A clicking sound filled the silence as the machine stopped its service after hours and returned into its resting mode.

Alarmed by the noice, JD tore his eyes wide open. He almost fell from the chair he had slept on, while wiping the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand.

"(Y/N)?", he asked in a sleepy voice and stretched his neck to take a look at your motionless body.

But as he noticed that nothing had changed, he let out a deep, painful sigh and fell back onto the chair.

Next to him, Marcus moved. He was still sleeping. Only his eyebrows and lips sometimes twitched when he let out a deep growl.

JD didn't want to wake him, got up and carefully approached you.

The robot had done a good job stitching up the wounds and making your body seem as untouched as before. There was still a lot of blood stuck to your (S/C) skin.

"So this is it...", he whispered and pressed a kiss to your forehead. "A final goodbye."

His head hit the table as he tried to fight back the burning of tears again. But all of a sudden, a beeping sound reached his ears. Confused, he looked up again.

In short differences, a line chased across the monitor. It was barely visible, so small and unsteady that he a;most missed it the first time he threw a glance at it.

With a shaky breath, he squeezed your hand.

"(Y/N)..? Are you... still in there?", he whispered into your ear.

The corner of your lips twitched as his warm breath stroked over your frozen skin.

Gasping, he bend over you, his face so close to yours that he could feel the cold of your body stroke his cheeks. He was trembling. His hands clawed into the edges of the table.

But even as he remained motionless for a few moments, nothing changed.

"You're still alive.", he whispered, the sound of your heartbeat still echoing inside his ears. "Don't... Please don't give me this hope... and if so... don't let me die. Please. I beg you."

His vision got blurry. Biting his lips, JD squeezed his eyes shut and sunk back to the cold ground. His shoulders swathed to tremble as he tried to keep his body from feeling physically sick. Everything inside him was twisting and turning at the thought that the last thing he would hear from you was a heartbeat that would soon fade.

The thought made him smile and sob at the same time.

How bitter sweet this thought was, so soothing and yet crushing.

He didn't notice as a slight twitch made your fingers tremble. The hint of a breath made your chest rise before everything froze again.

Immediately, his head jumped up. His hands wrapped around your shoulders, giving them a tense squeeze.

"(Y/N)!", he called out for you as if it would be the last thing he would ever do. "Are you?! Are you still in there?"

Something behind your closed eyelids moved.

His grip tightened.

"(Y/N)!"

Disturbed in his slumber by the shouting, Marcus opened one eye to check what was going on. But as he saw JD bend over you, his face disfigured with horror and pain, he decided it would be better to let him have this moment on his own. He would come to his father after the silent grieving.

This moment was his and his alone.

JD sighed, fighting tears back, and pressed his forehead against yours.

He thought he could feel some warmth stroking his cheeks. But it was probably just his imagination. Some strange sound reached his ears, but he ignored it, thinking it would be just a small piece of hope he would try to grab and hold onto it till he shattered.

Everything burned.

Breathing burned, swallowing burned.

Slowly, a ray of light broke through the darkness.

Coughing, you could feel a warm trail of blood dripping down the corner of your mouth.

Suddenly, the world appeared before your eyes, bathed in a bright, painful light and a vail of water.

Confused, you tightened your eyes and looked around. But all there was were shadows.

You tried to move, but your body refused to one to the command. As you opened your mouth, a scratchy gasp escaped.

A shadow moved into your field of vision. Dull words reached your ears, but your brain wasn't working properly.

"Ma...", a cough made your chest tremble so hard, that everything inside drowned in pain. "Marc- Marcu...s?"

The shadow before your eyes sharpened. A face became visible, still a bit blurry and without details. It was a person with a beard.

"Marcus?", you asked, reaching upwards to touch the cheek of the face.

The touch felt strangely rough, scarred even.

A hand grabbed yours. It squeezed a bit.

The words got clearer.

"(Y/N).", the voice called.

But it was wasn't Marcus' voice. It sounded like JD.

Confused, you frowned and tried looking at the person more clearly.

"(Y/N).", JD's voice broke through the veil of water.

Your fingers crawled into something soft. Breathing heavily, you blinked.

The vision cleared.

What appeared was a man with a worried look in his blue eyes. He had a beard, thick and dirty blond, brown looking in the dim lighting. Scars adored his familiar looking face. His head was shaved.

"Marcus?", you asked in a weak voice.

With a relieved sigh, he lowered his head and let out a whimper. As he looked up again, tears shimmered in his eyes.

You frowned but flinched the next moment, struck by a stabbing pain in your guts.

"Marcus...", you gasped. "Why... why do you... stop crying... Freaks me out..."

You looked around.

"Where- where's... JD?"

He placed a hand on your face and carefully forced you to turn to him again.

You frowned. As you were looking him up and down, you felt like he was just a stranger.

He looked like Marcus, just not really.

"(Y/N).", that was JD's voice.

Holding your breath, you pressed your lips together.

"You're awake...", he whispered, pressing his forehead against yours. "I- shit, I love you!"