When it came down to it, Nate had been doing exactly what the doctor ordered. He rested, he used the crutches, he choked down the supplements, he did the stretches. But here Nate was, back in a dressing gown as Casey carefully manipulated his leg into various positions. Some of them were perfectly fine, but some of them brought a wince to his face and pulled a soft groan out of him as his hand squeezed Caspian’s softly. While he had originally teased the blue eyed devil about how adamant he was to join the speedster, he was thankful for it.
Casey took notes each time Nate reacted negatively, chewing lightly at his lip as he pondered what that meant. It was possible that Nate’s body needed a slightly longer time to recover given all the strain on it. Maybe this was just the beginning of a downward turn for the boy. As much as the doctor had been anticipating good news, it wasn’t the reality.
“Alright Nate, there’s definitely been some improvement but there’s still some lingering pain which you’re obviously aware of,” Casey started, looking over the original MRI film that had been taken. “So you’ve got some options,” he looked to Caspian for a second before focusing back on his patient. “We could extend your resting for another two weeks, or we could do another, lower body only, MRI,” heavy emphasis was on ‘lower body only’ this time around.
Those blue eyes were staring daggers into the doctor. He could heal bullet wounds but it seemed there wasn’t much to be done for knees. He endured the tests along with Nate. He held his hand. They wouldn’t give up. Not until things were back to normal.
Caspian nodded at Casey. Anything the Doctor ordered for the man he loved would not come with protest. This was for Nate’s well being. “Whatever it takes to make Nate back into working order.”
The doors opened.
Skylar moved into the room. “Hi! Oh, sorry. They told me Casey was in here with some patients and I brought coffee?” Maybe this was a bad time. He held up the offering of four coffees and a bag of scones from the cafe.
The thing with bullets was that they were flesh wounds, like an extreme paper cut. What Nate was dealing with was something a bit more complex, muscles weren’t something he could do much with without taking the injury fully. Casey had already done as much as he could for the guy, even if it was clear that someone (coughCaspian) seemed to think otherwise.
Nate had been intrigued by the previous interactions between his boyfriend and the world’s tallest doctor. Obviously, they had a history and it was a decently bloody one, but Casey had been nothing but nice to him since this started. Yet here was Caspian, trying to casually murder the man with his eyes. “I always take a little longer to heal than expected, let’s wait and see what happens,” as much as days of lounging was driving him crazy, it seemed like the best bet.
Casey nodded, turning to see who was at the— “Skylar? I swear, I need to teach these folks about HIPAA,” he chuckled softly, shaking his head. Just because they weren’t in the US anymore didn’t mean nurses should just let his extremely adorable boyfriend…Fucking hell, Caspian did not need that obvious confirmation but it was too late.
“…Is there one of the cheesy ones in there?” Nate poked his head up with a smile. “Oh, hi Skylar! It’s fine, Casey,” He gave a little wave once he realized who it was.
The situation seemed intense. Skylar smiled anyway and began to pass out coffees. Nate would get a cheesy scone wrapped up in napkin from the bag. “Sorry, sorry, I won’t hang out. Sometimes Casey forgets to eat.” Amusement settled onto his face and he set the bag of pastries by the computer for whenever the tall, handsome doctor wanted to indulge.
“Skylar, is it?” Caspian inquired, earning the attention of the movie director. “That’s me! I’ve seen you around before.” Skylar’s eyes narrowed a touch as he assessed where that might’ve been. “Ah, yes. Perhaps the bar in the Cabana,” Cas replied. “There or around in passing, I’m sure.” He hadn’t worked much lately due to taking care of Nate unless he was swapping a care shift with AJ or one of Nate’s friends so he could get a break. “That’s probably where I’ve seen you!” Skylar said, smiling.
Cas picked up on the idea that they were together long before the thought popped into his head.
“I should let you get back to work. Sorry guys,” Skylar winced. He knew better than to hop in on someone’s appointment but the nurses were insisting….maybe they knew it was intense and that everyone needed a break to cool down.
It’s almost like the nurses remembered the last time around and how Casey, who they never saw as anything but charming, came out looking rumpled and tense. A faint blush spread across his cheeks at Skylar’s words, “Shh, I just get…sidetracked sometimes.” Ah yes, spoken like a true workaholic who ran himself ragged for his patients.
“Caspian gets the same way,” Nate smirked softly around his scone, offering his blue eyed love a bite. “Thanks so much for the snack, Skylar,” sure, the nurses had protein bars and the occasional fruit if someone got hungry, but nothing beat a score.
