Remedy [MxM]

Chapter 17: Life Lesson: Sick People Are Generally Unhelpful in Unpacking

This chapter was edited on 2/3/2016 and includes minor alterations. Enjoy!

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"Well, that was the last box."

"Thank God. I'm tired of seeing boxes all over the damn place."

Chris snorted as he folded up the empty cardboard box, shoving it into the trash can. We'd been in various states of unpacking since we'd moved, since I started work immediately and Chris had managed to get sick, and a sick Chris was a Chris that no one wanted to deal with. But, now that we were finally done, the moving felt a lot more final. The apartment we got wasn't very big—maybe slightly smaller than Chris's old one. With our stuff combined, it was more than full.

I was in the kitchen making dinner when Chris walked in, standing next to me and crossing his arms over his chest. I glanced over, raising an eyebrow. "Something I can help you with?"

Chris only snorted again, leaning against my side lightly. He was still a little sick, so the lack of response wasn't unusual, and he was a bit more personable than when he'd been in the worst of it. I smiled slightly, moving one arm around his shoulders while cutting up some vegetables with the other. The position was awkward as hell, but I managed, and I was about to talk again when my phone ringing cut me off. Instead I sighed and put the knife down, disengaging myself from Chris to get the phone in the living room without bothering to check the ID.

"Hello?"

"Hey, um, Arden?"

Oh shit. I choked on an inhale and coughed to cover it up, hoping neither Chris nor the person on the other end of the line would question it.

"Uh, hey." I replied quietly, going farther into the living room and toward the hall to the bedroom, hoping Chris wouldn't hear me. "What's up, Eliot?"

"Well—Look I'm really sorry to bug you like this, but. Remember my boyfriend, Chris?"

"Um, vaguely I think, yeah. Didn't really see a whole lot of him either time we met."

"Right. Well. He's missing."

I know. I've been sleeping with him. Sorry. I rolled my eyes a little at myself because this wasn't the time to be a smartass, running a hand over my mouth and clearing my throat. "Wow. Really? How long?"

"A couple weeks now, at least. I moved down to Arizona because of my job, and when I tried to contact him, I couldn't get a hold of him. My sister hasn't seen him either, and they work at the same bar. So I was wondering if maybe you had heard anything."

"Wow, that's really not good. Uh, I'd like to help you, but I moved out of Baltimore a while ago. I haven't seen Chris since the night of the party."

"Really? Are you sure? Look, I'm getting really desperate here. And I know I may have been a little forward with you a while ago—"

"Oh, uh, that's not a big deal, really—"

"I never apologized or anything for it though, I was really out of line. Even though your sister told me that you were gay."

That had me pausing, because, what? Just. What?

"Um. My sister?"

"Yeah, Lizzie. She's friends with one of the kids from Chris's birthday, and the kid is my nephew. So Lizzie was over there a few days before I left, and we might've talked about you a little. Sorry."

"Well, my sister likes to uh. Exaggerate. I'm not gay."

"But you have been with a man before."

"Well, no, well, sort of, but. This isn't important."

"Right. Sorry, not the time. Uh. Call me if you find anything out, please. I'm going back to Baltimore for a little while to try and find him."

"Right." I didn't even say goodbye as I hung up, rolling my eyes. A certain thirteen-year-old would be getting a very strongly worded text from me later. Turning, I noticed Chris in the doorway with a raised eyebrow, arms still crossed over his chest.

"So. If we go down to Baltimore, will I start seeing my face on the side of milk cartons?" he asked.

"Possibly. But we're not going to Baltimore."

Chris smiled slightly, shaking his head before his expression dropped. "What if he finds out where we are?"

"Then I'm going to prison for attempted homicide. We've been over this."

He rolled his eyes as I walked by him to go back into the kitchen, going to finish cutting the vegetables. Except I didn't feel like cooking anymore. I sighed quietly to myself, leaning against the counter instead. What if River did find out what was going on? There was no way he could know about it unless Lizzie told him, right? No one else knew that Chris was with me, and no one else that I knew, also knew Eliot. I don't know how long I stood there quietly just thinking to myself, but I felt my arm being stabbed by the corner of something, making me look over to see a take-out menu. I chuckled, taking it from Chris and looking it over. "Well. Guess we can order out tonight."

***

I yawned, sitting on the edge of the bed to put my shoes on as the first beginnings of sunlight filtered in through the curtains over the window. The one bad thing about working was getting up so ridiculously early. But, on the plus side, I got home around noon. However, it didn't make me want to get up any more.

Glancing over across the bed, I looked down at Chris. He'd slept through the alarm, as usual, and was curled up with his back toward me. Reaching over I lightly rubbed his side, watching him stir slightly before he put his hand over mine. I smiled and stayed like that for a moment before pulling back, standing up and sighing.

This would be a long day.