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Winter is a horrible time of the year, in Robert’s words. The air was cold and bitter, and the days felt shorter than ever. Sunlight felt like a lake in the Sahara, and it was great to chase the sunlight when the shadows were cold. In summer it was easier to get up in the morning, because the cold didn’t hurt as bad. It didn’t feel terribly uncomfortable to walk on tiles in the morning, it didn’t feel like hell to wash hands in cold water. Summer and spring were Robert’s #1 suggestion for the perfect season.
Winter could go fuck itself.
The SDN company provided winter jacket was… fine, but Robert definitely had layers underneath his uniform shirt just to feel like his heat would warm his body and not die to the cold. As much as Robert would have loved to be cuddled up in his bed with no responsibilities, he had to work today. So he got through the morning, although slower, and went out to the parking lot.
He made it to his car and opened the driver door and instantly turned the engine on just so he could pump up the seat warmer. He sat there for a little bit, just letting his body warm up before reversing out of his spot and beginning his drive to the SDN office. It was pleasant in his car. Robert had the radio on a low volume just for some background noise, and he thanked the roads for not letting the dickheads drive while commuting. He just didn’t have the patience, today or any day to be honest.
His head was feeling a bit weird, not exactly staying focused but not exactly absent, but he tried his hardest to keep his eyes on the road. He grumbled when he started to lose his focus at a red light, mentally kicking himself as the person behind him beeped at him to move.
With his arrival to the SDN office came the realisation that he would have to readjust to the new coldness, after being warm and cozy in his car. He sighed at this, hitting his head against the headrest of his seat and closing his eyes briefly. When he had prepared himself, he unbuckled his seatbelt and opened the door.
Cold air rushed around him and Robert just moved quicker to avoid sinking into his car and staying there for the rest of the day. He huffed and frowned at the cold until he pushed the door to the office open with his body, yawning.
He took his seat at his chair and shivered slightly at the cold seat he hadn’t touched since yesterday. He logged onto his computer and booted up the call program, putting his headset on and sighing. He yawned again before speaking to his team in a groggy voice.
“Morning, team,” He croaked, leaning back in his chair. His team, like usual, ignored him. Today it didn’t bother him as much. There was no need to make useless conversation if it didn’t go anywhere. Especially small talk. Robert just sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he leaned forward.
The rest of the morning was pretty uneventful, a couple of easy calls here and there, but nothing that was something Robert and the Z-Team couldn’t handle. They were handled with ease, and even if the missions failed, you couldn’t always guarantee perfection. Especially not with this crew. There was one specific call, near the end of the morning and closer to midday that Robert was starting to lose his head at. At that point, he had already grown a bit less focused and more distracted, his eyes feeling heavier and a dull ache behind his head. He had jumbled up his words or something, and didn’t notice.
“Uh… Yeah. Sonar can I have this call for you to have taken care?” He had mumbled into the microphone, which got an eerie silence followed by a confused response from his crew.
“What.” Sonar retorted simply. He then huffed a laugh, like a mock way of saying that Robert was stupid. He heard confused noises from other members but most of them were laughing.
Robert’s ears flushed red. It was a sentence he said a million times to the team when dispatching them, but somehow he had messed it up? Ugh. “Can you say that again?” Sonar asked with a smirk in his voice. Robert just nodded and squinted his eyes in embarrassment, sighing.
“Can I have you take care of this call, Sonar?” He corrected, the ache in his head not dulling from the noise in the channel. Sonar seemed to get it.
“Oh.” He responded. “Sure thing. The town library?.” Robert heard Sonar’s wings flap and Robert could only give him an affirming groan and small nod in response, although he couldn’t see the nod.
“Y’know,” Sonar added. “I was at the library all the time when I was studying for Harvard.” He boasted, getting a collective groan from the team. Robert couldn’t help but smile gently at Sonar’s antics and the response it always got from the team. He leaned back against his chair and let his mind relish in the pressure against his neck, relieving a little bit of his pain.
He was already so tired and it wasn’t even his lunch break yet. He didn’t want to call out early just because he felt weird, because he had been fine in way worse conditions. There was always a voice in the back of the man’s head that told him he had been through worse and that he needed to keep going, and today it was louder than usual.
Robert was startled slightly when he felt someone tap his shoulder. He turned his head and opened his eyes to see Chase staring at him with a sort of worried look.
“Need a coffee?” Chase asked quietly, to which Robert nodded.
“If you can.” He mumbled, watching as the man stood and make his way to the break room. Robert decided it was probably a good idea to check back in with his team, despite his heavy head.
The team wasn’t much different, all chattering amongst themselves and complaining about the cold. Robert agreed. It was way too cold.
Robert put his head in his hand, propped up on his desk as he stared blankly at a mission report. He wasn’t exactly reading it, but just staring at it and hoping that his eyes started reading. The screen was bright and it almost made Robert wince, but he stayed strong.
The sound of a mug being placed on his desk caught his attention. “Here you go.” Chase said with a warm tone. Robert offered him a weak smile and picked up the mug, lifting it to his mouth and taking a small sip.
It instantly warmed his mouth and made him feel better, and he swivelled his chair around to thank Chase for the coffee, only to find he was still standing behind him. He looked up at the man.
“Thanks, Chase.” He grumbled with a gentle smile. He tried to keep his face delicate and his tiredness, weariness and general ache hidden. Chase however, was not so subtle.
“You look like shit.” He spat, not a hint of sugar coating to his words at all.
Robert barely processed it. Just huffing a mumbled release of air at him and turning back to his computer. He decided to bite playfully at Chase’s insult.
“I said you didn’t have to get me coffee if you didn’t want to. You don’t get to insult me for the choice you made.” He giggled, more like a slur of words. It was one of Robert’s common ways of talking, but this time it felt a little different.
Chase sighed, a smile playing at his lips. “No,” He placed a hand on Robert’s shoulder. “I was fine getting you coffee. Don’t think I’ve run out of care for you.” He seemed serious, which Robert couldn’t tell if it was real seriousness or a playful joke. He just gave him a reassuring smile and pat his hand, taking another sip of coffee.
“I know, I know.” He hushed, now trying to actually attempt reading the report. The words seemed to blur a little bit, and looked like words way above his reading level, but he did not give up.
Eventually, once Chase had stopped hovering around him like a parent, Robert finished skimming the report, closing the window and tapping at his mug. No other calls had come in, so Robert was now bored.
The coffee had made him more energised, that’s for sure, but the caffeine and computer screen only added to his aching head. He pinched his forehead and let out a groan, his eyes slipping closed.
