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5 months. Micheal had been in a coma for five months. After what was /supposed/ to be a quick, in and out mission, Mr. Terrific had been hit by a strong blast from some explosive that'd somehow gone undetected. At first, his absence simply felt like a missing part of a puzzle piece, but as the weeks dragged on, his absence was more noticeable.
The lobby of the Hall of Justice remained weirdly quiet without Micheal's odd shaped keyboard being in use.
The T-Spheres remained in their charging stations, unmoving due to their lack of an operator. Technically, they could still work, they just… didn't. maybe Micheal wanted it that way.
Regardless, it was irritating. Which is why after /another/ shitty mission on Oa, Guy couldn't handle the silence. Guy Gardner didn't /do/ silence, everyone knew that.
That was probably why he found himself in the hospital every day he could make it, just to hear the sound of his own voice as he talked to Micheal. Guy hated hospitals. The lights were blinding, and the strong scent of disinfectant was /nauseating./
/Mike was worth it./
It'd been a long day in the center of Metropolis before Guy went to see Micheal. He, Hawkgirl, and Superman had taken down a metahuman that bared the powers of electricity. Called herself /Livewire/, some chick that had gotten struck by lightning that'd turned her into a metahuman a few years back, and blamed Superman for the transformation. Guy didn't know the whole story, and didn't care to learn. He was tired, and hungry. But his saving grace was the takeout he'd been given by one the citizens he had saved from getting a lightning bolt to the face
"Your favorite teammate is back with a daily report." Guy called, a smile on his face as he shut the door behind him. "Sadly, I'm just dropping by today."
He walked to the end of Micheal's bed, placing down the bag of takeout on the floor next to him.
"Got some free takeout from a grateful citizen, though. Anyway, nothing special today. Just a particularly pissed metahuman with electrical powers or whatever." Guy recalled as he sat in a black, metal chair adjacent to the bed that the hospital provided for visitors.
"You shoulda' seen how we took her out, exemplary I'd say. Cleanup took a goddamn eternity, though. The fucker tore a whole buncha' electrical lines. Uhm, what else…" Guy muttered, leaning forward in his seat as he thought. "Ah, right! Big Blue was there, too, the boy scout he is. People loved it." he smiled, the golden crown over his canine glinting under the harsh hospital lighting.
"I'd say he's held more babies than the pope himself!" Guy laughed, but it faded at Micheal's silence. He looked at the man's closed eyes, before down to his hands, faint, faded scars lining his knuckles. Guy's hand, that'd previously been resting under his chin, reached out, lacing he and Micheal's fingers together. Guy couldn't remember the last time Micheal looked so peaceful.
"Gardner?…" Micheal croaked, his voice hoarse as he awoke from his slumber
Guy was startled from his thoughts at the sound of Micheal's words, his hand jerking away from Micheal's as his face flushed a shade of red.
"Oh wow, Terrific, aren't you supposed to be in a coma or something? Did you just wake up?' Guy sputtered, hand shooting to the back of his head awkwardly.
"Well, I woke up this morning." Micheal replied. "I was just napping."
Micheal thought for a moment, before speaking again.
"About just now-"
Guy's louder tone overshadowed his attempt to question the lantern. "Aha! I see, I see. Good to know you're doin' good!"
"Guy-"
"I gotta go! Y'know, my takeout is gettin' cold! Gotta give you space to heal an' whatnot… see you when you get discharged!" Guy stammered, quickly bolting up from his chair to the door, slamming it behind him.
"…Forgot his damn takeout." Mike muttered with a slight shake of his head, and an exhale.