There is a deafening buzz. Another ship goes down. The earth feels as though it will shatter under his body. He can hear explosions, but only through high pitched tones. It reminds him of when Curtis gets phone anxiety and leaves the phone on dial, causing an annoying prolonged beep. Curtis… Adam should let him know he's okay… There's another explosion. Everything meshes together and then goes black.
When Adam comes to, he is nauseated by the searing pain spread across his face and down the entire left side of his body. He immediately notices blurred figures walking by him and speaking in hushed tones, but when he tries to call out, only a pained groan escapes his lips.
"You're awake!" someone calls out. They are excited, quite young... A child? He can't determine where the voice originates from and tries to lift his head. The action causes a sharp pain down his back, and his head falls back soon after.
"You don't wanna move too much, pilot," another voice tells him in a tone similar to that which he used to scold his students. This voice is much deeper… tired but reassuring.
Adam breathes slowly; each inhale shoots a horrid pain throughout his chest, as if his body is rejecting the air it needs to thrive. His eyes widen just a fraction as he realizes he can't move his left arm, and a panic starts to bubble. His breathing quickens, but his shallow breaths do little to help the pain.
Suddenly, he weighs a ton. There is cement lodged in his lungs. Why is he still here?
"Buddy, you gotta calm down," the tired voice instructs.
Oh, yeah. Let me just turn the off switch, good advice. Buddy.
A blurred figure comes into view. Adam can barely make out dark hair and dark eyes. They press a hand down onto his chest, notifying Adam that he has been trying to get up. He wants to calm himself, but he can't.
"Glasses…" He grits the word painfully through his teeth. Barely a whisper. Being able to see should bring him security.
The person pauses and shakes their head. "Can't really call em glasses. They were shattered."
The panic starts to rise again. Without his glasses, he can't see. Without his glasses, he can barely function. He curses himself for not keeping a spare on him, but in hindsight, the spare would have shattered too.
A moment of silence.
"When we found you, we didn't think you'd make it past the night… But here you are! Lucky you, huh?" They try to lighten the mood as they wipe Adam's forehead and leave an all too familiar alcoholic sting in their path.
"How… bad is… it?" Adam's chest heaves, and he focuses on shutting his eyes tightly as the stinging transitions into burning.
Another pause, this time initiated by his apparent savior.
"From what I was able to determine, you've sustained numerous burns. Your engine might have exploded—don't quote me on that—and it seemed your vehicle was blown to bits by one of those ships. Most of the burns are minor, don't know how you managed that, but there's some severe burns on the left side of your face. Your eye had shards of the glass and other debris caught in it. I was able to remove it all, but we'll need to be careful about infections. When we found you, your arm was pinned down by a piece of metal. With some help, we were able to get you out, but I can only do so much. It'll heal, but it's gonna take a while, and you won't be able to use it for a long time."
Adam can't help but lose focus and drift.
—
"... and your muscles have started deteriorating at a faster rate than we previously predicted. You mentioned your legs give out sometime—"
Takashi cuts the doctor off. "I didn't mention that."
He looks at Adam, who is sitting in the guest chair in the doctor's office. Adam feels those accusatory eyes but doesn't let it bother him. At least, not now.
When they get to the car, Adam takes the driver's seat. Takashi doesn't argue. Adam thinks the drive is going well, but he can feel the tension. The way Takashi's lips are tightly formed into a straight line, the way he's staring straight ahead, and how his fists are clenched so tight his knuckles are white all support his theory. Finally, Adam gives in.
"Takashi, they need to know all your symptoms. If you leave anything out, finding a cure will—"
Takashi cuts him off. "Damn it, Adam! There is no cure!" His voice cracks as he emphasizes the last part. Adam's heart jumped, but he swallows it down.
—
Buddy, as Adam has deemed the person until he is given a name, sighs. "Should I keep going?"
Adam lets out a half chuckle, eyes glazed over as he mulls through his regrets. "Be my guest…"
"Your ribs are in pretty bad shape. I was afraid you had broken them… wouldn't have been able to help much if your lungs were collapsed, but thankfully, you're gonna get off with some bruises. I'm assuming from being in that fire, you inhaled a large amount of smoke and other debris. You've been coughing like a madman. Your leg is also broken. That was the worst of it all, I would say. I don't have much equipment, so we had to do the best we could with a splint. You're gonna be on crutches for a while, but I can't promise you're bones are going to heal in place either. That's about it." He ends with a bittersweet chuckle.
That's about it.
Adam is silent, taking in the magnitude of the injuries he sustained. Why did he have to be the on- wait…
"Were there others?" he asks, trying to even his breathing. It would be nice to have at least one thing in his life he can control, but it seems his lungs are far from cooperation.
"No… we found some others but were too late."
Adam says nothing.