“No worries, babe. I’ll call you on my break,” he smiled softly, giving a little wave as Skylar retreated. Seriously, that beautiful man was a godsend, Casey hadn’t eaten yet. “Alright, slight intermission aside, I think that sounds like a plan, Nate. I’ll book an MRI slot for your next appointment and based on how things go, we’ll either use it or cancel it. I’ll add it to your paperwork, but this time around would be with contrast so no eating or drinking an hour ahead,” the contrast was enough to make the strongest stomachs turn and no one wanted to make the poor guy throw up.
Nate nodded softly, “That makes sense, I’ll remember.” His blue eyes shifted up to Caspian, “How does that plan sound to you, love?” The last time around he had been a bit surprised by how…passionate Caspian was about Casey’s choices, Nate wanted to make sure that he had a chance to share any feedback.
The back and forth exchange caused them all to sort of look at each other with understanding. Workaholics needed a break, and a scone, now and then and he was happy to help. While Skylar was in an affectionate mood he only smiled and nodded at Casey. If they’d been alone he would’ve tugged that white jacket down for a smooch but as it was, he merely backed through the curtain with a wave and disappeared.
Cas shook his head at the offered scone - he’d had enough of those to last two lifetimes - and then fixed his gaze upon Casey again. It sounded as if things were being ironed out and he had to trust that the good doctor had his reasons. The blue eyed devil was far from anyone who needed to be giving medical advice.
“If you believe it’s necessary, I shall do what I can to assist.” It was to get Nate back in working order, of course, which meant sacrifices could and would be made.
A chorus of ‘thank you’d rung out in sync, Nate’s being the ever chipper and Casey’s trying to hold in a grateful sigh of relief. Starting a fresh battle with Caspian was not on his list of things to do today. But everyone was remaining civil, which he was thankful for.
“Fantastic, I’ll get a new appointment setup and a fresh doctor's note written up so you can miss work. Swing by the nurse’s station on your way out and they’ll have everything you need,” Casey smiled warmly at Nate before grabbing his things (and the extra scones) before heading for the door.
“Thank you, Casey!” Nate waved, doing his best to keep up the chipper face until the doctor was out of the room. He sighed, looking up at Caspian with a little frown, “I was hoping this went a little differently, but at least there’s an improvement?” He’d take that over things getting worse any day, but it was slowly driving him crazy to be so careful. The amount of energy that had nowhere to go had been manageable, but with another two weeks of crutches and taking it easy? The poor boy might snap.
He sighed softly, sitting up and scooting over to the edge of the bed as his fingers attempted to undo the ties on the gown, “why do they make these so difficult to undo?”
Caspian could feel the air in the room lighten. He tucked back a smile and only nodded, waiting for Casey to finish up. When the doctor was gone, Cas turned to look at Nate.
“As long as you’re healing and moving in a direction that’s agreeable, then things are all right. We can make due with a bit more downtime.” They were finding creative ways to allow Nate to expel that pent up energy that wouldn’t go against the doctors orders for rest and taking things easy. “You’ll be back to yourself in no time, love. Just a little bit longer.”
A soft chuckle and Caspian reached for the tie. “So that your lovely backside doesn’t get chilled.” He pulled the string and one of the twists came undone. He did the same for the others and slowly began to push away the fabric from Nate’s shoulders. “Now,” Cas began softly, “what would you care to do for the rest of your day?”
He gathered up Nate’s clothes and set them within reach.
“Just a little bit longer,” he repeated and did his best to not sigh. It felt childish to be so wound up about being told to just lounge about all day, but Nate was so used to being perpetually active that it was such a shift in mindset. But they’d make it through and the bed rest did allow him to really dig into some new books. The plants were definitely benefiting from the slowdown attention, getting watered and straight up pampered.
He laughed softly, “okay, fair. It is really cold in here.” Seriously, you’d think they’d keep it a little warmer so people wouldn’t get sicker. Nate let the gown pool in his lap as he tugged his shirt on, “that is a good question. Originally, I was going to say let’s go on an adventure, but that’s off the table.” He was planning on dragging Caspian out to this little cove on the northern side of the island for some, ahem, private swimming. But alas, something far tamer was in store.
“Why don’t we head home and take it from there? I think my mom sent another package,” because what else do you do when your baby boy is hurt and you can’t be there for him? Nate carefully slid into his shorts, setting the gown aside before standing up on his damn crutches.
Cas helped Nate maneuver when it was time to put his shorts back on. He held on steadily to the other, letting Nate use him for balance. “The adventure will still beckon us when we are ready to acknowledge it, my love. For now, I suggest seeing what is inside of that package.” Nate’s mother never did disappoint when it came to the contents of the things she sent.
