Weeks, maybe a month? No one is sure how long ago the hospital trip was anymore. The days bleed into each other, carrying forward the depressing tone. Nobody has any information on Viola’s outcome. Doctor Clarke is not talking to anyone any longer. The staff turns a tight lip for some reason. Steven does not talk much anymore; outside of client work and business work. Even Athena is frightening at the gym; despite Raph’s efforts to talk to her. The tone is still terrible.

Mark is once again at the welcome desk when a van pulls up. The driver goes around and gets someone out in a wheelchair. ‘A wheelchair? I didn’t think Josh had any clients today. Someone new?’ Mark wonders as he goes to the door. He holds the door open so they can come in easily.

“Told you he’s the desk guy,” a tired familiar voice rolls by.

“Vi?” Mark mutters as he runs into the front of the chair. A small, skin and bones person barely half the size of the chair looks at him with tired green eyes. “Vi?”

She smirks, “Hey.”

Mark cannot believe the sight before him. The once shapely woman is now barely a hundred pounds wet. He is on the edge of tears torn between happy she is there and how she barely seems here. “Is Cap here?” she asks readjusting his focus. Mark just nods and runs off. “Ok. He might lose a few points on hospitality there,” Viola teases with her aid who just chuckles.

Now everyone in the gym begins to notice. She waves to Raph when Steven and Mark come around the corner. Steven slowly stumbles till he falls on his knees. His hands reach out, barely gracing her chair’s footrest. “Viola. Vi,” he almost weeps on her legs.

“You big-hearted man. Um. Can I talk to you in your office?” Viola asks while rubbing his hair, noticing how much of an audience they had. Steven immediately agrees and offers to push her in himself.

“We only have a little bit remember,” the aid reminds as they watch Viola disappear around the corner. They begin to talk with Mark.

It does not take long to make it into the office. As they move, she brings Steven up to date on what is going on with her health. Doctor Clarke is taking over her rehab in the hospital, which broke out into a war zone in the staff after she woke up. She is still touch-and-go on a long recovery road. They want her monitored for a while because of it. “Because of all that Doc has arranged for me to assisted living housing for a couple of weeks. Till I can stabilize and put some weight on.”

“I understand. It sounds like some good precautions. I can let Mr. Marrigold and the others know what is going on,” Steven says with a large grin as he squats in front of her. His fingers are playing on her chair’s arm. He is so eager, happy, and relieved to see her he could crawl onto her lap if the chair was any larger. If he waits any longer, he just might.

“You don’t have to worry about them. I called them but…But I wanted to talk to you in person,” she squeaks out with a blush. “Doc was not happy about the idea and blocked the calls. The aid is the only reason I snuck out,” she chuckles.

Steven chuckles with her. He smiles as he watches her expression. His hand drifts over her hand. His grip just barely gets snug around her hand, “So what did you want to talk about?”

Her lip turns down. “To thank you. You did so much.” She begins squeezing his hand. “You worked so much to help me. Not just here, trying to help my dreams come true, even at home too that I had to come and say it in person.” Steven shuffles closer as he hears her begin to take sharp breaths. “You helped me so much. To get so close to building and really developing enough to do the surgery and afterward,” she begins crying and wiping her cheeks. “Now I failed… I did so horribly in surgery I don’t know how I’ll recover. All the work you helped with is gone! Everything is gone! Worse than that crazy medical-induced dream I imagined. I woke up like this. I’m so stupid and even more sorry,” Viola breaks down.

Steven hugs her head to him and holds her hand. He tries to pull her as tight as he can. After a few moments, he snarls and steps back. He wipes her cheek and goes to his desk. “Viola there is something I want to tell you. That ‘medical induce dream’ was not so crazy,” he says as he takes his remote out of his desk. He clicks down enough that his form begins to fill out. He only inflates enough for it to be seen, barely lifting his shirt but giving his arms some more definition. He puffs for the first time in front of her.

Viola blinks at him.

Steven swallows, ‘She’s going to freak.’

“Why are you telling me this now?” Viola wonders as her head tilts.

“I didn’t want you to think you were making things up,” he begins as he steps away from the desk. “I didn’t want you to think it crazy. Nothing you’ve done is crazy…or stupid,” he encourages. He moves closer to her. Viola smiles. Steven feels something relax in his chest as she leans forward towards him.

“I won’t tell anyone,” Viola chuckles. “Honestly I thought something like this was up for a long time,” she confesses. “I was even guessing who wasn’t involved here. But if you didn’t want to tell me I wasn’t going to push it. Especially after you found the canister at home,” she explains with a smile.

“How did you know?” Steven finally picks his mouth up off the floor at her announcement.

She giggles as she manages to get out of the wheelchair, “You aren’t the first inflationist I’ve met,” she answers as he catches her. She strokes his arm. Viola asks, “I never knew it hurt that much though. Does it normally hurt because all I remember of that night was how painful it was?”

Steven braces her in his arm as he shakes his head, “Not normally. At my stage it is fine. The start is painful though.”

“What stage are you at?” Viola smirks.