Buddy speaks again, and Adam is unsure if they are just trying to fill the tense silence. "My name is Preston, what about you?" they introduce themselves finally.
Adam does not respond.
"Is he okay?" the younger voice from earlier asks.
Unsure, Preston sighs,"He will be…"
He stands up and cracks his neck before picking up the child in his arms. From what Adam can tell, the child has dark hair and dark skin, just like Preston.
"Oh…" The child sadly looks at Adam.
"Don't worry, sweetheart, he's dealing with a lot. Let's go see if Yven needs help."
And with that, the two leave.
He's alive. He doesn't know where he is. He is currently immobile. He cannot see. He admits he's been in brighter situations. Moments pass, and his mind wanders once again.
—
"How are you feeling, love?" Adam gently whispers into Takashi's hair. They've been sitting in the car and holding each other for several minutes. After Takashi's outburst, he broke down, which brings them to their current position. Adam wonders if Takashi is finally understanding just how his body is going to break down.
Of course, he had an idea that he would eventually be bedridden, but the time finally catching up with him must have scare the living hell out of him. Adam feels his heart in his throat but holds off. He can't make this about himself.
"I don't want to die," his lover hoarsely whispers into his chest.
What is Adam supposed to say to that? You're not going to die?
Instead, he rocks Takashi gently, rubbing small circles into his back in hopes of calming him down.
"I'm sorry, Adam…" Takashi continues. His arms tense up and quickly loosen for a fraction of a second.
What is he supposed to say to that?
He loses a part of himself that day—The part of him that believes in hope, the part of him that believes that everything will work out.
—
Adam wakes with a start when he hears someone push aside the curtains. Preston brings Adam some water and food.
"I know it's gonna hurt, but you need to eat. It'll help with the healing," he presses, setting the items down and helping Adam up. Eating is the last thing on Adam's mind.
The water burns, and he has to take a moment to cough up his internal organs before he can continue.
Days pass before Adam is fully conscious and aware of his surroundings. He has deduced that there are at least five people in the hideout—two of which are children. He learns that the little girl, Solia, is Preston's niece. Her parents were killed in the first attack of the Galra. Preston is a physician who works in the city over. He and his niece were returning from a field trip to the Garrison when the Galra attacked. He has been trying to reach the Garrison ever since, as the facility now has a working particle barrier and is the only fully safeguarded perimeter that they know of. There is a little boy who runs around with Solia, but Adam hasn't had the energy to speak to either of them. He has noticed the other two figures pass by occasionally, but they tend to leave him be.
"Okay, buddy, think you're up for trying to walk today?" Preston asks him, voice bright as ever for someone who is a healer in a war-ridden wasteland. Adam can't help but feel comfort. The warmth in Preston's presence suits his healing profession well.
Adam glances at him.
The doctor moves closer to him. After recognizing that Adam is nearsighted, he made an effort to stand closer so that Adam might find comfort in actually being able to see his healer. Adam doesn't want to admit it, but Preston's efforts have helped the dark cloud in his head disperse just a little bit.
Preston has dark curly hair that he holds up in a bun. He claims he keeps it long so his niece has something to play with. He has dimples and a large, toothy smile. He is shorter than Adam.
Adam grits his teeth. The dream leaves a bitter taste in the back of his throat, and he doesn't want to be bothered. What is the point of trying to walk? He won't be any help in the fight anymore. He is just dead weight. He tells Preston to leave him alone, to leave him. There is no point in wasting resources on someone who will be unable to help in the long run.
There's no point in wasting time on someone who gave up on his loved ones so easily.
"Do you really believe that?" Preston asks, setting aside the makeshift crutch and sitting beside Adam.
"… Just leave me," Adam weakly insists.
"No. I'm not giving up on you. Do you really expect me to believe that you believe that? Wouldn't you help someone regardless if they were productive to the cause? Who are we if we don't take care of each other?" Preston's voice raises gradually, but he controls it so as not to alert anyone else.
Now on the defensive, Adam spits. "I. Don't. Need. Your. Pity."
Each word is spit out in agonizing pain. Every syllable cuts deep in Adam's chest. He wants to scream or punch one of those sturdy punching bags at the Garrison until his knuckles bleed. For a split second, he wonders if this is how Takashi would feel when Adam tried to talk to him about his illness. Takashi was much more headstrong than Adam, but he had to have felt pitied by anyone who found out about his illness.
"I'm not pitying you. You're not meant for this. You're stronger," Preston persists, leaning forward. Adam wishes he didn't see the desperation in Preston's eyes.
Stronger? What does he know?
Adam chuckles dryly. All he's ever been is strong for others. Strong for his students. Strong for his family. Strong for the Garrison. Strong for… Takashi.
