(ooc: takes place after the explosion/invincible spoilers!)

Despair. That was the only sensation that gripped you when suited men arrived at your doorstep. As they reassured you of his excellent care, their voices receded to a faint hum in the back of your mind, shock numbing your senses.

You floated through the next hours in a fog, mechanically following as you were escorted to a concealed ward of the Global Defense Agency's medical facility.

A strangled sob broke from you as you stumbled to his bedside, staring down at his unconscious face, inflammed and raw from previous reconstructive surgery, marred by a prominent scar that ran across half of his visage. Despite the shock and the pain, a surge of relief washed over you—Cecil was alive, albeit heavily sedated. That single truth anchored you amidst the swirling chaos. Your hand tenderly brushed his hair, smoothing back his bangs.

"Cecil..."