Work Text:
Day 15, Derek is slowly improving as the doctors say, Avery hardly believes it now. Derek looks the same as yesterday, and he looks the same as last week. From some odd miracle, the government managed to find Derek still “alive” only trapped in a coma. Avery only happened to hear about it since it was on the news. Avery is pretending to be a family friend just to gain access, but he isn’t family, and you couldn’t call him a friend either, he hadn’t had enough time to become friends with him, and that’s what killed him. Avery leaned against the hospital bed, like he did every afternoon after college classes. On breaks he would sit from morning to noon, go get lunch and show and return for the last few hours of visit time. It’s been in this routine for two weeks. From these two weeks, Avery has not seen either parent of Derek’s. Though that didn’t matter, if they did show up, how would he even explain himself?
Day 15c Avery had no classes so he went to Derek’s bedside again, he was looking at the news calmly before he started to hear groans nearby, he raised an eyebrow as he looked around the room, was it another doctor groaning at the fact Avery never leaves.
“Avery…” whispered into the room, it made Avery tense and he quickly looked around.
“Yellow man?” He whispered, as he covered Derek as best he could, he grabbed his hand and looked above him. Then he felt someone rub his palm. He slowly looked down and saw Derek staring at him, creeping a light smile as he looked at Avery. One eye had a dark gold hue to it. Avery gasped and rushed to hug him but then he hesitated as he didn’t want to hurt Derek, so then he started to do weird moves trying to figure out what he should do there at that moment. Derek smiled and grabbed his hand and held it tight.
“Didn’t know I would see you first, not upset though,” he said and looked around the hospital room. “Surprised I’m…yknow.” He said as he turned his eyes back to Avery.
“Alive…” he mumbled out as he stared at the golden eye, it was Derek, but why was there a lingering yellow.
“Yes that…” he paused as he slowly felt his face. “I still have that knowledge, can you get me some Tylenol?” He asked, Avery gulped as he kept staring at his eyes.
“So you must know that…” Avery paused, he stared at that eye, waiting for the yellow king to come out of it. Derek rubbed his hand slowly.
“I can hear him.” Derek stated, “but he doesn’t have my attention now that I see you” he added as he looked over to find a glass of water on the table, he reached for it quietly. Avery blinked and quickly rushed to give it to him, then actually went to go find a doctor.
“Be right back, Derek!” He said and started to look for a doctor, Derek knew that Avery went the wrong way but it was okay. Derek chuckled and took slow sips carefully, it was much better than smoothie drinks, he was sick and tired of the drinks. He was also tired of seeing the yellow king, yet here he was. Seeing him from the corner of his eye.
“You aren’t dead either.” Derek said quietly, “you are weak now, stuck in a corrupted mind.” He chuckled, the yellow king only stared at him, then sent a migraine into Derek’s head. Derek groaned as he pinched his eyebrow quickly. “Can’t be mad at me, should’ve left him alone.” He said calmly and stared at the door waiting for Avery to return. Avery took about five minutes to return, a doctor and nurse right behind him. The doctor immediately began to examine and the nurse quickly took notes for the paperwork.
“Do you have any living relatives to call?” The nurse asked, Derek knew if he said no then Avery would be asked to leave and he knew he couldn’t be left alone at all.
“Avery,” he said and pointed at Avery, Avery fixed his hair and nodded quickly to the nurse.
“Any allergies?” The nurse asked.
“Just mangos,” Derek replied, Avery flinched and looked at Derek.
“Wait, I put on Mango cologne, should I shower?” He said with a sad face, the nurse looked at him with a concerned look but Derek chuckled and shook his head. After ten minutes the doctor and nurse left, Avery sighed with relief and fixed his hair. Derek smiled and looked at Avery.
“They must be excited to see me, man who lives after dying in a Minecraft game,” he mocked himself, Avery sighed and gave him a hug. Derek blinked and chuckled nervously as he patted Avery’s back.