And there he is again. Why does he have to pop into his head now of all times? The act is getting old and overdone. He doesn't miss him, he screams at himself. He doesn't care about him. He's a bad memory that needs to be erased, so why won't his brain stop? Why, in the depths of his consciousness, does he have to show up? Adam breathes in shakily and glares as best can at Preston. It's not fair for him to be lashing out at the doctor. Curse being overly empathetic and concerned with how others feel before acknowledging how he himself feels.
"Okay... " Adam sighs after a moment's thought and winces.
Preston looks relieved and gets up to grab the crutch. He helps Adam sit up; the sheets suddenly feel heavier than they did when he was lying down.
"Urgh…" Adam groans as Preston helps him up. He leans heavily onto the other man's side.
"Don't worry, buddy, I got you," Preston encourages shakily, obviously not used to the excess weight. He places the crutch under Adam's right arm and slowly eases his grip. Adam rests his body weight on the crutch and slowly inches forward, unused to the handicap. Preston's arms hover slightly over Adam in case he collapses.
His jaw locks tightly, and he bears the pain and proceeds towards the curtains that separate him from the rest of the space. They are a light beige color. Stained. Upon closer inspection he can make out small rips on the edges, indicating that they had been one large piece in the past.
He breathes through his teeth and stops.
Preston grins at him, ready to break out into laughter. "You did it! This is step one! Or… well, I wasn't counting how many steps you took, but we're on the way to you kicking ass!"
Adam rolls his eyes. "You're more excited about this… than I am."
Preston is speechless for a moment.
"Huh, you're funnier than you look."
Over the next few weeks, Adam learns how to maneuver through the hideout.
He meets a sweet old couple, Magnolia and Yven. Both women were caught in the aftermath of the attacks and had found Preston and his niece in the desert. There was a little boy, Wes, who Preston had found unconscious and alone in the rubble of what they have now deemed their hideout. He doesn't talk much to the adults, but he's a lively boy. Solia and Wes like to hover around Adam and ask him questions.
"How many languages do you speak?" Solia inquires.
"Three."
"Do you have pets?" Wes shyly follows up.
"I don't."
"Do you have any siblings?" Solia continues.
"Two sisters."
He's exhausted. He doesn't like being badgered with the questions, but it gives him something to focus on. Every night when he closes his eyes, all he sees is fire, a beaming light, then a flash of the dark purple craft that shot his companions down one by one. Sometimes he sees that flash of dark hair and dark eyes of Takashi, but... Adam can't accurately recall what even he looks like.
The pain in his chest has subsided into an annoying ache. He's thankful he can breathe.
He spends hours with the kids, who don't seem to run out of questions. The curtains fly open, revealing an exhausted Preston.
"Uncle! You're back!" Solia exclaims excitedly. He hugs her and sighs.
"Just went to go find some supplies."
Adam tilts his head when he notices the bag Preston is carrying.
"Alright, kids, go to grandma. Adam needs time to rest." He smiles, running a hand through Wes' long blond locks. Both children look as if they want to argue, but Preston nudges them out. When he returns, he smiles. "Sorry about them, they're just excited. Solia has a small crush on you."
"She has low standards…" Adam notes and grins when Preston laughs.
"You know, if Yven finds out you call her grandma, she'll throw a fit," Adam warns his companion. Preston grins.
"I apologize for not being able to help gather supplies," Adam continues. It feels awful to be immobilized. Part of him wonders if this helplessness is how Takashi felt when…
No use thinking of him right now.
"No worries, I actually enjoy it. It's calming, once you get over the fact that you might be shot down," Preston jokes. Adam dryly chuckles. It's good to have someone with the same sense of humor around.
"But look, while I was out, I found these!" Preston excitedly opens the small pocket of his bag to reveal several pairs of glasses. He holds a pair out to Adam.
"I don't know how helpful they'll be. I found them lying… around…" They sit in silence as the statement settles.
Adam sharply inhales, and take the pair offered to him. "Well, no one else is using them. One of these might actually be decent. Let's see."
They try on several pairs and finally, Adam rests a pair on his face and smirks. They're rectangular with a thin black frame. They slip from the bridge of his nose ever so slightly, but with a little tinkering, they would rest fine. They are not as small as the frames he previously owned, but who was he to question this nice turn of events?
"These are… these work." He feels a smile play on his lips.
Preston looks in shock."Seriously?! You can see with those?"
Adam's smirk grows into a smile, and he can't help when he breaks into a grin and tears prick his eyes. Something is finally going right.
"Yeah," he breathes.
"That-That's so great! I'm so glad! Oh, god... " Preston gives a teary laugh. Adam stares at him, bewildered.
"Adam! You wear glasses?!" Solia asks as they enter the living area. Magnolia and Yven look up from the book they are reading to the kids. Wes looks at him curiously as well.
For the first time in weeks, Adam finds himself. "What? You don't like them?"