A soft hand brushed the hair back from his face. A constant, steady beeping irritated Will, though it was inescapable. A tired sigh drifted above him, followed by a door opening.
"Any changes?" a familiar voice asked. The word "mom" surfaced in Will's memory. When was the last time he'd seen his mom?
"Nothing." another familiar voice replied. "It's been days, and the doctors aren't even sure he'll wake up."
"If I know my son. He will." Will's mom shifted towards the bed, and Will felt her lips against his temple. Her perfume was the same as it had been since he was a child. It reminded him of home. Though at the moment, the way it mingled with the sterile hospital smell, Will's stomach churned. "Have you had anything to eat yet, Ben?"
"Some coffee. I don't want to leave in case he wakes up."
There was some shuffling, and Will fought his eyes which remained stubbornly shut.
"Go eat. I'll text you if anything changes."
The chair groaned as Ben stood, but at that moment, Will found he could move his hand. He squeezed Ben's hand, and the silence was shocking.
Then Ben leaned in close, his voice warm and hopeful. "Will? Babe, are you awake?"
Will's eyes finally unglued themselves. Slowly, he pried them open, and through bleary vision, he saw Ben. It wasn't a dream either. Ben was there, clutching his hand so tight Will's fingers tingled. When their eyes met, Ben broke. Tears trailed down his cheeks, and he was on the verge of laughing hysterically. On the other side of the bed, Will's mom stood, one hand on her chest, her eyes misty.
He was in a hospital bed. In his world. Outside, the sun was bright and unencumbered by clouds. The breeze kicked up dried leaves. Fall had arrived, the trees shedding their summer attire for the drab colours of winter.
He'd had the strangest dream, involving the end of the world. But the world was still spinning.
"Oh, God, Will," Ben grinned, kissing Will gently. "W-we need the doctor."
"I'll find her," Will's mom said. She pressed a hand to her son's cheek before gliding out of the room.
Will stared at Ben the whole time, drinking in every minute detail, right down to the splotchy freckle on the tip of his nose. His beard had grown out, neglected after days of sitting by Will's bedside. Raccoon bags ringed his bloodshot eyes, but he was Will's Ben.
"Am I dreaming?" Wil had to be. Luck had avoided him at every turn. "Please tell me you're not Loki."
Ben's eyebrows knitted with a mix of concern and amusement. "Loki? Like the Marvel villain? The doctor said you might have a concussion, but I'm positive I'm not Loki.
Stinging nettles pricked the corners of Will's eyes. Now he was convinced everything had been a dream. A vivid, traumatic dream, but seeing his boyfriend leaning over the hospital bed, Will knew it wasn't the work of the trickster.
"Ben?" he rasped. He cleared his throat with a wince.
"Oh, water, you need water." Ben scoured the room. "Where's the pitcher? Ah—there it is." Ben made to leave the bed, but Will couldn't let him go. He stared at the man he loved, who frowned back. Then a sob bubbled out as Will cracked.
"What is it? Are you in pain?" Ben came back to the side of the bed.
"I'm sorry," Will cried, "I'm so sorry for everything."
Ben cupped Will's cheeks with a tender touch. "Hey, shh, it's okay—"
"No, no, it's not." Will reached for his boyfriend, the man he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. He couldn't see through the blur of tears. "Y-you're not a coward, Ben. I should never have said what I said, and then I didn't know if I'd ever get to say that to you. I love you, Benjamin Sawyer, whether we're married or not. I love you and will never force you into anything you're not ready for."
The words spilled out of Will until he flopped back, panting and exhausted. Ben blinked rapidly. His face flushed—a sure sign he was uncomfortable.
And then he was kissing Will. Kissing him so tenderly, so lovingly, that Will started crying all over again. He hooked his good arm around Ben's neck, fingers scrunching the collar of his shirt.
"You aren't the only one who had time to think," Ben whispered when they reluctantly parted. "I thought I'd lost you. I am never going to let that happen again. I love you, Will."
Will buried his face in the crook of Ben's shoulder and let out a shaky breath. "I love you too. And I'm so glad you're not a dream." Ben laughed, and the sound warmed Will more than any fire could. "No, seriously, I did have a strange one, though. It was... well, an adventure."
They were still sitting like that when Will's mom and the doctor returned. With great effort, Will let his boyfriend go and listened as the doctor listed every injury he'd sustained. Multiple breaks in his arm, a concussion, and an infected wound on his side. He was scheduled for several surgeries to fix his arm, and as the doctor collected her clipboard and his file, she eyed him curiously.
"Who patched up your wound?" she asked.
Will tilted his head, confused. "My wound?"
"The one on your side. The stitching was crude, but that's probably what saved you." The doctor pursed her lips, choosing her following words carefully. "The thread and the needlework...if I didn't know any better, I'd say it's a traditional method. Ancient even. We use things like nylon or silk, though not the kind you came in with."
