Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It had been months since you’d first been admitted to the hospital, your room feeling like a second home by now. At first, you almost always had someone visiting you. Some far off relative coming to ask if you were alright, a friend or two from your high school days stopping by. But, gradually, you stopped receiving gifts. The flowers by your bedside began to wilt. The concerned faces stopped showing up. You didn’t know when the last time someone other than the medical staff had visited you. You’d stopped keeping count after a few weeks of radio silence from the ones you knew. You were alone, truly, alone.

Well, not really. You had a certain doctor keeping you company.

Doctor Faust was an odd one. He stood out like a sore thumb, his height causing him to tower over just about everyone, the bag over his head giving him a rather eerie quality. Yet, somehow, he was one of the kindest people you had ever met. He seemed to be truly passionate about his job, always treating you with the utmost gentleness and care. Rationally, you knew he was just being professional, that he probably treated all of his patients the same way, but you couldn’t help but get attached. What were you supposed to do when a giant of a man practically fussed over you everyday? It was inevitable, really.

‘’There you are!’’ Faust's voice rang through the room, the good doctor stepping through the doorway. He always acted like he was surprised to find you in your room, as if you weren’t practically bedbound. You couldn’t help the way you perked up as soon as you heard him, sitting up a bit straighter in your bed.

‘’How's my patient doing, hm? Wonderful, I hope,’’ Faust continued before you could greet him, making his way to your bedside in only a few strides. His hands found your wrist, feeling for your pulse. He never wasted any time in getting to work.

As usual, you tensed up at his touch, trying so hard to be normal about it. ‘’I’m doing okay, i think- a bit bored, if anything…’’ You managed to respond, keeping your voice steady for the most part. Your eyes fell to the side, struggling to make eye contact.

A rather exaggerated disappointed sigh escaped Faust as he shook his head. ‘’You always say that, you know. You could switch it up, live a little!’’ He teased, his hands moving from your wrist to just below your jawline, feeling for abnormalities in your lymph nodes. Your breath hitched at the action, something Faust took note of.

‘’Easier said than done,’’ You said with a dry chuckle. It was hard to enjoy living when all of your days were spent in a room with white walls. ‘’Can’t exactly live it up when I’m stuck in a hospital room,’’ You added, tone slightly bitter.

Faust’s eyebrows knit together at your words, the expression somehow being clear even through the paper bag. ‘’Such a downer… as always…’’ He let out another sigh. His hand moved to tuck your hair behind your ear before drawing it back, now holding a little orange flower. Where did it come from? You had no idea. The man just had the ability to materialize things from thin air. Either way, the action made your heart flutter a little ‘’Cheer up, won’t you? You still have life left to live.’’ The good doctor continued, leaning down, offering the flower to you.

You willed yourself to be normal about this, pushing your feelings to the side. ‘’... Thank you, doctor,’’ You replied, reaching out to pluck the flower from his hand. You inspected it, noticing it had a silly little face in the middle of it. Odd, you thought. Odd, but cute. It brought a small smile to your face.

Seeing your smile, Faust found one of his own tugging at his lips. He loved making his patients smile. He straightened back up, folding his hands behind his back. There were a few moments of silence before Faust spoke up again. ‘’You know… I think it would do you good to get out of this room once in a while!’’ He exclaimed, pointing a finger up as if he had just made a grand discovery.

You raised your eyebrow, wondering just what Faust was getting at. You agreed, of course, but it wasn’t like you could go anywhere by yourself. You couldn’t walk for very long on a good day, and were prone to fainting. A recipe for disaster, really. ‘’Yeah, but I can't really go out. You know that-’’

‘’I could chaperone you,’’ Faust interrupted, his smile clear in his voice. He seemed to think it was a great idea.

The doctor's suggestion made you pause for a moment. That… didn’t sound too bad, actually. You would get to go out and spend more time with Faust. You were silent for a bit, choosing your words carefully. ‘’...Aren’t you busy, though?’’ You ended up asking, giving Faust a chance to back out, even though you hoped he wouldn’t.

‘’I’ll make time!’’ He was quick to announce, seeming set on getting you out of your room. His lack of hesitation made you feel a little warm. ‘’I can fetch a wheelchair for you, so you could just sit back, relax, and not worry about walking!’’ He added, looking happy with himself for the idea.

‘’...I… I suppose-’’ Before you could respond properly, Faust interrupted you again. ‘’Wonderful! I’ll be back in a jiffy, dear patient!’’ And with that, Faust walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

You sat there in silence, thinking about what you had just agreed to. You would be going out with the doctor. Your mind likened it to a date. Suddenly, you felt oddly nervous.

Chapter Text

After about 10 minutes or so, you and Faust were ready to go! You had changed into some nicer clothes you had in your luggage, which was totally not an attempt to impress Faust. Totally not. He had helped you into your wheelchair, making sure you were properly seated and comfortable before letting go of you.

‘’Onward!’’ The good doctor exclaimed, pointing ahead while pushing you out of the room. He hummed a tune to himself as the two of you made your way down the halls of the hospital. Occasionally you passed by a patient or other staff members, who often cast you curious looks. It wasn’t surprising, considering that Faust had to hunch down considerably in order to reach the handles of your wheelchair. It was probably an interesting sight.

It didn’t take you two long to reach the front doors, the fresh outside air hitting your face. You took a deep breath. It had been a while since you had last been outside. ‘’So where would you like to go? The mall? That new bakery downtown?’’ Faust soon inquired, stopping in order to lean over to look at you

You thought about it for a moment, letting out a hum. ‘’I think… I’d like to go to a café,’’ you eventually replied. ‘’You know, the small one downtown?’’ You tried to specify, looking up at Faust.