Once he felt like Nate could stand on his own, Cas got the door and held it open. “Let’s pause at the nurse’s station like Casey said and see what they will be sending us off with.”
It wouldn’t take long to get there. It wasn’t like the medical ward was large or bustling.
Nate smiled softly over at Caspian, head shaking softly, “I don’t know how you do it, but I swear you know just the right way to say the right thing when I need to hear it.” It was like another that was just oddly tuned in for him specifically. The younger could pout and whine, then the handsome devil would slip in and soothe it over with words that wrapped around him like a cozy cocoon.
He nodded and crutched his way over to the desk. The nurse smiled at him, easily pulling up Nate’s file before fingers would fly over her keyboard, “so Dr. Aller has you scheduled for the 15th for a follow up and potential MRI with contrast. I’ve sent the appointment to your calendar so you’ll get the reminders. Additionally, you may be interested in physical therapy. There’s a brochure in this folder that outlines the options.” Nate nodded along with her, “I’ll look into it, thank you!”
The journey back to the cabana was slow going, but it wasn’t long before Nate was gracefully flopping onto their covers once more. “Home, sweet home,” he sighed contently, looking over at Caspian. “Casey’s boyfriend seems really sweet, just casually dropping snacks off for him. I’m pretty sure Ella’s knew Skylar from back home,” Nate pondered. “It’s kind of crazy how small of a world it is that we run into people from our old lives here.”
Caspian could only offer Nate a shrug and a small smile. He didn’t really have an answer on how he did it, either, considering he wasn’t reading Nate’s mind. He was just naturally good with people and having a young child helped with being able to soothe pouting and frustration. Being there for Nate meant being there in all ways and Caspian was there for it twenty four seven.
The pause at the nurses station rewarded them with the information they sought and after it concluded, he got the remaining barriers for Nate and carried the folder so that Nate could concentrate on the crutches without being bothered to have to do much else.
When they finally got back, Cas set the folder within reach in case Nate got curious. “Mm, that was a nice gesture.” Nate wasn’t wrong, Skylar seemed to be quite a delight. “I think the pool of those who are special is much less than there are people in the world.” Perhaps that was what made it feel so small and connected. “Fortunately those who have popped up are those who need to be here in one way or another.”
“That is true, if the pool was bigger we probably wouldn’t be here in the first place,” they could be off living real lives with freedom and autonomy, not casually trapped in a beautiful cage in paradise. One day they’d be able to go home, today just wasn’t that day.
“Yeah, or can help in some way. Imagine how crazy things would be if there were no doctors around?” They’d have to figure something out with regular folks and that seemed like it would be rough. Nate shifted up against the pillows, “Oh, I was going to ask this earlier, but that seemed like a poor choice. Was it me, or did it seem like everyone was a bit tense at the check up? Like it was far calmer than the last time around, but it felt…off.”
It was almost like Casey and the nurses had been..scared?
“Mm,” Cas agreed. He settled down on the bedside and leaned over to press a kiss on Nate’s temple. “We shall find our way back some day.” One way or another he was going to get them back to where they belonged. Even if it meant paradise would catch fire and burn to the ground. He wouldn’t mind watching the palm trees send smoke signals into the heavens. What a victorious day that would be.
“My darling, I would imagine they would’ve flown medical staff in from somewhere. Regardless as to whether or not they were gifted.” You didn’t keep people in places like this without some sort of medical facility. And while he had been bracing himself for that question - Nate was the observant type - he hadn’t been wholly prepared to answer it. “Casey and I know each other from outside of the island,” he explained, “and, I have to keep my reputation up as you can imagine.” Lest someone believed he was getting soft. “We don’t always see eye to eye but he is a doctor after last time, I decided to be a bit more open minded when it came to your care.”
Nate smiled softly at the kiss, scooting over a little so there was more space for Caspian to stretch out if he felt like it. He listened intently as the other spoke, head nodding a little, “that makes sense. Though that just makes me wonder, normally you wipe everyone you interact with in those situations. Why didn’t you do that to Casey? Seems like that would make everything a bit tidier.”
He reached over for the folder, casually leafing through the notes in there. There was the brochure for physical therapy, a copy of the stretches from the last time, and a brief overview of the visit with Casey’s notes. Nate’s head tilted slightly, a bit of confusion on his face, “hmm, I’m not claustrophobic, wonder why that’s on there.”
