When Ilian made his way down the hall to check on his patient the next morning, Adan was already sitting up in the hospital bed. He wore an expectant look on his face, eagerly awaiting an all-clear to return to his own room.

“You're smiling,” Adan greeted him. “Can I assume that means I can finally go back to sleeping in my own bed?”

“Finally? It's been one night,” Ilian teased as he moved into the room.

“Well it felt a lot longer than that,” Adan returned.

“Understandable,” Ilian conceded as he moved to start looking over the results of the tests he had conducted the day before. “I just have to check all the results, and see if everything is in acceptable parameters.”

“So, if telling me I'm free to leave this room wasn't the reason, why the smile? That's not exactly that typical of an expression for any of us most days.”

Ilian glanced back at him, “I guess I'm just relieved that last night Aura and I stayed up pretty late... talking. I think she's actually recovering from the shock of everything that happened when I returned to the bunker. And that's... comforting.”

“Stayed up talking with Aura all night, huh?” Adan repeated. “Must have been nice,” he added, an underlying bite to his tone.

“Well not all night, but,” Ilian then narrowed his eyes at the look of discontent obvious on Adan's face then. “When was the last time you took a painkiller, Adan?”

Adan just let out a derisive breath, “Had to take one just to get to sleep last night. So, around midnight, I suppose?”

“That's over nine hours, Adan. They only last for six.”

“Probably explains why I've been sitting here glaring at the wall for a few hours already this morning,” Adan mumbled bitterly.

“You should have taken another one then, Adan. You're hardly healed yet.”

“No thanks.”

“Adan,” Ilian scolded.

“Don't look at me like that. I'm not some masochist, believe me. But I also don't wanna become a junkie in the middle of the apocalypse. Seems like a bad life decision.”

“Junkie?”

“An addict,” Adan shook his head, remembering who he was speaking to.

“Still, if you're in too much pain, it's going to be even harder for you to heal,” Ilian scolded further, though gently.

Adan scoffed, “Can't you just lay your hands on me and magic my pain away too? Or is your specialty only killing babies and disintegrating aliens? Seems a strange skill set for a healer,” Adan bit out.

Ilian looked wounded by Adan's words, but managed to let logic prevail, “You're in pain, Adan. Enough to make you lash out at me right now. You need to manage that pain, as best you can. And that means...” he stated firmly as he moved to hand him the pill that still had remained on the table next to his bed.

Adan glared back at him for a long moment before grudgingly taking the pill from Ilian's hand, “What good am I to... anyone, if I'm just going to sit here spaced out on painkillers for who knows how long, and how badly?”

“Being in unbearable pain isn't going to work out much better, Adan. That's why you need to let your body heal, properly.”

“My body?” Adan scoffed, angrily choking down the pill at last. “Is that even accurate anymore? I mean, if it was just my body at all still, I'd be in a million pieces all over the living room, wouldn't I?”

“I don't think any of us wanted to see your body like that. So I'd say this is still the better option. Unappealing as it may seem right now, it's still better than losing you. You know what that would have done to her, Adan.”

“Using Aura's feelings to convince me we should be OK with becoming part-alien? Really?”

Ilian sighed softly before answering. “If it means having some chance of saving yourselves? Saving her? Then yes. After all, I gave up my home, my people, my entire body as well, just on the off-chance that I could find some way to help your people. To help the two of you, even before I lo—knew you both the way I do now.”

Adan looked back at Ilian then, tears struggling to escape both of their ever so similar pools of deep brown. It was as if for the first time it really hit him that Ilian had also lost everything, perhaps even more than he and Aura had, perhaps.

With a shake of his head and a slight sniffle, Adan gripped Ilian's hand with his good arm and pulled him close. He placed a long kiss over the other man's mouth in some attempt at physically showing him the gratitude that he couldn't seem to verbally express right then.

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Though the kiss didn't last nearly as long as either of them had wanted, as Adan pulled away with a wince a moment later. “OK, remind me not to move that quickly again until after those damn pills kick in.”

Ilian allowed a tiny smile at his words, “I'll do my best.”

* * *

Much to Adan's displeasure, Ilian decided to run a few more tests that morning, despite the tender moment they had shared earlier. Ilian did assure him he'd be back after lunch to check the results and then give Adan his answer about whether he'd be back in his own room that night. Having to stay there another three hours, and then possibly be told he'd have to spend another full night there too? That did do well to keep his mood hovering around unpleasant, despite their earlier moment together.

