak hum in response, unable to speak but wanting to badly. He’d hugged Ricky tighter, arms around his shoulders, trying to convey everything he wanted to tell him through the hug.
Ricky hugged back just as tight, sniffing between soft cooing noises, continuing to rub his back as Noel’s own cries turned to sniffs.
Ricky tilted his face up after a bit, wiping his tears away with his thumb. He then starts to sign something before realizing Noel doesn’t understand him, Noel handing him his pen and notepad.
‘ Are you feeling better, Noel? ’
‘ Out of it…but…better. ’ Noel’s handwriting was practically illegible, Noel struggling to hold the pen and write. Ricky pulled out his phone to a text-to-speech app after borrowing the notepad, handing the phone to Noel.
‘ Good, I’m glad. You can use my phone to communicate, too. Will be easier than writing. ’
Noel nods, typing away, his fingers moving slow as he types, the robotic TTS voice reading is message out a second later: “Okay. This is a lot easier than writing. Thank you.”
‘ Anytime. ’ Ricky wrote, giving Noel a soft smile.
“Thank you for visiting me.” the TTS read out, Noel giving Ricky a similar smile.
‘ Came as soon as I heard. Would have been here sooner but this hospital is so far away from Uranium .’
“How far?”
‘ Five hours. ’
“Damn.”
‘ Damn indeed. ’
“Still…thank you for coming to visit me.”
‘ Seriously, anytime. I’ve been visiting you for a long time, of course I was going to visit you now that you’re awake… ’
Noel set the phone on his lap, stretching and hissing in pain, just needing to move. “You have?”
‘ Of course. All these little trinkets are from me. And Monique Chat-beau. ’ Ricky sets the notebook down, gesturing to the cat plush sitting on top of the heart monitor. ‘ I visited a lot. We all did.’
“Thank you.” Noel reached over to grab Monique Chat-beau from the heart monitor, holding it close to him and pressing a kiss to the top of its head.
‘ It’s the least I could do. I’m glad you’re awake, Noel. ’
“Thank you…I’m glad too…It’s just been a lot.”
‘ I can imagine. ’
“Too much information in five hours.” Noel sighed, running his hands through his hair.
‘ What were you told? ’
“Too much.” Noel sighs again, typing and deleting as he stares at the screen of Ricky’s phone. “Therapies mostly. And the fact I wasn’t supposed to wake up. And that I might not walk again. And more I definitely forgot…just, too much too fast.”
‘ I understand. Too much too fast is really overwhelming.’
Noel nods. “Left me with a headache and more confusion than I woke up with.”
Ricky hums. ‘ I bet. Do you want to sleep?’
“I slept for nearly two months, I am sure I’ve had plenty sleep for the next two.”
‘ Noel you know what I mean…You look exhausted. ’
“I am.”
‘ Then get some rest. ’
“But you just got here.”
‘ I don’t mind, I won’t leave, okay? I’ll stay with you.’
“You will?”
Ricky nods. “I…wi-ll.”
Noel gives Ricky a small smile as he stretches his arms, and Ricky moves off his legs. Noel tries to move them only to find out he can’t – which should bother him more than it does.
He moves over in the bed so there’s space for Ricky, and Noel doesn’t even need to say a thing before Ricky’s getting under the thin sheet and Ocean’s old quilt, pulling Noel close to him, being careful not to get in the way of the machines and tubes connected to him.
Noel rests his head on Ricky’s chest, feeling the rise and fall of his chest and getting instantly comforted. Ricky’s dragging his fingers up and down his back, being careful around the scar down his spine. Noel drapes one of his arms over Ricky’s waist, situating Monique Chat-beau on his chest too.
And as tired as he is, he doesn’t want to sleep.
Both because Ricky’s here for the first time since he’s been awake and because sleep just sounds like hell.
“Sl-eep, N-oe-l…” Ricky says softly, running his fingers through Noel’s hair.
Noel lets out a breath and nods. He was absolutely out of it and did want to fall asleep, despite the memories plaguing him.
But Ricky was here, he’d be alright.
Noel hugs Ricky tighter after signing ‘I love you’ to him, pressing the hand he was using to sign against Ricky’s skin gently.
He closed his eyes, just focusing on the rise and fall of Ricky’s chest, listening to his breathing, slowly falling asleep.
He swears he hears a “Love…y’u too” back, but he can’t be too sure he didn’t just imagine it.