“You could have died Derek! You shouldn’t have pushed me off!!” He said as he pulled Derek back and held his shoulders, Derek’s eyes widened slightly as he looked at Avery. “You know how scary that was? Knowing someone I was trying to find and help would throw me away to die?!” He asked, Derek’s voice was caught, Avery cupped his face quickly and pulled him closer. “I was scared! Now you have this yellow eye and have to be in this hospital bed, it’s been two weeks!” He said, Derek paused then grabbed his hands quickly.
“Avery, if I had not done that, our world will be gone, we would’ve all been dead, might as well only take out one than 8 billion,” he explained and adjusted himself to sit up correctly, he held Avery’s hand tightly as he looked at his knuckles. “You know that deep down, it was the right choice,” he said quietly, Avery furrowed his eyebrows at him. His glare was sharp on Derek. He gulped slightly as he looked at Avery’s beautiful green eyes. Avery grabbed the railing for the bed and shoved it down. “Wha—“ Derek spoke out as he looked at the railing, then Avery jumped onto the bed and started to shake his collar. He was silent for a moment, biting his lip as he stared at Derek’s eyes, he bit his lip so hard it started to bleed, that’s when the tears started to form.
“I had mourned you, Derek—“ he confessed, “I hadn’t even know your surname until I saw you on the news, I had to be questioned over and over by this organization until I felt my tongue go numb and they wouldn’t tell me where you were, I had missed someone I haven’t even known” he said and grabbed Derek’s hair. “You know how crazy that is? I spent my days in sadness for someone I didn’t even know what color they liked?” He chuckled, Derek paused and grabbed his face, but Avery moved his hands down to his lap. Derek sighed and grabbed Avery’s wrists and held them together then used his other arm and hugged him tight. Avery flinched and tried to push him off, but Derek was still stronger than him, worst of all Avery enjoyed being hugged. He slowly burst into tears, he slammed his head into Derek’s shoulder and started to just let it out. He wailed into his shoulder for a moment, a long moment in fact. Derek took a deep breath and felt the king’s eyes staring at him again, so he pulled Avery down to the bed so he didn’t see him from the corner of his eye. Avery cried into his shoulder even harder, but his cries sounded much softer.
“I’m sorry I did that to you…I truly had thought you would have forgotten me…” he said softly, Avery moved his face to the side to stare at his ear for a moment, he sniffed lightly as he leaned close.
“How could I forget you?” He whispered, he nuzzled back into his shoulder and allowed himself to cry more. Derek didn’t stop him, as he knew he had to let it out. However when he was letting it out, it made Derek reach this sense of calmness, it made his body warm and his heart calmer, Derek started to take slower breaths as he held Avery close. Avery turned his head over and watched him for a while, while his sons had stopped, a few tears streamed out anyway. Derek wiped off his tears if he found them. Avery sniffled a bit but he started to calm down again.
“I’m sorry, Avery” Derek whispered as he turned his head to look at him, ignoring the fuming yellow king behind him. Avery frowned but he just laid next to him.
“I will never understand it, I might be mad forever, but as long as you don't do it again, I will not hold a grudge” he said softly, Derek paused the lightly smiled, he knew he was still mad about the push, about everything really. Though he knew later on, Avery would no longer be mad about it, he would mature and tell him he was right from the beginning, but for now, Derek just gave him a nod then held his face.
“I promise you, Avery…” he said softly, Avery stared at him for a moment, his eyes looked heavy, so Derek moved him closer and put the blanket over him specifically. Like a switch, Avery was out like a light. He began to snore as his heart went back to a calm beat. Derek smiled and leaned his head closer to Avery’s head quietly, then he glared at Yellow king.
“He will never belong to you, be rid yourself.” He said bluntly as he fiddled with Avery’s hand beneath the covers, the yellow king didn’t speak, only sent another migraine to Derek, but unfortunately for the yellow king, Derek was far to use to it. “Do me a flavor and shut the door, since you want to do something,” he said and held Avery close and shut his eyes, the yellow king stared at him for a moment then slammed the door shut. Loudly. Avery opened his eyes again slowly, but only closed them again after he saw Derek next to him, Derek didn’t care and shut his eyes after the door was close. The yellow king was fuming now, which Derek knew and had to hide the smile written on his face, it almost made him laugh.