“Another call?” Prism asked. Prism was one of the more ‘caring’ members of Z-Team. However, a more accurate description of her would be ‘unnecessarily curious’. Robert shook his head gently.
“No,” He grumbled. “Just got a bit of a headache.” In reality, the bit of a headache was starting to form into a lot of a headache. He was trying to push the worst of it down with the coffee, which was almost done by midday.
By the time his coffee was done, it was when Robert decided he should definitely get himself something to eat. His stomach was grumbling and it was definitely not helping that he was more aware of his body today for some reason.
He excused himself from the team and announced his lunch break, taking his headset off and standing up. He pushed his chair in because he was a tidy individual, and picked up his mug to wash. His limbs felt heavy and sore, which was weird because he didn’t usually get sore from his chair.
On his way to the break room kitchen, the headache behind his eyes only seemed to worsen, so along with his usual lunch time food of Twinkie bars from the vending machine, he also made himself another cup of coffee.
He put the mug underneath the coffee machine and pressed the double shot button, listening as the coffee machine hummed and buzzed, pouring the coffee into the mug. His eyes seemed to wander for a while. Why was feeling so off?
There were two reasons that came to mind. The first reason was that he was extra tired, which was surprisingly more common than one would think. Robert wasn’t known for his amazing sleep schedule or ability to stay asleep once he knocked out. In fact, quite the opposite. His coworkers and office staff concluded that his groggy, stern and direct words and behaviour were a direct link to the man’s sleeping habits.
The second reason was that the winter had fucked up his body. Not in a way that he was sick, he didn’t get sick, but in a way that everyone felt off when the seasons changed. Everyone felt off for a couple of days to adjust to the cold weather, and Robert was no different, right?
When the background noise of the coffee pouring into the mug stopped, Robert blinked, sweeping the mug into his hand and returning to his desk. He was very obviously being scanned down by Chase, but he decided to strike a pose to poke humour at the man.
Chase seemed to break out of his staring trance and laugh at him. Robert laughed back and plopped himself into his chair, taking a sip of coffee. It wasn’t great coffee, but it was an office job. The coffee was always going to be shit.
–
Throughout the rest of the day, with a few slight scares from calls and malfunctioning parts of the city, nothing much really changed. Except for the steady ache in Robert’s head, the heavy droop in his eyes and his general demeanor getting more and more snappy. A little bit of snap was perfectly normal, but even his team knew something was wrong.
At 3pm, someone spoke up. “ I don’t know what you’re so mad about, ” Invisigal seemed to smirk at her own comment, before continuing. “ We haven’t even pissed you off today.”
Robert frowned, although he couldn’t help but notice that we might have been being unfair, despite how little control he had over his body. He definitely thought some of his responses were harsh, but had started to literally not care.
“Not your fault.” Robert said gruffly in response. “Just having an off day.”
The team seemed to understand and didn’t push any longer. Robert continued to work as much as he could, going between dispatching calls and having to man the traffic lights for about an hour. At one point during his fun little traffic light game, he accidentally made both green at the same time.
“Oh shit- Oh- fuck-” He panicked as he watched two cars both start driving at the same time. He tried to fix it, but they were already going.
The two cars slammed into each other, and Robert cursed under his breath. He wasn’t paying attention, and now he had made more problems instead of fixing them. He cleared his throat, before unmuting his microphone.
“Uh- new call came in.” He began, trying to hide the obvious lie that he had just caused a collision. The team didn’t buy it.
“We didn’t hear any call.” Flambae pointed out, to which Robert waved away and continued talking.
“Doesn’t matter. Collision at the train station intersection. Anyone want to take it before I choose?” His eyes were slightly blurring from the bright screen, almost so fuzzy they were sparkly, but Robert just kept blinking until it went away.
Fortunately, someone volunteered. Golem. Robert smiled and thanked him, and off Golem went to fix up Robert’s stupid mistake. Robert seemed to sigh and hope no one could trace his mistake back to him. No one looked seriously injured, thankfully.
Robert kept a close eye on the crash, his stomach swallowing him in guilt. He saw Golem approach it and move the cars away, which was funny to see. A big construct of mud and clay hoisting two cars from a busy intersection and just plopping them down on the grass nearby. He then stood there and tried to put the debris back in its place, to which one of the people involved in the crash seemed to be confused by.
Golem didn’t look like he was succeeding in his little Lego project, so after the victims were deemed safe and the cars were taken for repair, Golem came back to the office.
It was a very interesting looking mission report. But one Robert didn’t even look over before approving it, or whatever the fuck people did with mission reports. His entire body was starting to ache, and Robert wasn’t sure how much more of this he could take before crying.
–
Thankfully, Robert was able to get through his shift. He was not excited for the drive home however, because that involved being more present than what he was only just getting by on at work. It was too late to have another coffee, and he was debating just staying at the office overnight just to not have the inconvenience of driving home.
A hand rested on his shoulder, and Robert hadn’t realised that his head was pressed against his desk. The office was mostly quiet now, the gentle sounds of fax machines and keyboards clacking were the most ambience there was. Robert only hummed at the hand, not bothering to lift his head.
“You doin’ okay?” A husky voice spoke quietly, which was nice of it to do. It was Chase, Robert recognised, and he hummed again. “That’s not an answer, prick.” Chase joked, keeping his hand on Robert’s shoulder.
Robert lifted his head slowly and let his eyes adjust to the big lights around him. He was utterly exhausted, which he was usually able to get through, but for some reason, not today. Chase spun his chair around to face him so he could get a look at the tired man.
“Woah.” Chase gritted, taking a good look at Robert. His face was pale and slightly flushed, eyes heavy and barely open. There was a crusted line of coffee just above his lips, which were cracked and red. Robert looked so much worse than when he saw him that morning. “Did you get high or something?”
Robert shook his head, although the motion made his head spin. He pushed himself back against his chair and leaned his head back, before realising that doing that made him more exposed to light. He frowned, lifting his arm to hold over his eyes. Chase let go of his shoulder and waited for an actual verbal response. Not getting one, he probed again.
“You can’t sleep in the office. Don’t make me wheel you out on your chair.” Chase crossed his arms, although his brow furrowed in worry. Robert looked bad. And for him to be showing it. It was bad.
Chase didn’t know what to do. Robert didn’t know what to do. But he did know that he needed to get home. He lifted his hand off his face and stood up from his chair, grumbling at the motions. Chase almost wanted to reach out and catch him, but they both knew his body was too weak for that.
However, Chase did pack up Robert’s things into his messenger bag and sling it over his own shoulder, which got a frown from Robert. “Give me my bag.” He growled. Chase shook his head.