“Because Casey is a good person who was brought into a bad situation,” Caspian explained quietly. Nate wasn’t wrong; he usually did wipe away the darker stains but there was something about Casey that had changed Cas’ mind. Perhaps it was the willingness to save a life that didn’t necessarily warrant being saved or maybe it had something to do with the trauma and stress of the night coupled with Dorian’s ability to tamp down powers and render them useless. He still could wipe that slate clean but presently he was certain that the Doctor wouldn’t try anything silly. Especially with the unexpected addition of information who had brought coffee and scones.
Looking down at the notes, he caught the bit about the MRI. “I asked him not to put you in for a full scan,” Caspian admitted. “I tampered with your chip.” Removed it, actually. “You are no longer being tracked.” It would’ve not shown up in the image scans which could be detrimental if someone other than Casey looked at them.
It took a moment for those words to really sink into his brain. While he’d wholeheartedly agree that Casey was a good person, there was something there that gave him the same feeling that came up after his talk with Russ so many months ago. Caspian was a man of layers and no matter how hard Nate tried to peel them away, there always seemed to be fresh ones creeping in.
“…what?” The fact that the chips existed at all was shocking to Nate, but it made sense that it was something that was kept quiet. You can’t just have an island full of powerful people without some sort of safety net to prevent an actual melt down. “How did you tamper with my chip?” Because Nate had no recollection of said tampering and that meant that Caspian had touched his memory.
As much as Nate wanted to wait and hear the other’s explanation, to be a good partner and listen…there was no missing that he was vibrating.
“I removed it while you were sleeping.”
Caspian had expected a reaction, although he hoped for a positive one. No longer could Nate be tracked or reprimanded for using his ability. He was off of the grid, so to speak. “It didn’t take long at all.” And left virtually no blemish on Nate’s skin.
It was a risky procedure because of the medical implications such as the one they were facing with the imaging. If anyone found out there could, and would be, questions. That was natural. Humans were curious things.
“Apologies for not telling you about it sooner, love.”
Removed it while he was sleeping!?
Nate was up and on his crutches in a blink, far faster than he should have been moving at that point. At least he was trying to use the crutches as he did his best to pace while following doctor’s orders.
“Caspian…you…I can’t…” he groaned and it was hard to tell what he was frustrated with more: the love of his life or the fact that he couldn’t pace without the squeak of the crutches. “So let me get this straight, you casually performed amature surgery on me. While I was asleep. Which I have no memory about. And just….didn’t tell me!?”
For the first time, it seemed like Nate was actively upset. He could deal with Caspian’s past, that was the past. But the present was something that was something that directly impacted their future. Had he just asked to do it, the odds were in Cas’ favor that he’d get the thumbs up to do it.
“Yes.” It was the same answer for all of the statements. “I did all of those things and did not tell you.” He’d been looking out for Nate’s well-being first and foremost. And it had been selfish, too. He let Nate get up to try to pace to at least help curb some of the restlessness, before getting up to go to him. “Darling, you really should sit and rest.”
Had the knee injury not been there, he would’ve allowed Nate to continue to work off the new realization without an issue. But, even something like pacing with crutches could be strenuous.
“You still have a package from home to open, as well. Perhaps that will brighten your day a bit.”
“Caspian, do not ‘darling’ me right now,” was punctuated with a point of his crutch and what had to be the most clipped tone possible out of Nate. It had been so long since he was truly upset that part of him didn’t know what to do. All he knew is that he should not run and he should not let those beautiful blue eyes and charming accent distract him. God, that was the hard part.
Nate paused his pacing, balanced on his crutches with his knee bent carefully, “And do not try and change the subject, we’re having this discussion.” If there was any question if He was going to take this as well as he took everything else, the answer was hell no.
“This is really fucked up, Cas. Like. I can’t even fathom how you thought that this would be okay to not talk to me about. And then to make me not remember? That’s so…” he couldn’t even find a word for it right then, but it hurt. It hurt a lot and Nate was doing his best to not let that spiral into the terrible question of ‘what else haven’t you told me.’
As the clipped words met him, Caspian straightened and his expression flattened out. “All right then.” Everyone got upset at some point and it was interesting to see Nate transform into that state of being standing there with his crutches. Cas had faced down a lot of danger but something about experiencing Nate’s wrath frightened him more than staring down the barrel of a gun or being on the brunt end of an ability.
“It’s a literal betrayal.” He finished that sentence in a breath. “I have broken your trust and the promise that I made to you about tampering with your mind. I apologize. Truly. I had only your best intentions in mind and perhaps some of my own. I would have eventually told you when the opportunity presented itself and yet it seems that it has.” It only had taken an injury to bring it out.