The doctor let out a hum of his own, raising a hand to his chin under the bag. ‘’Ah, the family owned one? That’s quite a ways away…’’ He said, sounding like he was thinking aloud. There was a small pause before Faust spoke up again, sounding just a little too cheerful. ‘’But that I can do! Hold on tight!’’

You were about to question what he meant by that, but your words were cut off by a doorway appearing seemingly out of nowhere. You were speechless, only being startled out of your stupor when Faust opened the door, revealing something that looked akin to a portal. ‘’Wait, wait, wait-’’ You managed to sputter when the good doctor began to push you towards it, being understandably a little freaked out.

You closed your eyes as Faust pushed you through the door, and once you opened them again you found yourself on the sidewalk across from your favorite café. Your mouth hung slightly open, now being a little freaked out and confused. Faust reached down, placing his hand on your chin to close your mouth for you. ‘’A neat little trick, isn't it?’’ He spoke, seeming a little amused by how baffled you seemed.

‘’...What? What was that?’’ You eventually croaked out, looking back up at Faust again in search of an explanation.

‘’Oh, you know, just a little space-time warping, nothing special,’’ He replied, waving his hand. ‘’Do not worry, it’s completely safe!’’ He then added, understanding it might be frightening for a first-time portal user.

You stayed quiet, your brain still not quite catching up to what just happened. You were used to magic, of course, but teleportation was a new one. Eventually, you looked back ahead, simply nodding and managing to say a small; ‘’okay.’’

Satisfied with your answer, Faust smiled with his eye, beginning to walk over to the café. As soon as you walked through the doors, you got hit with a wave of nostalgia. The scent of fresh coffee and pastries that wafted through the air was familiar, bringing a small smile to your face. It had been too long since you’d last been here.

The good doctor took you to the counter to order. You ordered something you always loved as a child, and Faust ordered a strawberry milkshake. Once you finished ordering, you two went to take a seat while you waited. Faust pushed your wheelchair up to a table, once again making sure you were comfortable before taking a seat across from you. He made the chair he sat in look tiny with how he had to fold his legs.

He rested his elbows on the table and his chin on his intertwined hands, looking at you intently. The staring kind of made you nervous. ‘’So,’’ he began after an awkwardly long silence, trailing off and tilting his head to the side. ‘’What made you want to come here specifically, hm?’’ He inquired, just to make conversation.

you weren’t exactly expecting to be questioned so you took a few moments to respond. ‘’Oh,I used to come here often when I was younger,’’ you explained, gesturing slightly with your hands as you did so. ‘’I guess I just wanted to come by to see if things had changed since then.’’

‘’oh? is that so?’’ Faust seemed quite interested, as usual. The tamest of stories always had him on the edge of his seat. Perhaps that's why he got along with anyone who gave him a chance. ‘’Ah, nostalgia. Such a wonderful thing,’’ he mused with an exaggeratedly dramatic sigh.

There was another awkwardly long pause before Faust spoke again, this time asking about your hobbies. That question got the ball rolling as you told the doctor about what you used to do before your time in the hospital, the things you had a passion for. You reminisced about the good times, back when you had more autonomy than you do now.

As you two talked, your orders were delivered. You couldn’t help the way your face lit up at the sight of the treat you had gotten, not having had it for a while. Faust noticed how excited you seemed, and found it to be rather contagious.

The conversation continued as you both indulged in your own respective ingestibles, hopping from one topic to another. You found yourself sharing stories, general thoughts, and just about anything else that came to mind. It was quite easy to lose track of time when talking to the doctor, it seemed.

It was only a few hours later that either of you thought to check the time, noticing how much time had already passed. It was getting rather late, so you both agreed it was probably time to go back to the hospital.

This time when Faust summoned a door you weren’t as bothered as you were earlier. It still felt a little weird, but it sure was convenient. As Faust pushed you through the hospitals halls, he looked down at you. ‘’..So? Did you have fun?’’ He inquired, keeping his voice to a whisper so as to not be overheard by the people occasionally passing by.

‘’Yeah,’’ you answered almost immediately, a little too eager. You cleared your throat, attempting to calm yourself down a little. ‘’...yeah, I had fun,’’ you repeated, a little more composed this time.

Faust smiled underneath the bag, noticing your slip up. He couldn’t help but be a bit endeared by it. ‘’That’s great to hear,’’ he simply replied, the upturn of his lips being clear in his voice.

Silence fell between the two of you as Faust took you to your room, but this time it was a comfortable silence. Once you two reached your room, Faust helped you back into bed, his hand lingering on yours just a moment longer than necessary. ‘’Is there anything you need?’’ He inquired, wanting to make sure you were all set before he left.

You found yourself wanting to ask him to stay a bit longer, but you knew he was a busy man, so you held yourself back. ‘’No, I’m fine,’’ you respond with a shake of your head. ‘’But… Thank you, doctor,’’ you then added, looking up at him warmly.

The heartfelt thank you caught Faust somewhat off guard, but it warmed his heart nonetheless. He just wished you would stop looking at him like that and making it difficult to stay professional. ‘’Of course, anything for you,’’ he replied before he could stop himself.

A small pause.

Faust cleared his throat, attempting to recover from his own slip up. ‘’Ahem, goodnight, dear patient,’’ he then said, beginning to make his way out of your room.

You were a little startled by how suddenly he began to leave, but you managed to respond before he left. ‘’Goodnight!’’ you called after him, right before he closed the door behind himself. You were left alone with your thoughts, your face starting to feel a little warm. Faust had seemed so honest when he had said that. Maybe you had a chance after all?

You stared at the closed door for a while, just thinking about your little outing with Faust and what he had said. Your heart was still beating a little faster than it should. God, you were gone for this doctor.