“I’ve got it.” He spoke firmly, and Robert just grunted, turning and walking out of the building.
The older man was following behind him, but not that far behind as Robert was walking particularly slow. It only made Chase worry more, as he started to pick up his own pace. It was cold outside, the sunset air biting at both of them. Robert seemed to cough, trying to complain at Chase moving so fast.
“Chase-” , he whispered, to which Chase turned around. He was crossing his arms into each other, trying to keep his hands warm. What Chase thought to be tears in his eyes tried to spill, and Chase’s heart twisted.
“Okay, okay, I’m sorry.” He stood by Robert’s side and wrapped his arm around him, although the man was quite taller than him. He rubbed his hand on Robert’s arm to slightly warm him as the pair continued walking.
Robert still wanted to function, he still wanted to be able to work and do something with himself so that he didn’t fall back into the useless hole of depression he was in all those years ago. But Chase could see he was getting worse.
As Robert tried to make his way to the driver’s side of the car, Chase had to physically turn Robert’s body to the other side of the car. “I’ll drive.” He said simply, trying to push Robert to cooperate with his request. Robert grunted and refused, turning around and stomping towards the driver’s side. Chase gave him a look.
He could see how lidded Robert’s eyes were, how much more pale he was getting. “You aren’t driving, motherfucker. Even for half a mile.” Robert seemed to groan at this, but weakly obliged, trudging towards the passenger side of the car. Chase felt satisfied with himself and fished Robert’s car keys from his bag. Chase climbed into the car, pulling the seat forward so he could grasp the wheel comfortably.
He turned his head to the side and watched Robert slip into the car and put his seatbelt on. He grimaced at the cold seat. Chase didn’t hesitate to turn the keys to start the car and pump up both his and Robert’s seat warmers.
“Radio on?” Chase asked, hovering over the dial as he reversed from the parking lot. Robert’s car was pretty easy to work around, no weird button symbols or controls that Chase didn’t know. Robert groaned and gently shook his head. “Okay.” Chase acknowledged, putting his hand on the wheel.
He knew where Robert lived thanks to the fact that he was too broke to move, and the recent catch-up weekends they did to reconnect. It was a pretty nice apartment, not cramped or anything. Perfect for a guy like Robert. No offence.
Robert’s head was pressed back against the head rest, his eyes closed but his face contorted in pain. Chase sighed a little, knowing he probably wouldn’t get an answer from the man about what was hurting him because he only seemed to answer in noises. It had been ages since Chase had seen him like this, almost hopeless. He knew Robert was a grumpy person, but this was next level sourness.
The car hummed on the roads, the gentle sound of tires on asphalt and muffled indicators as Chase drove through Torrance. At every red light he would shoot a glance at Robert, whose eyes would stay closed. Chase still didn’t know if he was sick or just pulling constant all-nighters recently.
When Chase pulled up in Robert’s designated parking spot, he jingled the keys slightly as he fiddled to turn the car off. The noise seemed to passively wake Robert up from whatever trance he was in. He hummed, his eyes blinking open open slightly. Chase smiled as he unbuckled his own seat belt.
“Out you hop, lazybones.” Chase poked, getting a slight smile in return. Robert didn’t move however, which made Chase sigh. He leaned over and unbuckled Robert’s seatbelt.
“Come on,” He sung. “You can’t sleep in your car, kid. And I’m not carrying you. Lord knows I’d fall over.” He watched as Robert huffed a small laugh, turning over to open his car door. Chase grabbed Robert’s bag and climbed out of his side of the car.
Chase locked Robert’s car and made his way around to the passenger side, finding Robert almost wobbling against his car. His body was tense and his shoulders were pressed up to his neck for warmth. Chase didn’t know if he was doing it to be dramatic or if he actually felt that cold. Robert’s eyes were lidded again, but he seemed to be doing… okay?
Robert began taking heavy but unbalanced steps towards Chase and towards his apartment building, before Chase realised he should probably help him. He moved towards Robert and hooked an arm around the man’s back, keeping him upright and to stop him from wobbling.
They walked mostly silent, the occasional sound of Chase’s light shoes against the footpath usually followed by Robert’s heavy step which dragged across it. As long as he was walking, it was okay. Making it to the entrance of the building, Chase fiddled in Robert’s bag for Robert’s apartment keys, finding them and unlocking the building door. He held it open with his foot and lead himself and Robert through, before repositioning and letting the door close behind them.
Once they had made it up the elevator and onto Robert’s floor, Chase decided to talk again.
“4G?” He wanted to clarify, even though he had been here a thousand times. Robert hummed and Chase walked him down the hallway and to his apartment.
He fiddled with the man’s keys again until he found the one for the apartment, thankful with not much stress since Robert had put labels on all of their little handles. He slid the key into the lock and twisted, pushing the door open. The room was cold, dark and quiet. Robert had done some redecorating since he had last visited, with furniture in different places and a couple of new things.
Chase forgot he was standing there until he heard Robert hum in disapproval, trembling. His balance faltered slightly and Chase had to put a hand on his shoulder to steady him. He closed the door behind them and began pulling Robert over to his couch. He knew the better option would be bed but that was a further distance to walk, and Robert was clearly not making it that far.
Robert sank into the couch and leaned against the back, curling in on himself as Chase went to lock the front door. He also pulled the heater remote from its holder on the wall and pointed it to the heater, turning it on. The heater was directly facing the couch, which made Chase chuckle. Robert must’ve moved it to be in the heater’s path.
There was a small lamp on an end table that Chase turned on, just for a little bit of light. He was probably correct in assuming lights hurt for Robert right now, so he wanted to avoid too much light and also too much sound.
Speaking of probably, he still had no idea what was going on with Robert. Whether he was sick or just tired, it was still a mystery. He didn’t look well though. He didn’t even take off his shoes or change out of his uniform, he just sat on the couch immediately.
“You should probably get out of your uniform before you fall asleep in it.” Chase advised, his voice as gentle as he could get it. Robert frowned and mumbled something incoherent, probably disagreeing with it. Chase shook his head.
“I know you don’t want to, but it might help. Just to have some nice comfy clothes.” Robert seemed to hum at that, this time not in disagreement. Chase just smiled and put a hand on his shoulder, before disappearing to get clean clothes from Robert’s laundry. He came back with a white, breathable t-shirt and some loose pants. Robert hadn’t moved much, but the attempt to get rid of some buttons was there. His belt was discarded on the floor too.