At least the pain had been dulled by the medication by the time Ilian returned. So Adan supposed that was at least a small mercy, despite his feelings on continuing to take such drugs.

Adan's expression then changed from annoyed to worried as he watched Ilian's face as he looked over the test results from that morning. “That's not a happy look,” Adan stated shakily, causing Ilian to turn toward him with a sad sigh.

“Your lungs and heart are still not performing as well as I'd like,” Ilian informed softly.

“What does that mean, Ilian?” Adan returned, trying to hold the brakes on any panic just yet.

“Just that they're both functioning at only about... seventy percent,” he made himself give the answer.

Adan swallowed a lump in his throat, “I mean, seventy's not that bad, right? It'd at least still be a passing grade in school, barely,” he weakly argued.

“It's not great though, Adan. You should prob--”

“Let me guess. Stay here another night?” Adan finished for him with a sound that was an equal mix of frustration and defeat. Probably the only reason it wasn't the full-blown anger, as earlier, was likely due to the fact that at least his pain was currently somewhat numbed.

“If anything declines further, it's better that you're here,” he told Adan regretfully.

“Yeah, yeah, I get it,” Adan mumbled, doing his best to appear unruffled, which should have been easy, considering his acting skill.

After another long moment of silence between the two, Ilian spoke up again. “How about I give you some company?”

“And leave Aura alone to imagine every possible worst case scenario in her head, which is kind of her specialty? I don't think that's a great plan either,” Adan stated, though his volume was still low, eyes downward in thought.

“I didn't say it would just be my company,” Ilian stated as he heard her footsteps approaching the door.

“Hey,” Adan greeted her, calling on every bit of his acting ability to greet her with a smile despite the less than optimistic news he had just received.

“Hey,” she smiled back as she approached his bed. Her smile did seem sincere, if somewhat worried. Then again, she hadn't heard the news yet.

“Wait, how did you know I'd be stuck here another night?” Adan asked her.

That was when the worry immediately overtook the hopefulness of her smile. “I... didn't. What's wrong?” she asked, turning pleading eyes to Ilian for an explanation.

“Just, I'd like his test results to be better before letting him off the monitors, that's all,” Ilian attempted to clarify. Though the look of fear on her face now felt almost tangible.

“I thought you said it was only minor damage!” she retorted, the shaking of her voice apparent.

“It is, but things still aren't functioning as well as they should, and if anything does worsen, then--”

“Ilian,” Adan quieted him as he quickly noted her shaking overtaking the rest of her body now, rather than just her voice. He reached for her hand, mentally remembering to move slowly this time. “I'm not any worse. I just... haven't improved as much as I still need to. That's all,” he attempted to soften the blow of the news for her, despite it being his own health he was talking about.

“Fuck,” she nearly swallowed the word, turning her eyes away to hide the tears that always accompanied her attacks.

After several moments of Adan squeezing her hand in an attempt at further comfort and reassurance, Ilian spoke to her again. “I know this probably seems like bad timing, but did you still want to do the other thing? It may at least distract you, for a little while.”

“The other thing?” Adan couldn't help raising a brow at whatever that statement could have been referring to.

“I was going to give her the implant today. It's a minor procedure. We could both keep you company while I do it. That's what I meant earlier,” he attempted to explain.

“Implant?” Adan's painkiller addled brain immediately jumped back to the conversation they had had on the way to the bunker and raised a brow at the suggestion.

“The IUD,” Aura shook her head at him, almost as though she could read him pretty easily right then as well.

“Oh, that makes more sense,” Adan mumbled, then shook his head. “Wait you want us to just sit here having a chat as you... do that?” he gave Ilian another incredulous look.

“I mean, I just have to... insert it. And if there's any minor pain, we can help keep her mind off of it.”

“Insert it?” Adan blinked as he repeated the words.

Ilian sighed as Aura just looked away again. Ilian then added, “I mean, the first step is a pelvic exam. And I've done that to her in front of you once already.”

Adan couldn't stop himself from laughing out loud, despite the burning red hue that now covered Aura's face and the slight pain his own laughter still caused him. “Oh my god, Il', did you just make a sex joke?” he asked, failing to suppress his laughter as he spoke.

“Great, he apparently does that now too,” Aura shook her head, cheeks still burning as she continued looking away from them both.

“I guess I'm a quick learner,” Ilian offered a shrug.

“That you definitely are,” Adan smirked again, and Aura almost did as well. Almost.