He smiles, “Four. Meaning I can go about four times without assistance.” He wants to continue explaining, her curiosity is sparking his eagerness, but he notices her smirk. ‘It is like she’s heard this before,’ he thinks for a moment. He glances at her wheelchair and notices the oxygen on it. “Mind if I?” he asks holding up the nozzle. Viola nods as she moves back to the chair.

Steven stops her sitting and encourages her to lean against him as he stands straight. The air starts slowly, his arms and chest begin to expand. He flips the remote to encourage the change even more. “It’s ok if you want to come over,” he encourages her to touch his changing form.

Viola touches him in the changing state. ‘It feels like forever since someone’s...’ smiles as she thinks of the last inflationist that shared an embrace with her. Steven stops the air but lets the remote finish the setting as he drapes his arms around her. When she feels him stop growing, she looks up to see how much he’s grown. She smirks and tugs on the end of his shirt sleeve, “It’s cute how you fill up a shirt.”

Steven blushes and feels like laughing while trying to resist lifting her into the air. It is the happiest he has been in a long time. “I wanted to tell you for so long,” he confesses into her ear while pulling into a little tighter hug.

A soft blush comes across her cheeks, “There were hints you guys were up to something. And if you all didn’t want to tell me I wasn’t going to push.” Viola pushes back a little. “I saw the mark on your back. I know what that means,” Viola almost whispers as her burrows turn upward and she tugs on the side of his shirt.

Steven feels his lips turn down. “That day. She almost kil...” he starts to say.

Viola’s hand covers his mouth. His eyes slip quickly from shock to relaxing again. Her hand slides to the side to cup his cheek. He smiles and eases into her hand. “You worked to make me so comfortable. I wanted you to be at ease too,” she confirms as she strokes his cheek. He wraps his arms around her. She smiles, “I love puffy hugs.”

Steven chuckles at the declaration. She feels smaller against him now but somehow so warm. He strokes her back before kissing her head. Her soft chuckle makes him smile. She lightly tugs on his shirt. Barely enough that to get his attention as her other hand drapes over his shoulder. He smiles as he realizes her request. He gently lifts her closer, letting her nuzzle into his neck as her hand dances in his hair, and her form cradles against his. His head turns enough for noses to smack into each other. They both laugh as their foreheads come together. His eyes lock with her’s as he begins to lean closer, “Vi.”

“I got everything out of the locker,” the aid says as they come into the room. The pair stare at them. “Sorry. But we have to go. He’ll get suspicious if we take much longer,” they respond after reading the room.

They both sigh. Viola hugs him again, “Thank you. For everything.”

“You’re welcome,” Steven whispers before putting her back in the wheelchair. He cups her cheek, “Please get better.”

Viola takes his hand, “Whatever you say couch.” She squeezes his hand as the aid takes the handles. “Goodbye Steven.”

He follows behind them to the office door, “Goodbye Viola.” He closes the door behind them. The gym still has people that are not members of the after-hours club. In his current state, he knows he cannot walk her out. His head bangs against the door. Knowing the truth does not make it hurt his chest any less, as his fist form.

Raph and Mark wave goodbye to Viola while wondering where Steven is. After they see the van doors open, they hear a crash in the office and hurry away. “Cap!” Raph shouts opening the door.

Inside the office the desk is across the room, the door is cracking, and the couch is being tossed back over by a larger Steven. Mark and Raph come in fully with Raph closing the door as Steven collapses onto the couch. “Dude, you’re,” Mark begins as they come over to Steven. Both men see it but are not sure how to comment on it. For the first time in almost three years, Steven is inflated.

He wipes his face, “I had to show her. I. I. She had to know.”

Mark moves to one side while Raph takes the other. “Did she hate it?” Mark hesitantly suggests.

Steven shakes his head, “No. She was great. Wonderful about it.”

“Awesome!” Mark lights up and Raph releases his breath. “That means after she recovers, she can come back and who knows made she’ll join us,” Mark starts.

“She won’t!” Steven snaps. Both men immediately back away. They glance at each other. Raph is about to say something when Steven ducks his head into his arms. “She’s so weak right now Doc took over everything. He’s sending her to a facility and cutting us off…” he tries not to scream the information. He starts taking sharper and sharper breathes trying to hold something back. “We won’t know what happens, even if she dies,” Steven manages to say before he finally starts to cry, admitting to himself that he probably just said their last goodbye.

Raph, who not only knows Steven the second-longest in the gym but also Doctor Clarke, understands exactly the meaning of ‘Doc took over’. He begins stroking Steven’s back, “Go ahead, man. Go ahead.”

Mark, the newest, is having trouble catching up with the connection the other two share but understands what Steven says. His shoulders collapse forward ask thoughts of telling Athena and Josh run through his head. Till Steven’s painful shout shatter his overwhelming thoughts. Mark moves back closer.

It’s the only sound in the room, the tension and desperate thoughts of what could be for the past month shattering. The silent wish they all share shatters. The words Doctor Clarke muttered before about it being better if she never woke up now play with a bitter sting in Steven’s memory as well as the dream Viola shared. The dream ends with her tears. Now all Raph and Mark can do is stand by, watching as Steven’s dream does the same.