Chase bent down and untied both of Robert’s shoes, sliding them off and putting them neatly back on the shoe rack at the door. He came back and tapped on Robert’s leg gently.
“Pants first, then shirt. Okay? I ain’t tryna peak at your junk though, just know that.” Chase assured, giving a light smirk to Robert, who lightly chuckled back. Chase gently shrugged his uniform pant legs down, grabbing fingerfuls of fabric to guide them down easier. Robert’s socks had fallen off however, and he gently slid them back on his feet.
Chase then lifted one leg at a time and guided them into the new pants, which Robert was compliant with. With the legs secured, he held the main part up to Robert’s hands, trying to tell him to do this bit on his own. The man instead wiggled weakly into the pants, which got a laugh from Chase.
“Weirdo.” He huffed with a smirk, picking up the white shirt.
He raised himself up a bit more, reaching forward and gently undoing the buttons on Robert’s shirt. He made sure to take extra care when pulling it off, with Robert’s thankful help in getting it off him.
Now, Chase had always been aware of the bruises Robert had on him. Prominent, some dark some fading. But it was still a poor sight to see. He had an even balance between skin, bruises and scratches on him, but Chase knew now was not the time to feel bad for him.
“Arms up.” He instructed, and Robert weakly lifted his arms as much as he could. Chase fed his arms through the short sleeves and pulled it down so very gently, Robert’s head popping through the head hole. He remained gentle and slow, adjusting the shirt over Robert’s body, until it fit nice and well.
“Better?” He asked once he was all changed. Robert weakly nodded and leaned against the couch again. He whined. “What’s the matter?” Chase asked, taking a seat on Robert’s coffee table.
Robert just seemed to mutter and grumble, but his face was pained. His voice was croaky and breathy. Chase hummed in thought, leaning forward and brushing hair from Robert’s eyes. He still looked pale and weak.
“Maybe you are sick. You’re really pale.” He thought out loud, getting a disapproving groan from Robert. Chase’s hand moved from brushing hair from his eyes to be on the back of his forehead. “You don’t feel that warm.” He noticed how Robert seemed to be tilting his head in the direction of Chase’s hand.
Chase turned to the end of the couch and lay down a pillow that was there, before placing a hand on Robert’s shoulder. “Let’s get you layin’ down, kid.”
He gently guided Robert to lay down, which he liked, accepting the nice pillow. He seemed to smile, which felt reassuring to Chase. He knew it would’ve been more comfortable to have him in bed, but he wasn’t really in a state to walk there. And Chase physically couldn’t carry him.
“I’ll be right back, okay?” He spoke softly, to which Robert hummed. Chase gently took his hand off him and retrieved a couple of things from various places. He got pain relief and a thermometer (just in case he would need it) from the bathroom, and a cup of water from the kitchen. He put those down on the coffee table and picked up a blanket that was slung across an armchair across from the couch.
Softly, he draped the blanket over Robert, who shuffled into it and hummed. Chase tucked the sides in and looked at his face again. It looked slightly less pained and slightly more coloured, if only just a bit, but it was still pale.
“I got pain meds if you want ‘em. But you need to sit up.” He offered softly, which Robert hesitated for a bit before nodding, shuffling to sit himself up slightly against the arm of the couch. Chase pulled out a sheet of tablets.
“How bad is it?” Chase asked. He got quite a prominent groan from Robert. “Okay. So two tablets it is.” Chase popped two of the tablets into his hand and held them out for Robert to take. He also gently handed him the glass of water.
Robert tossed the tablets into his mouth and downed some of the water, not drinking all of it but just enough to make sure the tablets went down. He then smiled.
“Thanks.” He mumbled gruffly, the first proper word he had said in about half an hour. Chase smiled at him.
“All good.” He let Robert sink back into his laying position and retucked the blanket around him. Robert took a deep breath in, and Chase stayed sitting on the coffee table until Robert fell asleep.
The rest of the night was mostly uneventful, Robert occasionally waking up and mumbling before going back to sleep. Chase didn’t really pay any mind to it, but still stayed near him for the night. Chase was lucky that he was blessed with the power of being able to sleep virtually anywhere, so he put himself in the armchair across the couch, unsurprisingly quite comfortable.
-
In the morning, the apartment felt a lot brighter, a lot warmer and a lot more alive. Chase was awake by 7, like usual, being more of a semi-early bird. They both had work today, so after Chase had gotten himself ready like he was Robert’s roommate and not self proclaimed guest for the night, he went back over to the couch to wake Robert up to see how he was doing, only to find him already up and finishing getting dressed.
“Oh,” Chase said. “Good morning.” Robert still looked pale and slightly weak, but he looked like he felt much better from the night before. Robert tossed a nod and smile to Chase.
“Morning,” he grumbled. “Sorry for last night.” Chase shook his head.
“It’s fine. You scared the fuckin’ shit outta me though.” Chase pointed at him with a humorous angry look on his face. Robert laughed slightly. “You feelin’ any better though?”
Robert tilted his head from side to side, fixing his shirt collar. “A little,” he began. “probably just a headache. I’ll be fine today.”
Chase squinted his eyes at him but part of him wanted to believe him. “I’ll take your word for it.”
-
Robert was in fact, not fine today. Or for the rest of the week. His symptoms only seemed to grow over the week, which Chase had tried to fix with coffee originally, but as the days went on it worked less and less.
First it was the headache. Then his balance was off. Then his tone was getting more snappy. Then everything just began piling and piling. It was a problem that realistically, Chase should’ve intervened with earlier, but Robert kept saying he was managing and Chase believed him.
At the end of every day, Robert found himself in a state where he could barely walk from a headache, leading Chase to drive him home and stay with him until the morning. Robert wouldn’t eat anything, and Chase had to practically force toast down his throat to make him eat.
The cycle of getting up, barely making it through the day, getting home and waking up a little worse than the day before continued for days and days, until Robert was clearly at his worst.
It was about midday when Robert felt so sick he thought he was going to faint, fart, cry, shit and throw up at the very same time. The pentagon of true evil. He had told his team he just needed a short break, because everything was making him feel like dying. He groaned as he felt his stomach twist. He couldn’t stand, so either he pushed it down and got through this or threw up all over the floor right here right now.
He threw his body on his desk just to stop having to hold it up anymore, cradling his head in his arms. He swallowed cries of pain, just wanting it to be over. His body was shaking and his face felt warm and weird, so he just closed his eyes and waited for it to pass. When his stomach twisted again, he just squinted and bit his lip.