Caspian sighed. “I haven’t done anything with your memory prior to that or afterward, I swear it. And, because I know you’ll wonder, there aren't any other things you don’t already know about. Everything is out on the table.”
“It is a literal betrayal,” Nate agreed as he went back to his crunching. If he didn’t move, he’d just get more agitated and that was not what either of them needed right then. As much as he wanted to explode, there was that little piece of him that knew that Caspian truly did this for him. “Eventually, of course. And how long ago did you take it out? Because I swear if it was more than three weeks ago…” he’d be crushed.
“See, I want to believe that there’s nothing else. But I’m finding that a bit difficult given the current situation,” and it would take a while for that to go away. Hell, it had taken weeks for the lingering concerns about Caspian to finally disappear, but now they were making their way back.
Nate paused again, hands going to rub at his eyes because he was not going to cry right then. No, that would be saved for a later time, because if he snapped then he’d just crumble into Caspian.
“No, no. It was more recent than that. Actually, it was the evening before the day of your accident.” He didn’t think there was a correlation there but then medicine wasn’t his expertise. “I was planning to tell you. And then this happened, which allowed that to be set aside until the point that Casey brought up the MRI. It was why I was so adamant that you not partake in a full body scan. Things like that don’t stay a secret for long.” All they needed was one nurse finding out about the excision and coming to Cas for the same help, or telling someone else about it. Or both.
Caspian nodded. “I can understand, Nathaniel. I have broken your trust.” And he would do what he could to repair it, even if it took time. If he had wanted Nate to forget about it, the conversation would’ve ended a long time ago.
He didn’t move. He didn’t get up to console Nate. Nate would come when he was ready. “Would you like me to ask one of your friends to take over your care for the time being?” He could stay with Dorian, it wouldn’t be a problem.
Well, that made him feel a little better. It was a new thing, not something that Caspian had done weeks prior and casually swept under the rug. “Wow, talk about perfect timing,” he sighed softly, head shaking a little. If anyone found out that it was missing, that would likely open up a can of worms that neither of them wanted to deal with.
But the fact that they were having this conversation was a good step forward. “I’m pretty sure Russ would lock you in a closet and AJ would break your nose…or something equally worrisome,” it was always the sweet quiet ones that looked like cinnamon rolls that would end up going on a rampage.
Nate’s anger had deflated like a balloon into sadness as he crutched his way over to the bed and sat down with a very clear gap between them. “As much as I want to boot you to Dorian’s room or the beach, I can’t sleep without you,” he murmured defeatedly, flopping back down against the bed. “But honestly, Caspian. You do something like this again and we’re done. No matter how-how much I love you, I cannot handle this again,” and that’s when he let his voice waver a bit.
The timing was a bit uncanny, he couldn’t argue with that. Had he known this would’ve befallen Nate it would’ve changed the motive and likely never would’ve happened in the first place. Seeing the future wasn’t in his set of skills, though. Unfortunately. That would’ve been promising. But the realization that had dawned on Nate was the same one that had hit him as soon as Casey uttered those three letters. It caused him to be reactive and combative to protect Nate and also himself. He had reflected back on that moment a lot since it happened.
He was doubtful that either of the two younger men would’ve been able to get anywhere close to him but he understood their reasoning and the stimulation for that wrath should they find out. They, too, were protective of Nate and he was glad for it. “I would deserve all of their wrath.”
As Nate came to sit down, Cas respected the evident gap. “You have my word and this time I will not betray your trust.” He loved Nate. He wasn’t perfect but now that the chip was gone there was no more motive to tamper or for undue discretion. They told each other everything. Nate knew too much about him to just let him walk away and the mere thought of hurting Nate more than he had already just sat heavily in his stomach.
Oh, they would not be able to enact their wrath, but they would try so hard to do it. Nate knew they would and that meant so much to him, they meant so much to him. It was times like this where he felt the distance between the island and California, between himself and the people who would have also had some choice actions for Caspian (not that he’d pass this story along).
Nate stayed quiet for a few minutes, eyes staring up at the ceiling as his fingers traced over the texture of their duvet. He wanted to run, he wanted to scream, he wanted to pitch a bigger fit than he had, but it wouldn’t do anything but make this worse. So Nate did the next best thing, he tried to just shut it down using some weird tricks his high school therapist tried to get him to do.
“You better not,” came with such a delay and softness that he wasn’t sure any words actually came out. Nate had seen the past, he lived the present, and he could just make out a beautiful future with the blue-eyed devil. “Just…trust me enough to talk to me about the hard stuff, okay?” Caspian was far from forgiven, but at least all the urges to club him with a crutch had subsided.
