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Tony Eagle was in what many liked to call a pickle.
To be frank, everything happened so fast—one minute he was driving home from the university, and he was in hospital the very next, hooked up to more machines than he cared to count. It wasn't like he was an inattentive driver; having two children made him quite the opposite, actually! It was just that, in the blink of an eye, he’d found himself face to face with some sort of giant blue thing barreling towards the windshield.
He was lucky to have so much as remained intact, let alone be found by first responders. His car was a total wreck, windshield shattered and front engine completely crumpled together. Trapped in the driver’s seat, legs hopelessly pinched between the seat and the wreckage, Tony was absolutely sure he was going to die—
Until, mysteriously, the shards of that something responsible for trashing his vehicle appeared on his dash, and a smaller, planet-like core rested with them, just barely in reach.
Even now, barely able to move without help and resting in his hospital bed (he was lucky to have kept his legs at all, frankly), he held the oddly Saturn-shaped object in his good hand, stroking its glossy surface repeatedly with his thumb. He couldn't place it, but… something in his gut told him this was to thank for his miraculous survival, and not the various medical interventions he’d been subjected to since first responders arrived at the scene of the crash.
…No, he knew that was what happened. He'd already heard the nurses say they couldn't explain his survival, let alone the fact he was healing at all. That his survival, in the state he was found, defied all odds.
How long had he been in the ICU for, anyhow? A few days? A week? Intense brain fog filled the space between the crash and present day; all he knew was, judging by the way hospital staff spoke of him, it hadn't been terribly long. He just hoped that soon, someone would come to visit him. A certain someone, actually; he couldn't bear to think of the kids seeing him like this.
If only that man would…
“Mr. Eagle?” an unknown voice beckoned from the other side of the curtain separating his hospital bed from the greater hospital ward. “You have a visitor.”
As if answering to his prayers, however selfish, a short man with soft brown hair peered from behind the white curtain, round glasses reflecting just enough light to obscure his eyes for a moment—none other than Hugo Lawrence, Tony’s colleague at work and perhaps even his best friend.
When Hugo looked at him, soft smile rounding out his harsh jawline and hair unkempt from who knows how long of worry-induced self-neglect, Tony could see… bliss. He could see the warmth glimmering in his eyes like crystal beads, the way his eyebrows furled almost sorrowfully…
And he could see the sheer love Hugo felt for him—love that they had to indulge in privately. The university had a long ways to go yet on inclusivity; god knows what would happen to their jobs if the news came out.
“…Mr. Eagle, sir,” Hugo finally muttered with a slight nod, stepping further into the tiny hospital room.
Had they been at home, away from the prying eyes of society, Hugo’s response would have been much different. He never called Tony sir, for one.
“Mr. Lawrence,” Tony replied in turn, lifting an arm to beckon Hugo closer—or trying, anyway. Fuck, he still couldn't move much at all…
“It’s good to see you.”
“I could say the same to you. How've you been managing?”
Careful not to rustle his blankets too much, Hugo lifted the ends of the sheets and gently clasped Tony’s hand, squeezing it as an act of affection. Tony had been in endless, screaming pain since coming to, but somehow, this extra tactile input didn't make him nauseous. Maybe it was knowing it was Hugo by his side? He was too drugged up to think very deeply; not much of a surprise considering the injuries he sustained, but still a pain in the ass nonetheless.
“I've been… well, I'm alive,” Tony chuckled weakly. “How are the kids faring? Do you know?”
“They're getting by. Maia’s pretty worked up about the whole thing, but N’s at home with her playing through Lucid again, so she’s a little calmer than she was last night. I put in the code for the hidden dev room before I left, so that extra boss should keep them busy for a while.”
“Really? That one again? Surely there’s only so much to see after playing it so many times…”
“I think she picked that one for the familiarity. With so much chaos right now, it makes sense she’d want to see her favourite characters again.”
“Right… I just thought they’d be more interested in this week’s beatstyle 12 unlock is all. Didn't you say it was a… what'd you call it… ‘boss song’ this time?”
“Oh, Tony, you know they like to watch Uncle Hugo break it down! They’d need my help anyway; you're forced to play the song on a gauge that bleeds health unless you hit Cools. Neither of them would make it even a quarter through the song like that.”
“That hard, huh?”
Tony smiled faintly and tried with what strength he had to squeeze Hugo’s hand back, ever grateful for his visit. What would he ever do without him…?
“Anyway, uh… how long has it been since then? The accident?”
Hugo’s brows furrowed, a perplexed look on his face as he looked Tony in the eyes. With his free hand, he pulled at his turtleneck, moving the loose collar forward so it didn't feel as suffocating and leaning in towards his partner.
“Tones,” he began in a hushed voice, terrified of being heard by outsiders to their relationship, “it’s barely been twelve hours. Did no one tell you?”
“…Twelve hours…?”
It was Tony’s turn to adopt confusion, features twisting to display an indescribable emotion. Twelve hours? It hadn't even been a day?! No wonder the nurses gawked at him like some kind of anomaly…
“You’re looking rather disoriented… How long did you think it'd been?”
“A few days, at least…”
Tony leaned back into his hospital bed (marginally, since he was never propped too far up to begin with), eyes fluttering shut without much control. All he’d done was have a short conversation, and his energy was already fading…
At least now, he had clearer answers as to the missing time between the crash and now—and the person he cherished most by his side.