A hand brushed on his shoulder and he just whined. He heard a voice but he didn’t care. The hand became slightly more firm and tried to turn him around. It was upsettingly successful, and Robert’s body slimed off the desk and started melting down to the floor. It was quickly held up and pinned back against the chair. His head lolled backwards and the voice kept talking to him. Robert accidentally interrupted him with a cough that wracked his body. Whoops.
Chase was starting to worry. He had never seen Robert this out of it before. He was incredibly pale and sweating, and his body moved like jelly despite his shaking. Chase knew he was in no physical form to carry the man, having the decaying body of an elderly man and all, but he had no idea how to get him home.
“Robert.” Chase spoke after Robert’s coughing fit was done, tapping at his cheek to get his attention. “I need to get you home, kid.” Robert seemed to give no response, which made Chase grumble under his breath.
His mind raced with possible solutions to getting him out of the office. Whatever he did, he needed to act quickly. Robert looked like he was about to pass out. He decided to try what they did on the first day and assess any problems later. Chase grabbed his bag again and packed everything he brought, slinging it over his shoulder before grabbing Robert’s arm with one hand and lifting him, sliding his hand underneath his back and wrapping around him as best he could.
Robert’s head lulled forward and his knees bent slightly, making Chase grab him from the waist and lift more from there. His other arm slung over Chase’s shoulder and he tapped Robert’s hand.
“You with me, kid?” He asked firmly, fearing a response of nothing. Instead, he got a hum.
“Mmh.” Robert’s voice was gentle and soft. He took a heavy step forward and Chase followed, his grip tightening with every shaking step.
Chase continued talking to him for the entire walk to his car. Reassuring words, instructions, explanations of what Chase was doing. It was an anxious habit of his. “There you go. Lean into me if you need it. Left. Right. Good job. Almost there, kid.”
Robert tried his best to acknowledge each one, just to affirm his praise to himself and keep his brain on. He was feeling worse than death, barely conscious and aware of himself. He finally recognised the seat of a car, and fell towards it, being repositioned to sit properly in it and his seatbelt on.
Chase kept most of his focus on Robert as he drove, trying to look out for any signs that he needed to stop driving to Robert’s and drive to a hospital. Thankfully, the ride wasn’t long, but by the time they got to Robert’s apartment block and parked, it was gently snowing.
“Snow…” Robert had gently muttered, soft and pure, slung around Chase as he was lead to his apartment. Chase nodded at him, looking up at the sky and watching the snow fall for a little bit.
“It’s pretty, isn’t it?” Chase prompted, getting a slight nod and hum from Robert. About a minute later, Robert’s small and sickly voice spoke up again.
“ ‘hase..?”
Chase turned to him just as he heard it, trying to make sure he wasn’t about to tell Chase that he was going to pass out.
“Snow…” Robert slurred, a smile in the corners of his mouth.
Chase laughed slightly, giving Robert’s arm a pat.
“Yeah, kid. Snow.”
-
The first thing Chase did when he got into Robert’s apartment was get the man laying down. He liked that, smiling as if Chase wasn’t hovering around him and worried like he got paid to worry. Chase was asking him things and trying to get him to do things, but Robert didn’t want to do them. The heater was on and he had a nice blanket around him. He was set.
Chase however, was not set. He resurfaced the thermometer and the pain relief that was already almost out, trying to figure out what to do. He wasn’t the most practiced caregiver for sick people, but damn him for trying. He had anti nausea tablets, cold and flu tablets, throat antiseptic and any other little box that had some kind of medicine in it prepared on the table. He started with temperature.
First, to decide if he needed the thermometer, he pressed the back of his hand to Robert’s fairly sweaty forehead, which made Robert hum and Chase curse.
“You’re burning, kid. Hold still.”
Chase pulled the thermometer from its case and clasped it gently into Robert’s ear. Robert whined when it beeped.
“Sorry,” Chase whispered, looking down at the reading. Definitely a fever. Chase put the thermometer down and picked up the heater remote, pressing the off button. Robert groaned when he eventually stopped feeling the warm air on him.
“I know, bud, but you’ve got a temperature.” Chase explained, brushing hair away from Robert’s sweaty forehead. Robert still groaned, cuddling up to the blanket more. The next step was medicine. Chase tried to coax Robert into sitting up. He protested, which got a sigh from the poor guy.
“Medicine. And then you can lay down and sleep.” He said firmly, now more easily able to get Robert to sit up. “I know it hurts, kiddo. Tell me where, though.” Chase watched as Robert weakly picked up his arm from the blanket and pointed to his head, throat and stomach. He then dropped his hand and Chase tucked it back into the blanket.
Chase looked around his little makeshift medicine cabinet (which was actually just all of Robert’s medicine messily laid out on the coffee table) trying to find things that targeted each of the man’s pains. One was labeled as fast pain relief for headaches, so he grabbed that one. Another was an antiseptic throat spray, or the other option was antiseptic lozenges that you could suck. He put them both to the side.
For the stomach however, Chase didn’t know if it hurt or was nauseous. He turned back to Robert, who was patiently still sitting upright against the arm of the couch again.
“Is it pain or nausea?” Chase asked, getting a hum split into three in response. So it was nausea. Robert, like a lot of sick people, opted to try and say syllables instead of words because it was easier. Chase grabbed the anti nausea tablet box and put them on Robert’s lap, as well as the spray. He then stood to get a cup of water, returning.
Robert’s eyes were weak and clouded, but slightly open, looking at Chase. Chase smiled at him. “Hi buddy.”, he soothed, patting his head. Robert smiled back.
“I’ll help you with the medicine, okay? All you need to do is open your mouth and drink water. Only those two things, okay?” Chase instructed, getting the smallest of nods from Robert. “Okay.” Chase said, more to himself. He picked up the anti nausea tablet first.
“Open.” Chase spoke simply, and Robert opened his mouth. Chase dropped the tablet into his mouth, before picking up the water and holding the rim to Robert’s lip. “Drink.” He said quickly, like a chain of commands. Robert’s mouth curved against the cup and Chase gently tilted it back, letting Robert drink before pulling away.
“Did the tablet go down?” Chase prompted, to which Robert nodded. Chase continued. “Great. Two more okay? Open.” Chase instructed again, dropping two painkiller tablets into his mouth once he opened it. The water was quickly brought to his lips again. “Drink.” And Robert drank, teeth gently clasped to the cup and taking small sips.
When Chase tried to pull the cup away, Robert grunted, taking another couple of sips. When he was done, Chase pulled it away.
“You okay?” He asked, setting the cup on the table.
Robert nodded gently and muttered. “Got st’ck…” Chase moved to pick up the cup again.
“Need any more?” Robert shook his head. Chase nodded and picked up the throat spray.