There was no expectation for things to blow over so quickly, he knew better. Nate would need time. Caspian would give him all of the time he needed. And he had no doubt that the amount of people who cared and would be told this story would hold grudges for a long time. He couldn’t blame them because he would've done exactly the same thing.
“I won’t,” Caspian replied. “And you know that I will. I won’t risk losing you again, Nate.” Things would take time but they would endure. They’d been through a lot so far.
When the pool babes heard what happened (with, uh, some omissions because they didn’t know about the chips in the first place), it would be a fun time. But Russ and AJ were working, though they had a tendency to stop by later. Maybe he’d wait a little, Nate wasn’t sure.
The one thing he was sure of was that his knee was unamused, though that was entirely his fault, “Good, because I love you even after you literally played secret Operation on me. Can you please grab my ice pack? I might have tweaked something and I don’t want Casey to have to make a house call.”
“Of course.” Caspian nodded. He leaned over to kiss Nate’s cheek and then moved off to collect the ice pack. He got it and brought it back. “Can you sit up at all? Maybe against the headboard? I can prop up your leg and put the pack on it.” If he had to help Nate move, he would. “And I love you too, my dear.” He didn’t want Casey coming by, either.
When Nate was settled as well as he could be, Cas sat down on the edge of the bed. “Are you hungry? May I get you anything?” He wanted Nate to rest and not do anything else.
Nate shuffled into position as he had every day for the past two weeks. He was calmer, but it was clear to see the slight sadness that had settled into his normally smiling face. It would get better, he just needed to decompress and rationalize everything that happened. Part of him wanted to curl into Caspian, part of him wanted to push him away.
He shook his head softly, “I'm good for now, though I will take that package.” It would be good to get his mind on something else as Caspian had tried to do earlier. Plus, odds were high that there was some snack in there.
“Of course.”
Caspian got up and went to get the box. He brought it back, set it down beside Nate and then settled again. “I wonder what it contains.” More than likely some treats and some mementos from life back in California. Opening those packages always brought a smile to Nate’s face and Cas was hopeful that this one would elicit the same response.
“Me too,” it was always a surprise what his mother whipped up. Thankfully, she had stopped sending him cases of wine for funzies. Nate fiddled with the tape, far too stubborn to get something sharp to open it. It took a few minutes and muttered nonsense before the box was open.
He smiled softly, pulling out a folded letter first and unfolding it. Nate’s eyes scanned over it, the smile growing a bit more as he read over it, “Mama says ‘thank you for taking care of my baby boy, who is likely driving you absolutely mad because he always drove me mad when he was sick.’” Oh, if she only knew.
Nate dug through the box, pulling out a pair of fresh new sweatshirts from the vineyard (did she not realize that they lived in a tropical climate?), some goofy photos his sisters took when Kenzie was home, a book of word puzzles, and a literal treasure trove of snacks. He pulled out some spicy mango lollipop, stuffing it in his mouth with a soft sigh, “these were my favorite as a kid.”
Those boxes had treasures in them that would’ve been the envy of the whole island. Not even he was privileged enough to have someone thoughtful and caring enough to send care packages of things. While the bottles of wine stopped, he was always curious about the treats.
As Nate read the letter aloud, Caspian couldn’t help but grin. “Only a little,” he teased. Honestly, Nate wasn’t terrible at all. They were going to drive each other bonkers regardless at some point, that happened sometimes, so getting used to it now was good.
Each item withdrawn would earn a bit more of a smile. “How thoughtful! I cannot say I’ve ever eaten something like that.”
Nate held out a fresh pop to Caspian, “I didn’t even share these with my sister’s.” A small peace offerings the form of Mexican sweets that reminded him of his childhood. “And there’s a sweatshirt, apparently you’ve been adopted,” he passed off the one that Nate now realized had the blue-eyes devil’s name neatly embroidered on it.
He shifted again, moving the ice pack off before his knee went fully numb. Nate stretched out, curling his sweater close and inhaling deeply. It smelled like home, the sweet scent of grapes and salt air blowing over the hills mixed with the smell of their bed and Caspian’s cologne, “how did you do it? Take out the chip and all.”
Accepting the candy, Caspian felt honored. “Really?” He set the treat aside in favor of the sweater. A bit of a chuckle would leave him. “Well, isn’t this just wonderful? My mum couldn’t sew to save her life. We never had anything handmade or made with care at all.” Things had changed a bit with Caitlyn but for the most part she was doted on in a way he never had been. It made him glad for her. “If you speak with your mother before I get a chance, please thank her for me.”
