Chapter Text
Anxiety coursed through Aaron’s veins as he tried to focus on the road. The hospital was over an hour drive away and all he wanted, no needed , was to be with Kevin.
He hadn’t heard from his husband since their morning call but he had assumed Kevin was just busy with housework or studying videos from his practices with the team. It wasn’t until Aaron had gotten home after a twelve hour shift that he began to feel uneasy.
When he got home the house was empty and it looked uninhabited, no sign of Kevin’s shoes strewn in the entryway or a dirty coffee mug in the sink. His gym bag was gone and so was his car. After countless calls went to voicemail Aaron began to worry. It was unlike Kevin to not answer his phone and even more unlike Kevin to not reach out to him at all in the span of a day.
The blonde called his brother and a few of Kevin’s teammates, all saying they hadn’t heard anything from him all day. Eventually he settled on pacing the living-room, phone clutched in his hand, ready to answer at the first ring.
It should’ve been relieving when Kevin’s name popped up on the screen but the pit in Aaron’s stomach only got deeper and it all made sense when he finally got to speak to his husband again.
His mind wandered to earlier in the morning on his way to work, he saw an ambulance pulled over onto the shoulder of the road attending to a single vehicle accident. He couldn’t see how many people were in the Jeep but he remembers the tightness he felt in his chest as he feared it was Kevin who had been in the wreck. He had told himself not to be silly, that there were tons of people with blue Jeeps and he was just being paranoid. The realization that it had probably been Kevin made his stomach churn enough that he thought he would have to pull over to be sick.
Aaron still wasn’t sure what extent his husband had been injured but he knew it was necessary to update the people in their lives. Carefully pulling his phone out of his pocket he dialled Andrew’s number and waited for the comfort of his brother’s voice.
“Kevin was in an accident.”
There was silence on the line for a minute and then Aaron could hear shuffling and a small voice asking what was wrong.
“Is he okay? Are you okay?” Andrew’s voice was uncharacteristically soft and it caused a lump to form in Aaron’s throat.
“He called me so he’s stable enough to have a phone. I’m on my way to the hospital now, I’ll find out when I get there what we’re dealing with. I just wanted to keep you updated.”
Andrew grunted and he heard a sigh of relief, likely Neil listening in on their conversation. Aaron was too worried to care.
“Have you called anyone else? You probably shouldn’t be on your phone and driving when you’re upset. I’ll call Wymack and let him know. You’ll have to give him an update when you know what exactly is going on.”
Tears brimmed in Aaron’s eyes at his brother's kindness. Their relationship had greatly improved in the last 10 years but he was still moved whenever Andrew outwardly showed him this level of care.
“Thanks Drew,” relief was clear in his voice. “I’ll keep you guys updated too.”
“Go be with him, we’ll be here whenever.” At that Andrew hung up, leaving Aaron in silence.
—
Once he got to the hospital Aaron broke out in a sprint across the vast parking lot and only stopped once he was inside and faced with an elevator. He clicked on the floor he hoped was correct and shook impatiently as he waited to reach his destination. The doors were barely open before he was running again, glancing around to find Kevin’s unit.
Making his way to the nurses station Aaron slowed to a jog and then fully stopped in front of a startled looking young woman. She had soft blonde hair and a face full of freckles much like his own.
“Kevin Day. I need to see Kevin.”
The nurse's eyes softened as she took Aaron in, her glance stopping at the silver ring on his left hand. Walking behind the station she pulled out a silver chain with a matching ring: Kevin’s wedding band.
“I think he’ll probably want this back. You’re his husband I’m assuming. Aaron, right? He’s been asking for you.”
Aaron’s face burned red at the nurses words. They didn’t tell people they were married but he didn’t have it in himself to argue with her. After all, they may not let him see Kevin if he lied and said they were just friends.
“Y-yeah I’m Aaron. Can I see him?”
“Of course, follow me. You’ll have to be careful, he sustained quite a few injuries and he’ll need a lot of time to heal. He’ll be in pain for a while.”
They walked down a winding hallway and stopped outside of Kevin’s room, the nurse giving Aaron one last look over. “He didn’t have an emergency contact, if you’re both fine with it I think it would be good if you were added to his file. It’s confidential if you’re worried about people finding out.” Aaron nodded slightly, his face burning at the realization that the nurse had read their relationship so easily.
Quickly opening the door Aaron braced himself for the sight he was about to see. Kevin laid in bed, his face covered in purple and black bruises. There was a bandage on his cheek and he was hooked up to oxygen.
“Kev, God Kevin.”
Kevin’s eyes lit up when he saw Aaron, relief pouring off of him in waves. Aaron was careful not to move too aggressively as he rushed over to Kevin’s bedside and grabbed his hand.