“This one’s a little different.” Chase began, twisting the cap open to get the spray nozzle free, and continued. “I need you to open as wide as you can, and this is gonna be a spray on your throat. Right at the back. Hopefully it won’t taste like ass and will taste like watermelon. But it’s gonna make your throat stop feelin’ shit.”
Robert nodded. “I kno’ wh’t a ‘hro’t s’ray do’s, dad…” He grumbled, his words slurred and incoherent. Chase almost didn’t notice that Robert called him ‘dad’ through all the sloshy sounds. He didn’t bother correcting the kid, worried it would only confuse or hurt him more. Robert was clearly not in the right state to know what was going on, so Chase just let it happen.
“Alright, kid. Ready? Open big.” Chase held the bottle tightly as Robert opened his mouth, very much wider than before. “Ready? 3, 2, 1.” Tssh. “Good job. Now close your damn mouth before the flies get in.” Chase put his arm on Robert’s shoulder to guide him back to laying down, and Robert smiled gently, letting himself be moved.
Chase was still worried that he should bring Robert to his bed, at least to be more comfortable than the couch. But Chase also knew that Robert was in absolutely no state to move, and Chase wasn’t sure if he could do any more lifting. Robert seemed comfortable, and Chase put a hand in his hair, gently running through knots and unbrushed parts, his wrinkled hands delicate and fragile.
He couldn’t help but think back to when he met Robert. His best friend’s son. Chase was Robert’s last hope, a scrawny young adult boy that had just lost his one guiding light. The kid was a mess, and at some point Chase did feel like Robert’s dad, or what was left of him. He remembered Robert being shut out and sour, not letting Chase check on him for a week. He remembered going out and buying the kid what he thought young adults liked and needed when they were grieving. Sodas and junk food, mostly.
He remembered leaving the bags at the door of Robert’s apartment, just as the door unlocked and the kid stepped out. He looked horrible. They both didn’t say anything for a bit, but surprisingly, Robert was the first to talk. He remembered the kid inviting him into the apartment and them just sitting there, not saying much. Chase wasn’t judging him. He wasn’t doing well himself either.
The two of them eventually started talking, about life, hobbies, just stuff mostly. But it wasn’t long before they had circled back to his dad. Robert had ended up crying, sobbing, and unable to pull himself up. So, Chase did.
Now, Chase was feeling like that again. Like the young and confused man was back in his arms, the dam breaking after weeks of build up. Exhausted but unable to sleep, tired of not having anyone, everyone being gone. A helpless, stubborn boy who finally cried out for help. That night, all those years ago, when Chase’s hand wasn’t so wrinkled and shaky and when Robert’s hair was untouched and greasy, was almost like tonight.
With Robert getting the care that he needed after weeks of letting it eat him. Like a parasite.
Chase stood from his bent position on the floor, quietly, as he had noticed Robert’s face wasn’t so pained, his breaths even. He’d fallen asleep. A good sign. Chase knew he needed to call Robert out of work for tomorrow, and would rather do it now instead of in the middle of the night. He picked up his phone and navigated to Blonde Blazer’s number, moving away from the couch and listening to it dial.
“Hi, Chase,” The woman greeted, a small hint of concern in her voice. “You know you can just call me from your desk right? You don’t have to call my mobile.”
Oh fuck. Chase had forgotten that he completely left work and dragged his sick coworker with him in the middle of the day. Chase cleared his throat gently.
“I’m not at my desk.” He replied. He wondered how to explain that he Irish goodbye’d his entire office without getting him and Robert fired. “Skinny prick wasn’t doing well, I had to drive him home.” Blazer hummed in sympathy.
“Is he okay? How bad is it?” She questioned, to which Chase looked at the blanketed man on the couch.
“Uhh… He sounds higher than a kite. Fever, delirious to all hells.”
“Do you need me to come over?” Blazer asked, sounds of shuffling in the back.
Chase shook his head. “I don’t think so. He’s knocked out now. But I don’t think he’s coming in tomorrow. Sorry.” He said with a slight chuckle in his tone. Blazer laughed.
“Obviously. I’ll call you off too. Just stay with him and keep me updated, okay?” Blazer spoke, her voice firm but somewhat reassuring and calm. Chase nodded.
“Thanks. Will do.” With that, he hung up the phone and put it down.
Chase spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning around the apartment, sorting through piles of cluttered junk and putting them back where they belong. He was quiet and methodical, making sure to keep his noise to a minimum. He kept looking back at Robert. He didn’t have much room to move if he needed it, couches aren’t meant to be beds after all.
Chase believes that there are two types of people in this world. People who are firm on their limits and know them well, leaving no room for exceptions. And people who would do whatever it takes to help the people that meant the most to them. Chase was that kind of person.
He spotted Robert’s room, curtains drawn and closet open. There were clothes piled on top of fragile boxes, and random assortments of things tossed across Robert’s bed. Clothes, electric cords, paper. The works, really. Chase started by picking up loose cords and pairing them together, putting them in Robert’s beside drawer.
Then came the papers, which Chase stacked neatly and put on the hallway banister. The clothes were scooped into Chase’s arms and put on the floor at the foot of his bed for later. Chase didn’t know if they were dirty or clean, so that was the determined ‘I don’t know’ pile.
The man untucked Robert’s covers to create a space for him, taking a steady breath and returning to the living room. Robert was still curled up on the couch asleep, his head almost falling off the couch. It was a sight that felt sort of sweet, to see him not pushing himself past his limits.
Speaking of pushing past limits, Chase was about to do just that. He bent down and put a hand in Robert’s sweaty hair, just to gently tell him that he was there. Robert hummed, head turning to try and figure out why the hand was there.
“Shh, shh, it’s okay. I’m just gonna move you, okay? It’s alright.” Chase soothed, trying to keep the boy asleep to prevent breaking the deep sleep that he needed to be in. Chase adjusted the blanket slightly and slowly slid an arm under Robert’s torso, taking the blanket too.
Chase was trying to figure out a way to pick him up and carry him without putting most of the weight in his fragile old man arms. He thought of an idea and gently started lifting Robert upright, trying to keep the blanket around him. Robert, still asleep, let his head lull forward, and then his body once upright, falling into Chase’s shoulder.
Robert’s arms dangled at his side, but once Chase had made sure that he was still asleep, he placed a firm hand on Robert’s back to keep him to his chest and hold the blanket around him. Gently, his other hand hooked under Robert’s knees, and he lifted, tilting himself slightly backwards to carry most of the weight on his chest.
