Disclaimer: I never really owned any of Man of Action's stuff. Seriously, must I go over this again?
A/N: Sooo this happened to enter my mind when I'm attempting a Symbionic Titan fic. The idea depresses me but...I want to do this :) It's something different, and it kind of takes the mind off of the whole...Kevin ordeal :/ So I really hope you give this a chance and review :)
Human Hours
~Prolouge~
She breezed through the automatic glass doors, her footsteps intertwining with the sounds of the buzz of conversations and the sounds of machines. She wrinkled her nose at the smell of lemon scented floor cleaner and unclean, dead skin, disgusted by the conditions of the facility. Humans were so impractical. Why build such an uncomfortable place for births and the ill? Why put everyone in one crowded place?
She sighed heavily, shaking her head. Now wasn't the best time to criticize the wrongs of general humans. There were much more important matters to attend to.
The nurse looked up from her computer at the desk, her eyes glazed with a heavy bored expression. "Visiting?" she muttered.
"Yes, for Maxwell Tennyson."
The nurse looked up files on the computer. "Name please?"
"Verdona Tennyson."
The nurse made a face at the unique name, typing it in anyway. She handed her a tag with a little clip on it. "Here. Room 409. Fourth floor."
"Thank you. When are visiting hours over?"
"You got until 11. Two hours."
She frowned. Human time didn't match up to her standards. Two hours just wasn't enough time. "Alright, thank you." She head toward the elevators and pressed the button for the fourth floor. She tapped her foot impatiently, sighing heavily. No wonder why humans seemed to perish so quickly. There weren't enough hours in the universe left for the humans to do the things that they want to do. When humans are so close to death, they try and do whatever they could to fulfill their last living hours.
As soon as the doors opened, she rushed towards the room. The door was cracked open and she heard a familiar voice, soft but stern. "Grandpa, I'm fine. You need to worry about yourself. College is all figured out. I know I'll be attending Harvard and my tuition is already covered by the Plumbers insurance. I already have my apartment, and I'll be moving there in a few months. Now you need to worry about that arm. Any more injures and you'll become artifical."
A husky chuckle, one that she knew too well. "It may seem that way huh? First my nervous system is damaged, I accidentally break my knee cap and then some guy ruins the muscles in my arm to the point where I can't use them any more. I swear I must have some target on me that says that I'm going to expire soon."
"Grandpa, don't say that."
"Sorry sweetheart. I probably shouldn't have said that." A sigh. "You need to go back home honey. It's getting late."
"OK Grandpa." A small kiss. "Good night. I'll see you next week, alright?"
"Don't worry about me sweetheart. Worry about yourself."
The door opened and out stepped Gwen, her granddaughter. Gwen looked at her, smiling. "Hello. Are you visiting Max?"
Verdona smiled. Her figure was disguised as her past teenager self, so Gwen did not recognize her. "Yes."
Gwen nodded, then walked to the elevators. As Verdona watched the mane of scarlet disappear, she felt his eyes imprint on her skin. She turned around, facing him. "Hello Max." She smiled. "Last time I saw you, you still had your dark brown hair. But you still have that sparkle in your eyes."
Max laid on the thin, cotton hospital bed, tubes hanging from the IV beside him. The heart monitor studied his stable heart rate and her smile twitched when she saw the line spiking a little. "What are you doing here?" he breathed. "I haven't seen your face in years. You seem like you...haven't aged a bit."
She sighed. "Actually, I have aged." She ran her fingers through her curly platinum hair. "I figured returning in my younger form would make things a little more dramatic. I guess I succedded." She settled down in the seat next to the bed and pressed her lips against his. They weren't soft and as warm. They were a little chapped and cool, due to the condition he was in. Despite her being an Anodite for the past 60 years, she remembered the human emotion of sadness and disappointment. "I wanted to see how you managed to hold on for so long, even though you're human and all."
His hand rested on hers, making her see the lines and veins on his hand, all worn from age. She felt his strong gaze on her, her human heart beating incredibly fast. "I remember were our grand children got those gorgeous eyes now. It didn't come from Frank or Carl. Or Lily or Sandra. It came from you." He raised her hand up to his lips, brushing his lips against her skin, making her shiver. He smiled against her skin, eyes twinkling, filled with emotion now. "I've missed you."
"I've missed you too. You should have come with me, but it would be selfish to. Many men are grateful for all the work that you have done, and it makes me happy enough."
"But you aren't very happy now, aren't you?"
She pondered that for a moment. Was she happy? Yes, she was happy to see that he was still breathing and seeing that his heart was still beating. Despite all the injures, he was still strong and even more wise than when he was in his twenties. But she hated seeing him like this. He wasn't as handsome and he wasn't as young. He still needed to be careful. He was still human.
The thought wrenched at her heart, her stomach twisting. A human dies in a shorter amount of time than Anodites do. The minutes are shorter. The seasons only last for a few months. The snow falls, then quickly melts. All within a few human hours, everything fades and changes.
"I...am happy."
"But not happy enough."
Verdona sat in silence, Max Tennyson's hand tightly holding hers, as if she was the only thing in the universe that she could hold on to. As she sat there, her thoughts lingered to those other times. The precious moments that only lasted for so long.
A/N: There will be more :) It's not done yet!
PLEASE REVIEW! Tell me what you think :)