Archive of Our Own ^beta

When Mike woke up, he felt dizzy and his whole body ached. Out of instinct, he tried to sit up, only to discover that he was too weak to even manage that. At least, his pain was muffled now. He sure wasn’t going to complain about that. Oh, and he felt warm, too. That was strange. He had not been warm once since setting foot on that monster-infected island.

Oh no.

The Island.

His fuzzy mind provided him with fragmented memories of what had last happened to him. He remembered searching for Charlie through a forest and then… nothing.

Panic flooded his mind. He needed to move. If a bloodthirsty creature found him in his current state, it would be over for him. He tried to stand up, but to no avail. His breathing quickened when his body refused to obey him once more. It couldn’t end like this, he couldn’t give up, not before finding…

“Hey, calm down, it’s okay. We’re safe now.”

Charlie?

Mike would have recognized his friend’s voice anywhere. He also could read him well enough to know he was telling the truth, and so he let himself fall back into the covers.

Wait, covers?

He blinked a few times as he took in his surroundings. It looked like a hospital room, which had to mean…

“We… We really made it? We’re not on the island anymore?”

“Yeah. We do not have to worry about monsters hunting us anymore, so just focus on resting, okay? You sure need it.”

Charlie’s voice sounded softer than what Mike was used to. Almost fond. No, that couldn’t be true. Either it was wishful thinking on his part, or the painkillers he’d surely been injected with were messing with his head.

Anyway, he should not focus on that. They were alive, and back on the continent. That was already a miracle in and of itself, better not be greedy.

“I can not believe your stupid plan work.” He chuckled weakly.

“Hey, my stupid plan saved us all, so show some respect!” Charlie replied lightheartedly.

Mike smiled. Going back to their friendly banter felt nice and comforting. However, nothing felt better than the hand that was gently stroking his hair and caressing his cheek. He pressed back into the touch and let out a content sigh before reality caught up with him.

Was he hallucinating? Or was Charlie really doing… that? Did he not realize the implications behind such a gesture? Did he not see that it would only make Mike yearn for something he could not have?

“Why are you here?” He asked instead. “Wouldn’t you rather be… with Annie?”

There. That should be enough for the illusion to shatter, for his hopes to be crushed before they could really take root. That way, it would hurt less than if Mike allowed them to grow despite knowing he didn’t stand a chance from the very start.

“Trust me, I’m exactly where I want to be. Annie is more than capable to look after herself, she’ll be fine without me. Right now, it’s with you I want to stay.”

As he talked, his friend kept running his finger through his hair and showed no intention of stopping. It was more than Mike could take.

“Charlie,” He sighed. “Do you have any idea how that sounds to me?”

“Well, I sure hope it sounds romantic, because that’s what I was aiming for.”

For Mike, it was as if everything in the room had gone still. He probably misheard. Charlie couldn’t have possibly said something like that. Not to him.

However, he was immediately proven wrong when Charlie tenderly pressed their foreheads together.

“I thought I was going to lose you.” He continued. “It made me realize, you know, stuff. About what I feel for you.”

Although Charlie was blushing and struggling with his words, Mike could tell he was being genuine. He really wanted to be with him.

So good things could happen to Mike, after all.

“You’re absolutely terrible at confessing.” He lightly teased Charlie.

“Yeah, like you’re any better.”

“Well, I would hug you, but my arms aren’t really responding at the moment.”

It wasn’t a lie. Mike could barely move an inch, and he felt more and more exhausted by the minute. At this rate, he would end up falling back asleep soon.

“What a shame. Looks like I’ll have to do all the work myself.”

Charlie carefully wrapped his arms around Mike and held him close. A comforting warmth invaded the injured teenager’s senses. While everything that had happened on Skull Island had been horribly wrong, this felt just right.

Soothed by this certitude, Mike stopped fighting against his tiredness and let his eyes close, feeling safe and protected in Charlie’s embrace.