And it worked. Robert didn’t stir much and Chase was able to pick him up off the couch and stand, beginning to make his way to Robert’s bedroom. Robert’s head was hung over Chase’s shoulder. It shuffled gently and whined when Chase was almost certain he was asleep, just a few steps away from Robert’s room.
“Shh,” Chase hushed, turning his head slightly. “You’re okay, kid. I’m here.” He soothed, getting a hum from Robert. Not mad or upset, just acknowledging.
Chase got to Robert’s room and gently lay him down in bed, taking the blanket off first to throw over the top. Robert gave a frown at the cold, untouched sheets. Chase saw he was still in his SDN uniform and huffed.
“Yeah, we ain’t doin’ that.” He sighed, stepping out of the room and returning himself to the laundry basket of washed clothes that he had done for the man a couple of nights ago. He surfaced a cotton button up shirt and some light shorts, bringing them back to the sick man.
He delicately changed the man out of his uniform, who was complaining about all of the cold, to which Chase would hush him with soothing words.
Once he was dressed in fresh clothes, Chase wasted no time in pulling his sheets and covers over him delicately, pulling them up to his neck. He put the blanket on top, only on his lower half, just in case it got too hot.
“I know, bud. You’ll warm up soon. Go back to sleep, kid.” He spoke low and quiet to the man still whining about being cold, and Robert just settled into his bed, getting comfortable. His frown smoothed out into a neutral face, and his breathing evened out again.
Chase collected the various medications from the living room and took his temperature again with a forehead thermometer he found that didn’t beep. It was slightly higher, but Chase blamed it on the fact he forgot to give Robert any fever medication.
He left the room quietly to fetch a few wash cloths and a towel from Robert’s bathroom, and a bowl of water from the kitchen. He made sure it wasn’t ice cold, just lukewarm. Coming back, he was trying to be as quiet and as careful as possible until he noticed Robert kicking his sheets off weakly. Chase hurriedly put the bowl on the floor near him and returned to Robert’s side, helping him take the cover off but keeping the sheet on.
Robert whined, but Chase just hushed him. “It’s the middle of winter, kid. You’re only gonna get sicker if you have nothing covering you.” Robert frowned again and blinked open his eyes to give a bitch face look to Chase.
“ ‘S lik’ a mil’i’n fuhk’n degrees ‘n here, dad…” He croaked, slurring barely above a whisper. Chase’s heart melted at his sassy little attitude still present even half asleep and delirious. Robert didn’t seem to struggle against his sheets anymore however. Chase ruffled his hair, knowing that a healthy Robert wouldn’t have called him dad for a second time even if he meant it. He was absolutely debilitated.
“Sure it is, kid. Come on, back to sleep. I’m gonna stay right here, a’ight?” Chase soothed, giving the sickly man a gentle squeeze on the shoulder before returning to the bowl on the floor. He gently dipped one of the washcloths edges into the lukewarm water, squeezing it a bit before bringing it to Robert’s head, gently wiping sweat from his brow.
Robert hummed and leaned into it, making Chase chuckle.
He was very gentle and soothing in his motions, making sure not to press too hard or drip water onto his face. Once he did his forehead, he gently dabbed at his flushed cheeks and jaw, clearing them of the top layer of grime and sweat. After that, Chase returned to the bowl, submerging the cloth in water and wringing it out, listening to the twinkle of water falling back into the bowl.
Chase wrung it out as much as he could before gently putting it over Robert’s head, folding it so it didn’t cover his eyes. He did the same submerging and wringing for the second cloth, balancing it over the bowl. Gently, he lifted Robert’s head and put the towel underneath his head and neck. He rolled the second cloth and put it on the back of Robert’s neck and lowered his head back down, running his thumb along Robert’s cheek for just a few moments.
The towel was to prevent any of the water getting onto Robert’s bed, so it didn’t make it extra uncomfortable. Chase moved the bowl out of the walkway and readjusted the way the cloths sat around the man, trying to keep him in the most comfortable position possible.
And that was it for most of the night. Chase fell into a routine of dozing next to Robert, slumped against the man’s closet door, waking up when he heard the man shift or groan. It was easy to get him back to sleep, with a refresh of cloths and a gentle hand in his hair.
It was about two in the morning when Chase heard him shift again. Followed by a sharp inhale. Chase blinked his eyes open and put a hand on Robert’s shoulder.
“I got you, kid. What’s the matter?” He whispered, gently guiding Robert back onto his back and head facing him as he had turned over during his shifting and discomfort. Robert obliged, his face twisted in pain, mumbling brokenly.
“What hurts, bud?” Chase asked, a little bit louder. Robert pursed his lips.
“Head.” He groaned. Chase nodded and guided him to sit up. Robert was more helpful in getting himself up, although shaky and unsteady. He pressed his back against the bed frame. Chase put the box of headache pain relief on Robert’s lap and ruffled his hair.
“Lemme go get you a cup of water for the pills.” He let his hand linger on the man’s head as he started walking, but stopped when Robert spoke up a bit.
“Dad..?” He whispered, his head tilted to the side and his eyes barely open. Chase turned to face towards him.
Chase’s lips quivered as he responded. “Yeah?” He asked, his voice as firm and sure as his head would let him. Chase knew he was out of it, and that there was no point in acknowledging it. But his voice, his small sick voice, Chase couldn’t help the affirmation that he was Robert’s dad slip through his lips. If he went to Hell for lying, God knows it was worth it for his best friend.
“ ‘M h’ngry..” Robert muttered. Chase nodded.
“Yeah, kiddo. You haven’t eaten since this morning. What do you want?” Chase asked, putting a hand on the door frame as Robert thought for a bit.
“Pizza.” He responded with a smile. Chase chuckled and shook his head.
“You’re getting broth. I’ll take you out for pizza when you’re healthy. Sound good?” Chase offered, to which Robert nodded.
Chase took one of the many instant noodles packets from Robert’s pantry and started on preparing that. It was quick and easy, thank god, and Chase filled a cup of water while he waited for the kettle to boil. Once it was done he poured it into both of the ramen cups, one for himself and one for Robert.
He blew on both of them for a bit to cool them down, before straining the broth from one of the cups into a normal bowl for Robert. Chase left the noodles in the cup and transported his own noodles and broth into a separate bowl for himself. He grabbed a set of cutlery and returned to Robert’s room with his army of containers of liquids and foods.
Chase sat the bowls and cup on Robert’s bedside table before turning back to the boy.
“How’re you doing, champ?” He asked, to which Robert responded with a sleepy hum. Chase smiled. “Medicine or food first?”