He set the items aside and moved to get up. Caspian knelt, fumbled between the mattress and withdrew a surgical kit and some numbing agent. “This is how I removed it.” He set the items down on the bed so Nate could see them.
“I’ve had these items since before I met you. You never know when you’ll need to be patched up.” He wasn’t planning on getting shot but stranger things had happened.
Thankfully Nate was a good sleeper.
“Really, really. Literally used to hoard them in my room till after they went to bed,” there was probably a stash of them still there unless his mother had found them cleaning. “She didn’t really have a choice to learn, money was tight and you had to make things last,” even when she met Nate’a father and got married, they were very thoughtful about the things they bought. If it wasn’t broken, it didn’t need replacing which was always fun. “Of course, I’ll let her know,” he’d probably call her later anyways.
Nate arched a brow as Caspian knelt down and fiddled around a bit, blinking when the kit was pulled out, “…I must be blind, how have I not seen that before?” He had fought with the sheets enough that he probably should have.
He looked over the implements, resisting the urge to touch them, “I mean, better safe than sorry?”
His own family had been much of the same, although they went without a lot prior to his abilities manifesting. After that, his Da stopped drinking (as if he had a choice) and the money was more readily available for the basic needs. “Thank you. If the weather ever decides to change you know I shall wear this proudly.” When they made it back to New York it would be opportune weather to boast such a wonderful sweater.
“It’s kept a touch further into the mattress so as not to alert housekeeping.” That would’ve been a whole conversation. Letting the instruments linger for a while, he finally collected them and put them back into place. “You never know when you’ll need them. Best to have them.”
Finally he sat down again and stretched out. “I was quite charmed by your friend Skylar. He seems like a pleasant young man.”
“We could just turn the air conditioning up real high one day, bust out the cozy sweaters and hot cocoa like it wasn’t 97 degrees outside,” Nate had done that with Russ on a few occasions when they were still getting homesick and looking for some sort of seasonality. An ozone killing alternative until they could get some cold weather naturally one day.
Nate nodded softly, “that explains why AJ hasn’t told me about it.” Not that he ever let housekeeping actually strip the beds anymore. Just because they lived in a glorified hotel didn’t mean they needed to have people wait on them like it.
He shifted onto his side, carefully propping his leg on a pillow, “he’s a sweetheart, really. You should see him with Casey, the height difference might be the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. The story of how they got together is a literal romcom waiting to be written.”
Now that wasn’t a terrible idea. “There is bound to be someone who can provide a bit of a weather change indoors.” If they had fire starters, surely there was someone who could make it snow or drop the temperature. “If we do end up finding a chance to wear them, we should send pictures.” Literal selfies of them together in their sweaters.
The medical kit wasn’t the only thing stuffed near the middle of the mattress. He hoped Nate kept his hands to himself if he went searching. “I tried to make sure we had some privacy.” Secrecy was what he thrived on.
And as Nate began to indulge him on Skylar, Cas nodded. “Oh? Do tell.”
Even though he was still very unamused with his darling dear, the idea that Mr.Privacy himself would be down for taking photos in their matching sweaters brought a smile to his face. For all of Caspian’s faults, it wasn’t fair how easy he could bring a smile to Nate’s lips, “of course, we’d take so many photos.” His mother would be thrilled.
“Uh, Casey almost tackled him trying to get away from one of the biddies on the third floor. Nearly gave Skylar a concussion in the process, but he came away with barely a bump. They ended up going for coffee as an apologie and just hit it off to the point that our favorite doctor moved in with Sky that night,” Nate had left out the bits where the brunette had blushed redder than a tomato and quickly stumbled through a ‘and we, y’know’d’ interlude in the middle.
“Been together ever since, which is kind of wild to think about. Could you imagine if we had hit it off like that? Charming you to the point of practically getting married with my terrible accidental flirting while you filled my giant water bottle,” god, if pats Nate could only see them now.
“I suspect we may even make the front of the refrigerator,” Caspian remarked proudly. As if Nate wasn’t already on the fridge back home. If Cas could get to one of the two fridges, he would’ve put a picture of Nate up, too. On both, if it was possible. Nobody had ever made him anything like that before and he was honored to have received it. “I wish there was a way to print them out. I would enjoy taking a few and handing them in here.” Not that they could be more adorable but you showed off the things you were proud of.
That was a cute story. “I can’t blame Casey for making that move. It’s good for him. I’m happy for the pair of them.” Truly. Moving quickly to get what you want wasn’t always a bad idea.
He chuckled. “Ah, I knew I wanted you far before you knew you were after me.” He just had to be patient and it had paid off. “And you don’t feel as if we are practically married now?”
