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His ears were ringing.
He was lying on his back on a hard surface, head tilted to the side. Blurry shapes passed in front of his vision. They moved too fast for him to focus on, and when he tried, nausea curled up his throat like an unwelcome guest. He shut his eyes to force it back down.
Gentle cloth-gloved hands cupped his cheeks, straightening his head before the thumbs pressed under his eyes and pulled down. He groaned in response and attempted to shove the hands aside. The hands remained unmoved, and he flopped his arms back down. The thumbs released their hold on his skin and one thumb came up to gently tap his nose. Three times.
His nose scrunched, and he furrowed his brows as he thought. He knew that pattern. He knew someone who did that. Who did that?
The three taps happened again. The second hand trailed over his face and around his head, searching. For what?
Hard plastic wrapped around his neck, and the hands vanished from his head. He let out a whine, but settled when the three nose-taps happened again. They were still here. Good.
Multiple hands grabbed and moved him onto another hard surface, but those three nose-taps remained. More taps as straps came down and restrained him to the hard surface. Why was he being restrained? What did he do? Where even was he? Who was he?
He was Gaz. No. That's a nickname. He was... Garrick. Yes, that sounded right. Garrick. Nose-Taps didn't call him that though... The nose-taps are a check-in. A... wake up? Yeah, that seemed right. Why was Nose-Tap waking him up? He wasn't in bed. He was on a hard surface. This better not be a bed.
His sluggish brain pushed a thought to the surface: a name reverently spoken in a gruff, sleep-slurred voice.
Kyle.
Kyle? Who was Kyle? Kyle and Garrick? Oh! No, Kyle Garrick! He's Kyle Garrick! Okay, one mystery solved, more to go.
Three nose taps again, and the surface he was on was moving. He whined as he was lifted, attempting to thrash free from the restraints as the surface he was on teetered with each tiny movement. Three taps. He tried to shake his head and found that movement restrained. Three taps. His whines grew louder. Three. Taps.
His eyes shot open as he gave one more thrash against his restraints. The cloth-gloved hands returned to his face and a face materialized over his. He stilled. He knew that face. That face called him Kyle. That face... That face did the taps, but only when it was time to wake up. The face locked his kind gaze onto Kyle's and gave a small smile.
Oh.
“Price,” Kyle croaked out. He swallowed, then tried again. “Price!”
Three nose taps, and a hand squeezing his before they were moving. The blurring scenery caused Kyle to squeeze his eyes shut again. The hand holding his squeezed three times. He was let down roughly, and let out a mix between a groan and a whine as Price's hand slipped from his and the impact made his head swim.
“Price!”
Price's hands were back on his face, and Kyle forced his eyes to open. Red lights filled his vision, but Price's face ventured closer to be all he could see. Price's lips were moving as he looked over to the side. Kyle tried to follow his gaze, but Price's hands tightened their grip and Price's attention was back on him.
Price gave him another small smile. He pointed at his own ear and tilted his head. Kyle let out a questioning whine, and Price's smile faltered. He turned and spoke to someone else, lip curling as he snarled. Kyle let out another whine. Three nose taps, but Price kept looking away. Price's thumb migrated from the tip of Kyle's nose over to coast back and forth across his cheek. He gave a confused grunt that turned into a squeal and thrashed as something pinched his arm. Price was back in his space, holding his shoulders down and resting his forehead on top of his.
Kyle let out a couple of panicked breaths, resulting in another set of hands coming forward with an oxygen mask. No. No, no, no, no, no. Another whine. Three more nose taps before Price helped put on the oxygen mask. Cold seeped up his arm. He made one more valiant attempt to say the only name worthy of being on his tongue before his eyes rolled back and unconsciousness consumed him.
He's not sure he managed.
He woke up cold. There was an annoying beeping in his ear, but it was better than the constant ringing. If he focused, he could hear someone breathing quietly next to him—barely audible beneath the beeping.
Three taps on his nose.
“You coming back to us, sweetheart?”
He forced his sticky eyes open, and was met with a smiling Captain John Price. “Price,” he wheezed. Price frowned, then helped him sit up and drink some water.
“There's a lad. Let me get a doctor.”
“Price,” Kyle repeated, stronger now. “I love you too.”
Price beamed and surged forward to wrap around Kyle's weak form. “Scared the shit out of me, you muppet.” He nuzzled the crook of Kyle's neck for a moment before detaching himself. “Now seriously, let me get a doctor. They're gonna run a concussion test.”
“Joy,” Kyle deadpanned.
The doctors swarmed in, asked Kyle an myriad of questions, and then left as quickly as they'd come. One of the doctors informed him that he'd had a seizure on the plane, so he was being held for observation to make sure it didn't happen again. Joy. He settled back into the uncomfortable mattress with a huff. Price reached out and grabbed his hand, squeezing it three times. He nuzzled Kyle's hand before speaking.
“Ghost and Soap are on their way back. Soap's pissed. He wants to explode the person who set the charges off too early and nearly blew you up. Ghost wants to skin them alive. They might compromise and do both. Unsure. I told them to leave me out of it.”
Kyle's brow furrowed. “We're at base.”
“Yes.”
“Where are Ghost and Soap?”
“Laswell sent them on a mission while we were gone.”
Kyle raised his eyebrows, impressed. “Huh.”
“Yeah, so rest, because Soap's gonna come here like the Scottish whirlwind he is and talk you to death.”
Kyle focused on the hand in his and squeezed three times. It squeezed back three times. “You broken?”
“Nah. Just angry. I'm gonna leave and go grab some paperwork while you nap.”
“You should sleep.”
“I'll sleep after the other two get here. Promise.”
Kyle shifted in the bed, burrowing further into the mattress that was starting to feel incredibly comfortable. “M'kay. S'long as you sleep. I'll get Ghost to make you sleep if you don't.”
Price chuckled warmly. “You're a better incentive, my love. Sleep. I'll join you soon.”