Robert seemed to think for a while before pointing to the bowl of noodles. Chase gently lifted the bowl with just broth and placed it in his lap, handing him the spoon. Robert looked between his bowl and Chase’s bowl on the bedside.
“Why do’sn’ mine ‘ave noodl’s?” He complained sleepily, giving Chase a frown. Chase picked up the separate cup that had the noodles in it.
“They’re there, kid. Just see how you go with broth first.” Chase gestured back to Robert’s bowl, to which Robert just nodded and picked up a healthy amount of broth in his spoon. He deposited it into his mouth and smiled.
Chase chuckled and sat down with his own bowl, twisting a bundle of noodles around his fork. He watched as Robert delicately spoon drank his broth, eyes lidded and body slightly shaky. It was good that he was doing it on his own, Chase thought as he ate his own noodles.
Robert soon finished the broth and pointed to the noodle cup. “Can I h’ve th’ noodl’s?” He mumbled, getting a nod from Chase, who stood and poured the noodles into Robert’s bowl. Robert gave a gentle thanks, before attempting to scoop noodles onto his spoon. They fell off, and he looked like he was about to cry.
“Oh buddy,” Chase began, with a slight laugh in his voice. “Here.” Chase wiped his fork with a tissue and handed it to Robert, who took it carefully and began to properly eat his noodles. With his better success, Robert smiled delicately.
Chase silently watched him enjoy the noodles, and when he was done, he popped two pain relief tablets into his hand. Robert outstretched his palm and chase dropped them into it. Robert was a little more coherent compared to the first time he had to give Robert medication, which Chase was thankful for. Hopefully it meant he was getting better.
Chase handed the cup to Robert who threw the tablets into his mouth and took a couple of sips of water. He was still slow and shaky, pale and flushed, but he was looking a hell of a lot better than when he brought him home.
After he took the tablets, Chase remembered the fever ones he forgot to give him earlier.
“Oh!” Chase tapped on Robert’s shoulder. “A couple more for you, kid. Fever ones.” Robert seemed to nod and Chase handed him a light dosage just to start with. Robert tossed the tablets in his mouth and took more water.
Chase guided Robert back to his laying down position and turned around to get the thermometer from behind him.
“ ‘S that th’ beep’n’ one?” Robert grumbled, to which Chase shook his head.
“Nah, different one.”
Chase held the thermometer to Robert’s forehead and took a reading. He was slightly relieved to see that it hadn’t gone up any further. He pat Robert’s head. and lowered himself from his knees, back onto the floor again.
Robert, with his eyes half lidded, didn’t want to go to sleep yet. “Do I haf’ t’ go ‘nto work t’moro’?” He asked, genuine worry in his voice.
A chuckle came from Chase as he shook his head. “No, buddy. You’re staying in bed.” Robert smiled at that.
“Are you goin’ ‘nto work t’moro’?”
Chase shook his head again. “I’m staying right here, kid.”
Robert nodded and hummed, letting his eyes flutter. He snuggled into his sheet but shivered slightly. Chase reached over and pulled the man’s covers up halfway. Robert smiled again.
“I love y’u, dad.”
It was a gentle mutter, gently above a whisper, spoken through gritted vocal chords and slurred lips. Chase’s heart warmed, resting a hand in the man’s hair again. He combed through it and smiled. Robert’s eyes were fully closed and his cheek was squished against the pillow.
“I love you too, buddy.”
-
Robert didn’t wake up until midday, but Chase woke up just before seven, like usual. He stood from being pressed against Robert’s closed again and stretched. The man had his lips slightly parted and his hand almost tucked underneath his chin. He was hopefully having the deepest, most needed sleep of his life.
Chase thought back to the night before. Bringing Robert home and him barely being able to drink water. Getting him to sleep and busying around the apartment, trying to tidy to make it the smallest amount more pleasing for Robert when he woke up. Carrying Robert like a young boy to his room. Him calling Chase dad. Multiple times.
He knew Robert wouldn’t remember much, if anything from that entire day, or even entire week. But it still made Chase feel happy, knowing that it happened. Knowing that there was a part of him that still saw every bit of care as his dad. That Robert still wanted to feel cared for, childish, and loved like a son, even as a grown man. Chase was the closest he had now.
By the time Robert woke up, Chase brought him a slice of toast with butter on it. He still helped Robert sit up, and Robert still communicated through noises and hums. Chase was okay with that though.
Robert stayed in bed for the entire day, and most of the next day. Of course, he got up to go to the bathroom and take very quick showers, but most of his day was spent in bed. He got better over time, his nausea went away and his throat stopped hurting, his headache dissolving into a dull ache.
After a couple of days, he woke up with his fever broken, and the first thing Chase did was take him up on his promise.
-
“I’ll have the vegetarian pizza and a diet Coke please.” Chase spoke with a small smile to the waiter. He turned to Robert, who was still looking at the menu.
“Uhh…” He thought, tossing between his last two options. “Margherita. But without the olives.” He decided, looking up at the waiter and then looking back at the menu again. “And a lemonade as well. Thanks.”
The waiter nodded and left. The two dug into the garlic bread starter they had ordered.
“You know, kid… You lasted longer than I thought you would before collapsin’.” Chase teased, smirking at him. Robert laughed and put a piece of bread on his mini plate. He seemed to agree.
“I wasn’t feeling much after the second day. Or remembering much. Especially after I gave up.” Robert replied, biting a piece of his bread. Chase nodded.
“Oh, you were a mess. Could barely communicate with you. It was like talkin’ to a brick fuckin’ wall.” Chase gave Robert’s hand a gentle slap. In retaliation, Robert tossed breadcrumbs at Chase. He laughed. They both laughed.
The conversation was quiet after that, until the pizza arrived. They both thanked the waiter and started eating.
“You called me dad… like… three fuckin’ times.”
Robert looked up at Chase, a hand over his mouth. He raced to swallow his slice and respond.
“Did I? I’m so sorry.” The apology was genuine and pure, a reminder that Robert really had no idea what was happening.
“Don’t be.” Chase waved a hand at him. “I’m glad you let me help you.” Robert nodded around his slice of pizza, before looking at Chase again.
“I mean…” Robert began, a smile playing at his lips. “You were acting like a pretty worried dad from day one.”
Chase laughed until he realised Robert wasn’t talking about day one of his sickness. He was talking about the first day they met. Chase pushed down the way he wanted to cry from how much of a big sentiment it was to him. Instead, he just decided to go with the flow.
“I’m always here if you need a second dad, kid.”
Robert smiled, genuine and grateful.
“I know, dad.”