“They've all been talking like I should've died, Huey. Honestly, I'm surprised I didn't lose my legs; they were pinched in there pretty good… couldn't feel ‘em when I passed out.”
“Well, you were in a pretty horrific—wait, what’s that?”
Hugo reached for the blue chunk of planet sitting atop Tony’s lap, bringing it up to his face to peer at it closely. Seeming shocked, he turned back to Tony, who was so dazed from medication that he’d barely processed he left the mysterious object out.
“Tones, where'd you find this…?” Hugo asked with bated breath, continuing to eye up the planet bit. “How long have you had this?”
“…Oh, that,” Tony answered absentmindedly. “I… found it on my dash? Last thing I remember is reaching for it. Odd little thing, huh?”
“No, I don't think you understand. Look.”
Making sure Tony’s eyes were on him, Hugo pulled up his sleeve and held the planet bit to a collection of fresh cuts along his forearm; amazingly, like watching a nature timelapse, the wounds healed over effortlessly, and soon enough, it was like Hugo had never been injured at all—not even so much as a scar remained.
What the fuck?
“How did that…?”
“Tony, we have to get this analyzed. This might just be the ticket we’ve been looking for!” Hugo cried, pumping his fists. “If that thing healed those scratches like nothing, imagine what it’s doing for you right now—you said the nurses thought you should've been dead, right…?”
That was the moment that made everything click. The confusion around his survival, the remarkable state he was in for what he went through… it was really all because of that little thing, wasn't it?
Tony couldn't fathom it. That, out of the blue, some freak of nature would make its way to him in a situation that should've killed him, at a time that could only be described as miraculous. Maybe, just maybe, if it had the ability to heal people… then their dream of creating a generic, universal medicine wasn't dead yet.
Theirs. Society may not have permitted their marriage, but it did permit their status as colleagues; perhaps the greatest show of love was to immortalize their names in history together, as a duo, to where those who tried erasing them were met with outrage.
“…What? Yeah, they… they have,” Tony mumbled. “You think that’s what…?”
“There’s no other explanation for it! What do they have you on right now, morphine?” Hugo continued, beginning to pace the tiny hospital room. “Morphine’s one of the finest painkillers out there—but this is more like… a stimulant for the body’s natural healing properties or something!”
“Keep it down, Huey,” Tony smiled through the dullest of aches that began to settle in his bones. He didn't remember feeling any physical pain before now; just intense fatigue and exhaustion, perpetually on the verge of slumber. That piece of blue planet something was certainly working miracles, wasn't it?
“Ah… sorry,” Hugo said, quieting down significantly. “Suppose we don't want anyone claiming our discovery for themselves.”
“Exactly. Mind passing that back, by the way? The ol’ back’s starting to give me trouble…”
“Right. Here you go.”
Hugo pressed the planet bit into Tony’s palm, and the bedridden man was able to relax once more, pain melting away like sugar on the tongue. What a miracle! Honestly, he still couldn't believe he was in possession of something so enigmatic; that deus ex machina would come to the rescue, and save his research on top of his life. What had he ever done to deserve this? To deserve Hugo, or the kids, or… this life he lived, not without its challenges but fulfilling and worth living for?
“Much better. Thanks, Huey,” Tony softly whispered, beckoning his partner closer for a kiss on the cheek. Hugo’s face went beet red and he giggled just a little, hiding his face in his hands and hunching over.
“I-It’s no problem, Mr. Eagle,” Hugo replied with a voice that'd gone shaky from excitement. “You’re a real sweetheart, you know…”
“How couldn't I be for a guy like you?”
God, even when barely hanging on by a thread, Tony was still trying to pull the moves on Hugo. Meant he wasn't as worse for wear as anyone would've thought. Good sign.
“T-Tones!” Hugo exclaimed in a whisper. “Not here! They'll hear us!”
“Right, right… say, you got any time to spare? Can't guarantee I'll stay awake, but you've made this arrangement a whole lot more comfortable.”
Tony rubbed his eyes and got comfortable in the hospital bed, wincing when he accidentally brushed against the IV in his arm; Hugo came back to his side and gently held his other hand, face still red as could be. If nothing else, Hugo wouldn't be able to leave until his skin cleared up—he blushed like a motherfucker.
“I took the day off, so I'll stay as long as you'd like,” Hugo answered with a smile, squeezing Tony’s hand. “Had this new idea for a toy set for Maia; maybe you'd like to hear about it?”
“Of course I want to hear about it! C’mon, tell me the deets.”
Hugo’s smile erupted into an euphoric grin, describable only as autistic bliss—he loved inventing silly little novelties, and Tony loved to hear his partner bounce ideas for hours on end, loved to watch him hard at work in his free time, working thanklessly to make his world a brighter place. Of course, that couldn't even compare to the smiles on Maia’s and N’s faces when they got to play with said inventions, completely absorbed in the joy of creation and artistry; they may have been ‘too old’ for such trivialities in theory, but in practice, they were the perfect audience.
Tony looked forward to hearing Hugo’s wild new idea. Even though he was drifting off, and he might need Hugo to repeat the details later, now was the perfect time to unleash that creative energy brewing inside. Hugo would probably be able to refine his idea as he rambled on in length—
—and it made for the perfect bedtime story, with the perfect narrator.