"Oh... um..." Will shrugged. "Everything's kind of hazy, sorry."
"Well, whoever it was, you should be very thankful they knew what they were doing," the doctor smiled.
She left, and Will settled in bed, clutching Ben's hand with his good one. His eyes were just starting to close when Ben's voice forced them open.
"What happened?" Ben asked.
"What do you mean?" Will struggled with the heaviness of his eyes. All he wanted to do was sleep.
"To you and your class during the earthquake?"
Will's eyes snapped open, and he pushed himself up. He would have staggered out of bed if Ben didn't wrestle him down. "The kids! Ben, where are they? Are they hurt? Are they...?" Will swallowed, unable to finish that question, though his imagination went into overdrive.
"Will, it's okay. They're fine. They're with their families. They're the ones who alerted the authorities to your location." Once Ben was sure Will wouldn't fall out of bed, he sat back and clasped his hands together. "There were so many earthquakes around the world. It was eerie, and people were claiming the apocalypse was coming. God, the protests from the preppers... I'm still haunted to this day. The earthquake here—well, Rainbow Elementary was at the epicentre."
Will's stomach dropped. "What?"
"They managed to evacuate the school before it collapsed," Ben assured him. "Everyone was worried about the string of earthquakes, so classes were cancelled. But they couldn't find your class. After the earthquake had passed, they resumed their search and tried digging through the wreckage. There were no signs of you anywhere. They had to call off the search when the storm hit. It was brutal. Days of just pounding thunder and lightning. At times it did feel like the end of the world. Then, a few days ago, this rainbow appeared, and the storm stopped as it had never happened." Ben breathed in sharply, his eyes round and watery. "I thought for sure I lost you. How did you survive?"
"I..." Will studied his hands. His knuckles were bruised, and he recalled attacking Loki. If it had been a dream, how did those bruises get there? And the freak storms? "I was in the woods with the kids, and then... I don't know." He hoped Ben wouldn't pry. "I must have hit my head or something."
"And your wound? Do you remember who did that?" Ben sighed and leaned in close. "It's okay, you can tell me. I'll believe you."
Will's laugh was disbelieving and winded. "No, I don't think you will. I'm just happy I'm here, and you're okay too."
The look on Ben's face meant the conversation wasn't over, but Will was spared an interrogation for the door swung open, and his mother strode in.
"Oh, my baby boy," she grinned, kissing his cheek. "You had us all so worried. Are you up for some visitors? They've been waiting patiently for you to wake up. I don't think we can stop them even if we tried."
"Uh, sure," Will said, glancing at his boyfriend. Ben reclined in his seat, a knowing, teasing grin on his lips.
"Excellent. They're just outside." His mom moved to the door and threw it open. "You can come in now, sweethearts."
Twenty little five-year-olds filed into the room. They carried bundles of flowers, cards, balloons and other gifts. They had all been cleaned up and put into fresh clothing. There wasn't a single scratch on them. Amused, Ben ducked out of the way, letting the children crowd Will's bed.
"Mr. P, you're awake!" Alexandre grinned, thrusting a stuffed bear at Will. "Here. Mommy said we needed to get gifts for you. If you don't like it, can I have it?"
"Alexandre," his mother scolded from the door.
Will took the bear with a laugh and ruffled Alexandre's hair. "Thanks, bud."
His reaction was an invitation for the children. They threw their gifts onto the bed, talking over one another about what they got for him. Their excitement was palpable, and Will felt a knot in his chest loosen. With all they'd been through, he knew that the children would be alright.
Charlie's hair had been rebraided, the rows carefully lining her head, the beads clacking as she bounded towards his bed. She set a stuffed horse next to Will's shoulder.
"To remind you of Loki," she said matter-of-factly. "It doesn't look exactly like him, though... I couldn't find one, and Dad said I had to hurry."
The brown material of the horse was silky soft. Its marble eyes were green; even if they had no spark of life, they had been crafted with a penchant for mischief.
Will glanced at the huddle of parents in the doorway and then at his kids. He hunched over, his voice low so only the children could hear.
"All of it was real?" he whispered.
Charlie's eyes went round and flashed him a secretive smile reminiscent of Loki.
"It was all real, Mr. P," she nodded. "Loki saved us and the world."
"It was way better than the Lord of the Rings," Alexandre added.
Breathing deeply, Will held up the stuffed horse and smiled. "How about we keep this in the classroom, so Loki will always watch over us?"
As the kids sounded their agreement, they launched into their story, babbling about everything that happened. Smiling, Will let them continue until their parents declared it was time to let him rest. He watched them leave, exhaustion tugging on his bones when movement in the window caught his attention.
A large raven was perched on the other side of the glass, watching them with mischievous serpent-green eyes and oily black feathers. Will could have sworn it was staring at him with an infuriating smirk.
the end