Chapter Text
Bikini Rock Bottom
Lachlan, with hot pads on his hands, brings a bowl of ham and beans into the living room. As it turns out, if you use just the hocks, it really doesn’t cost that much to make.
“It might be hot.”
Mack takes the ceramic in his hands directly, making a concerted effort not to admit how warm it is, “You’re expecting me to be careful, right?” He sets the bowl on Lachlan’s desk next to their iMac. He waves his hands slightly, hoping Lachlan won’t notice.
“Yes, dear, I expect you to be careful. Now, try it, try it!” He claps his hands near his face, which always makes Mack smile a little bit, even with the pain.
He spoons a bit into his mouth. Lachlan decided to keep the pig skin in there, so the texture is quite something, but the flavor is good. Never mind that he burned his tongue a little bit. Mack gives his husband a thumbs up.
Satisfied, Lachlan leans his head on Mack’s shoulder as Mack scrolls through HotJobs. They stay that way for a few minutes, finding little of note. Mack eats some ham and beans.
“Are you gonna eat, honey?” Mack coaxes, still scrolling.
Lachlan nestles further, “I used all my energy cooking…” It used to be that Mack would carry Lachy into the kitchen and spoon up a dish of whatever he had made. Now, that isn’t quite the case.
“Tell you what. You keep looking here, and I’ll bring you a bowl.”
“Really? You sure you can--”
“Seriously, I’ve got it.”
Lachlan blushes. Mack wheels away and Lachlan keeps scrolling.
Licensed Practical Nurse. Electrician and General Maintenance. Truck Driver could be good as a last resort. Lachlan’s not even sure he could open those giant doors.
“Unique Job Opportunity” is near the bottom of the list. Posted three hours ago. How, um, nondescript. $120,000 per year. Hiring multiple people.
“Mack, take a look at this!” Lachlan’s voice echoes into the kitchen.
“Found something?” Mack lifts his leg onto his chair to make a bowl-holding triangle.
“Yeah. Get this--the only requirement is that you can be completely absent for two weeks at a time for as long as they need you.”
Mack enters the room with eyebrows furrowed. “You know, that sounds super suspicious. Extremely suspicious.”
“Oh, horribly so. But we could both apply and get 120K a year each.”
“Each?”
“I mean, theoretically.”
He wheels back to his original position and sets Lachlan’s soup on the desk. He takes a closer look at the peculiar offering.
“I’m sorry--’Unique Job Opportunity’?” He swears that Lachlan would get into a white van with puppies if asked kindly. “They even say you can’t contact anyone other than people who work there while you’re on the job. That’s fucking weird. Sketchy as shit.”
“Okay, but consider we only have rent for one more month and that we actually have the ability to do this one.”
Lachlan does have a point. They’re already making wine out of water, as-is.
“Package deal?”
“I guess I’d be willing to at least take a look. But yeah--I’m not having one of us gone for two weeks at a time with no contact. That’s not happening.”
“Don’t worry, love; I couldn’t take it either.”
The posting says to apply for more information, so they enter a shared resume and cover letter. They have a little trouble with the cover letter, so they settle on saying the basics. They are available, but only together.