Waking up in a hospital was something that Kitty had hoped to never do again.
And yet…
Kitty took in the white of the ceiling, the discomfort of her throat, the dull pain in her wrist, the steady sounds of her heart monitor, and the faint breath of someone beside her.
It was morning – and she could hear birds, the dawn warming her skin where the sun had fallen across her arms. Her left arm was in a cast from her elbow to her fingers, and her right hand-
Her right hand was enclosed in a familiar heated grip.
Paul was asleep in the chair next to her, head pillowed on his own arm where it lay on her mattress, neck on an odd angle. She frowned, and pulled out of his grip to touch his taunt neck muscles, stroking at the skin at the nape of his neck worriedly.
The speed at which he sat up made her retract her hand as if burnt. He was staring at her, mouth dropped open. Kitty coughed lightly, trying to test out her throat. It was only then that she became aware of the tube that was easing her breathing – but the pressure on her windpipe was all too similar to the painful pressure of her last memory – but Paul took one look at her panicking face, and at her steadily increasing heartrate, and slammed down so hard on the Doctor call button that it shattered.
Kitty wanted to laugh, heartrate slowing slightly at his horrified face as the door opened. Paul met her gaze sheepishly as he shoved the broken bit of plastic under her pillow.
"Miss Faye!" the doctor was a woman, tall and sweet looking. "I'm very glad to see you awake." Kitty reached up, almost touching the tube, before Paul caught her hand. She let him hold her hand as the doctor hummed over her vitals, taking her time with her clipboard before finally sliding the tube from her throat. Admittedly, her breathing got minutely more difficult, but Kitty could only feel relief as the pressure was lifted. "Now – I must request a speaking ban, Katelyn, your throat needs more time to heal. You suffered a rather severe case of Laryngeal trauma; and it's very lucky we were able to salvage your vocal chords at all." Paul squeezed her hand as her eyes widened, the sudden flare in her heartrate audible to all of them. The doctor rattled off another set of dizzying diagnoses and warnings, and Kitty resisted the urge to fall back into her pillows and let sleep take her again. Finally, the doctor stopped, and smiled at the both of them. "I'll let the rest of your visitors know that you're awake."
Kitty turned to Paul again, and Paul opened his mouth – as if to say something, but once again, they were interrupted by the door flying open.
Topher and Alex burst into the room, flying towards Kitty with identical cries of greeting and relief. Alex squirmed her way onto the narrow bed, looking uncharacteristically gentle eyed, as she buried her face in Kitty's chest. Topher threw his arms around both of them. "I was afraid." Alex mumbled into her hospital gown. Kitty brought her uninjured arm to hug her younger – and yet taller – sister to her, Topher pressing a kiss to her hair wordlessly.
Her parents were next through the door, her usually composed mother looking half-crazed with un-styled hair and red-rimmed eyes. They descended on her with the same abandon of Topher and Alex, carefully avoiding her left arm and her throat, but her mom brushed her hands over her cheeks, holding her so gently. Kitty closed her eyes as burning began to build up in the back of her eyes.
When she opened them again, her father was shaking hands with Sam – the man taking up the entirety of the doorframe, flanked by Jared and Emily. Kitty only had a second to process Kim squirreling her way through the two men before she was by Kitty's bed, squeezing around Alex to kiss Kitty's cheek and hold her hand tightly. Kitty smiled a watery smile at her, Kim returning the gesture with a sniff. "I thought I was gonna lose my b-b-best friend!" Kim sobbed loudly, and Kitty squeezed her hand.
Jared came up behind her, and gently steered her away with a small apologetic smile. Kitty's eyes went to a healing scar protruding from his collar, stretching up towards his chin, and reached out to him. He caught her flailing hand easily. "No need." To thank me. The words hung unspoken between them, but Kitty squeezed his hand in gratitude anyway.
Emily pressed a gentle kiss to her brow, before moving to join her mother and father who were talking to the doctor at the door. Sam gave her a long look, before he crouched down, eyeing Alex – who met his gaze with a ferocious glare, tightening her arms around Kitty's ribs. He half-smiled, shaking his head slightly, before turning to Kitty. "I cannot apologize enough." He said lowly, almost inaudible under the clamour in the room. "I wish we had gotten there sooner." Kitty shook her head. Sam bowed his head, "We'll keep you safe, Kitty – I promise." His words were heavy and Kitty could feel them settle over her.
As if she could feel the weight of them too, Alex shivered slightly.
It was a little while until Kitty was alone again – well. Almost alone.
Paul had retreated to wait by the window when her family had arrived, and if Kitty hadn't turned her head to reach for the water, she would have thought he had left with the rest of them. But he was still there, and moved to her side silently, pouring her a cup of water, and helping her drink it.
He sat back down in his previous seat, and she held his gaze.
They still hadn't spoken – and although she knew he wasn't angry – there was something about him. He had his jaw tightly shut, and his eyes were shaded. Kitty's heart ached. She wanted him to hold her hand again, but he'd crossed his hands tight across his chest, and was avoiding eye contact.
Maybe he thought she wasn't worth it.
Kitty swallowed down the sudden flood of anxiety as best she could – because really, that would make sense. How many times had he saved her? How many times had he picked up after her messes? How many times had he been hurt because of her?
Maybe after everything – he wanted to go back to how it had been – where they had been strangers at best, enemies at worst.
She didn't.