“Oh, we may even get a slot on the wall tucked in with my sad karate photos and graduation,” but the fridge was definite, even if his father would be unamused at the sight of his only son (though he was oddly okay with Caspian, it was weird). “We could send out for prints, maybe even make a Christmas card,” okay, that might be a bit much but it would be cute.
“I know, right? I’m glad it all worked out, Skylar is over the moon for him,” and it was safe to assume the doctor was just as in love.
Nate stuck his tongue out playfully, “I mean, I saw the world's hottest guy behind the bar and thought I didn’t have a chance.” But he wasn’t even looking for a chance, it just found him and he was grateful for it, even if it came with some bumps. Though the question made him pause, taking a moment to actually ponder it. When it came down to it, they were essentially married. They lived together, their lives intertwined, they shared their families and (hopefully all) their secrets. “Actually, now that I think of it, we are pretty much married. Just missing the rings and subsequent paperwork, but everything else is there.”
“A slot on the wall, you say?” Cas had one of those walls except most of it was Caitlyn with the occasional photo of the two of them. “I could get used to that.” The mention of a Christmas card did make him a bit homesick. “Ah, only if your Mum will make us matching sweaters to wear. I have always wanted to do one of those ugly sweater things. They sound like quite a good time.” He wasn’t much of a partier but then he hadn’t really been of the state to celebrate. It was mostly him and Caitlyn and they did as much as they could, together.
He didn’t have to read Casey’s mind to see that he was in love. Even in the brief interaction with Skylar, Cas could see it. “I’m thrilled for them.”
Cas chuckled and shook his head. “Have I told you how terrible you are for my ego?” And why Nate could think he didn’t have a chance was beyond him. The next part made his eyebrows lift a touch. “Well, I can help with one of those things.”
“I’ll see what she can do,” his mother would probably whip something up in a heartbeat, but maybe an ugly sweater party was in their future. Get all the guys and their friends together for festive tomfoolery in a place where it never gets below 70 out.
There was a little smirk on Nate’s lips at that, shoulders shrugging as he swirled the lollipop around in his mouth, “I’m fairly certain you have, but I do like hearing it.” Even when he was still a little ruffled, it was hard to stay truly mad at Caspian which was frustrating in its own right (as if Nate could keep up angy for long anyways).
“Oh, gonna go print out some paperwork?” Because paperwork was the logical thing that Caspian could acquire out of that short list. The man who just mentioned having no way to get copies of photos, would clearly have access to a printer, right?
“No….not exactly.” Not so much the paperwork. “Why don’t we put a pin into this and revisit it later?” Things had been rocky the last hour or so and he didn’t want things to be decided or talked about as far as being respectful to Nate’s feelings.
He shifted a little closer and looked fondly at the man he loved. “Why don’t you rest? After the events of today I find myself weary and it’s a struggle to think in such a state.”
And then the realization clearly hit Nate, “…I think that’s the smartest idea.” Because Caspian would have ended up with a two letter answer instead of a three letter answer out of principle. You didn’t just get into a fight and casually bust out a ring or even the idea officially, and it was clear that the other knew that. Point for the blue eyed devil.
Nate plucked the lollipop from his mouth, carefully stuffing it back into the wrapper for later and setting it aside with the rest of the box. He closed the distance between their bodies, hand cupping Caspian’s cheek softly, “Only if you’ll be my extremely handsome and occasionally infuriating body pillow.”
He was smarter than he appeared in some realms. Though, you didn’t have to be a mind reader for most of that. And, trying to formulate anything tangible when they weren’t on the best terms was more of a slap in the face. You didn’t disrespect your partner by putting a bandaid over the wound you caused and pretended it didn’t matter. You let things mend themselves and once cooler heads prevailed then it would be time to discuss bigger things.
Glad that the distance between them was nil, he slid an arm around Nate. “It would be my honor.” The blue eyed devil smiled and leaned over to press a kiss on Nate’s cheek. He would let the other set the pace when it came to affection out of the same ideal of respect that had put everything else on pause a moment ago.
Nate pressed a soft kiss to Caspian’s lips before burrowing himself into the warmth of other’s chest. While their afternoon had taken a sharp turn off the smoothly paved road ahead, they were slowly making their way back on track. They’d find their way eventually, they always did after a bump like this. Though Nate had a feeling it might take some time to really digest this one, likely over silly pineapple drinks by the pool, flanked by Russ and AJ.
He sighed softly, snuggling in as his eyes closed. Even with how upset the speedster had been earlier, there was no denying that being in Caspian’s arms felt like home.