“Little Prince, I’m so sorry.”
“What are you sorry about? You’re alive. That’s all that I care about. I was so worried.”
Green eyes met hazel and Aaron could see that Kevin was crying. Gently bringing his thumb up he brushed the tears away from Kevin’s cheeks.
“They say I fell asleep. I kept telling you that you were being paranoid. I disregarded what you said and look where it got me.” Kevin’s voice was scratchy and slow.
“The only thing, and I truly mean the only thing, I care about right now is that you’re alive, Kev.”
Before Kevin could say anything Aaron spoke again. “What’s the diagnosis? I can’t tell from just looking at you but the nurse said it was bad. How bad are we talking?”
Kevin took in a shaky breath and looked away, unable to look his husband in the eyes as he talked about his injuries. “Besides the obvious bruising and cuts I had a pneumothorax. I broke three of my ribs and fractured my left foot. I have a concussion and had minor internal bleeding. I won’t be playing Exy for a while.”
Aaron’s eyes widened and he gently took Kevin’s chin between his fingers, moving his head so he was looking him in the eyes.
“If you could change things would you still have survived?” Aaron’s unsure where the question came from but he feared the worst. A life without Exy is a life Kevin couldn’t live.
“Aaron, are you serious? Of course I would have still survived. Even if I never played Exy again I would still want my life with you. I’m not losing everything if I lose Exy, I don’t lose everything unless I lose you.”
Kevin grabbed Aaron’s left hand, gently tugging on the silver ring on his finger. “When I gave you this I promised to love you forever, in sickness and in health. Till death. I didn’t take any of that lightly, Aaron. I meant that, every single word. I don’t know what my life would be like without Exy but I know damn well that it would still involve you and that’s all that matters to me.”
Tears pooled in the blonde’s eyes and he pulled his hand out of Kevin’s grasp to reach for the necklace he had put in his pocket. “Speaking of, the nurse gave me yours.” Carefully leaning against the bed Aaron put the necklace around Kevin’s neck, letting the silver band fall delicately against his chest.
“When I get out of here I'm going to start wearing it properly,” Kevin said softly.
A warmth spread through Aaron at those words. “You don’t have to. We all know how the world is, how hard it was for Andrew and Neil. I don’t want to make your life any harder just because you feel like you have to prove something to me.”
Kevin’s laughter filled the room, the sound a melody to Aaron’s ears. Forever thankful he still got to hear that laughter after everything that had happened that day.
“I don’t know how to prove this to you Aaron but I'm not doing it as some sort of self-sacrifice to prove my love to you. I’m doing it because I want to. When I woke up in the ambulance you were my first thought, when I woke up in this bed I reached for you immediately. Out of everything that happened today I was worried the most about you. I want people to know about my husband. I want people to know how much I love you. How much I adore you.”
A blush spread across Aaron’s face and neck. He knew Kevin loved him, hell he had married the man afterall, but he also never forgot Kevin’s word’s from when they were still in university, “it’s easier to be heterosexual” he had said all those years ago, and Aaron had taken that to heart. He never wanted his love to be a burden, he never wanted his love to cause his husband any harm.
“Let me do this little Prince. I spent so many years hiding, I didn’t understand the weight of what I could lose. I stopped fearing death a long time ago but today I was scared. I was petrified to lose you.”
Kevin shifted in bed, wincing as he made room for Aaron beside him. “Lay beside me, please. I’m tired and I just want to hold you.”
The doctor in Aaron wanted to reject the idea immediately. Kevin was severely injured and he needed rest, proper rest. The kind he wouldn’t get if Aaron got into the small bed with him. However, the selfish side of Aaron craved nothing more than to crawl into bed with his husband. He craved the comfort only Kevin’s touch could provide and admittedly he was tired too, adrenaline long since replaced by exhaustion.
“Okay, but if I feel you wince, even once, I'm sitting back on the chair.” Aaron tried to sound authoritative but his voice was soft. Slowly he pushed himself onto the bed, settling in beside Kevin’s broken body. Looking up he could see Kevin’s face clearly, his green eyes still sparkling like crystals against his bruised face.
“It’s rather unfair, you know?”
Kevin chuckled lightly, pressing his nose against the top of Aaron’s head. “What is?”
“You almost died but here you are, pretty as anything. I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone prettier.”
Kevin rolled his eyes affectionately as he kissed Aaron’s blonde waves. “You don’t have to butter me up Aaron, I'm not going anywhere. You already made me your husband, you already won.”
Silence overtook the room and Aaron closed his eyes, trying his best to match Kevin’s breathing. When he was certain his husband was asleep Aaron spoke into his chest, no louder than a whisper.
“You’re alive, you’re alive, you're alive.”