She couldn't stand the thought of being afraid of him again, couldn't stand the thought of him looking at her with so much contempt again.
She reached for her bedside table, scrabbling for the pen and the notepad that the doctor had left her. Paul's eyes went to her movement, frowning as she began to scribble out her frantic feelings.
With a shaking hand, she held out the note to him.
Slowly, he uncrossed his arms, and took it from her.
She couldn't read his face, and for a moment – he was the angry, closed-closed off boy she didn't understand, and didn't want to know.
Paul – I don't know what to say to make you forgive me. I'm sorry for being useless continuously being a burden. I'm sorry that you've been hurt because of me. It's selfish to want you I know – but I'm so scared that you won't. I've been meaning to ask you about us.
Not that there is an us.
But – I mean, I want an us. If that makes sense. I meant what I said. At least I think I said it, everything was kinda dark at that point. Anyway.
I'm sorry, and I don't want to lose you.
and i
fuc
p.s.
I love you.
Paul swallowed hard, and closed his eyes for a moment. Kitty eyed the way his fist closed tightly around the paper, crumpling it slightly.
He stood up, and busied himself with folding the note, and then straightening the water jug, and propping it up, then moving the chair forwards and backwards – and doing everything but looking at her – and Kitty felt her stomach sink.
She nodded once to herself, all too aware of the way her eyes were burning again. She couldn't expect-
Paul's hands on her face were sudden, and enough to make her flinch in place – eyes going wide at his sudden closeness.
There was a fierceness in his eyes, a warmth that was threatening to burn her. But his hands on her were so gentle – and his thumbs skimmed her cheekbones gently, as he knelt beside her. She couldn't look away from him, even as a tear spilled over, and over his fingers. His jaw tightened – and then he was leaning in.
Kitty's eyes fluttered shut involuntarily, so aware of his closeness – she could practically his eyes still on her as he paused – breath fanning across her lips. She shivered, and he made a low sound – all the warning she got before his lips touched hers.
Kitty never believed in fairy tales. Kitty never idolised the idea of true love, of Prince Charming, or the power of a pure connection.
However – the tingling warmth that settled over her, the sweet sense of a strange euphoria as Paul kissed her – felt an awful lot like magic.
She leant into him, good hand coming up to grasp at his wrist – trying to anchor herself to the feeling. He sighed into the kiss, running one hand gently down her neck and down further to settle on her hip, holding her gently. She smiled, and felt his lips curl in response, hand moving to interlink his fingers with hers. He drew apart from her, and she watched him go, his eyes turned into their true honey-gold by the sun. He brought their interlinked hands up, and pressed his lips to the back of her hand. She felt herself blush scarlet.
"Do you know how much it took to stop myself from doing that?" he whispered. Kitty bit at her lip, shaking her head. Paul grinned, "Just as much effort as it took not to tell you I love you, every second since you woke up." Kitty felt her heart skip a beat, the heart monitor letting out an irregular blip that made Paul laugh. Kitty groaned slightly, her throat pinching a little. "I love you." He said, smile growing even wider at the same reaction. "I love you, Katelyn Faye."
Kitty opened her mouth to mime at him. I love you too.
Paul's face grew tight then. "But I do have to tell you something." Kitty tilted her head curiously. "It's about… the whole, um, wolf thing." Kitty motioned for him to continue. He looked pained. "You know how I was, an asshole to you – and then one day I stopped. Mostly." Kitty smiled as he pulled a face. "Well – something happened. Something that I promise doesn't change or add or subtract the way I feel. I made sure of it. And if it freaks you out, then we can just pretend none of this happened and we can be friends, because – yeah, don't really want to lose you either. Literally can't lose you so-" he cut himself off as Kitty touched his cheek.
She'd never seen him so nervous – and it was beginning to freak her out.
He took a breath. "It's a wolf thing." He began again. "When a wolf sees its soulmate, it makes sure you know. It will Imprint."
Imprint.
That word again. Kitty stared at him uncomprehendingly. Paul stared back, meaningfully, as if willing her to understand. Kitty just blinked at him. Finally, he groaned. "I Imprinted on you. That day… in the forest. I looked at you and I saw you, and… and the rest is history."
It didn't hit her for a second.
And then a lot of things made sense. A lot of things.
Paul's 360° shift. His kindness and restraint. The way she was drawn to him.
And even Jared and Kim.
Sam and Emily.
She took a shaky breath.
Soulmates. Real magic.
Paul still looked anxious, and she realised that he really thought that this would affect the way she felt. Yes – she was shaken, but she wasn't afraid. Because she had held him at arm's length for so long, and she had been the one to realise her own feelings. Perhaps she had fallen a little quicker, but, she would have fallen all the same.
She reached for the notepad and he watched her write again with a scowl. She smiled a little. Still the same Paul.
She handed him the note, and watched as a smile grew across his face; like the sun through storm clouds, her heart doing a stupid flip in her chest, cheeks growing warm as he pulled her to him – and kissed her again.
The note fluttered to the bed between them.
Makes sense. I guess the universe wanted you to settle down.
I'm so fixated on the girl with the soft sound
And hair all over the place
But you're sure that I'd learn
I'm pushing through bodies
Avoiding me and walking around you
But you're cold and I burn
I guess I'll never learn
Cause I stay another hour or two
For crying out loud, settle down!
- The 1975, Settle Down
The End.
