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Sunday mornings are usually reserved for cups of coffee or trying a new breakfast recipe in the Abbot-Robinavitch household. It’s not very often that they get to share a day off together, but they make a point to try and schedule at least one weekend a month where work and other responsibilities are set aside so they can have some quality time just the two of them. After a full day of errands and household chores, Robby is looking forward to taking it easy this morning.
Robby has just tipped the coffee grounds into the filter when he hears Jack calling to him from their bedroom, his voice pitched oddly.
“Robby… Mike?”
Concerned, Robby moves quickly on his bare feet across the floor back to their shared room. He finds Jack halfway off the bed, holding onto the duvet for dear life and his face a sickly shade of grey. His one good leg buckles traitorously.
“I’m not… feeling so good.”
Robby catches Jack under the arms as he tips fully forward, the light going out of him. Robby’s anxiety spikes as he carefully shifts his husband back onto their bed, away from the edges.
The world around Robby seems to brighten into focus in that second. Working on auto pilot, Robby starts all the necessary means to make sure Jack is okay. No signs of injury or illness. His pulse is thready when Robby slides his fingers along Jack’s jugular; expected, but still concerning.
Sliding in on the other side of the bed, Robby presses himself right up to Jack’s frame. Robby crunches his legs up under Jack’s rear, gently shifting Jack’s loose, languid legs up and over his own thighs to elevate them. He gingerly slips his other arm between the top of the duvet and Jack’s neck, leaving Jack’s head pillowed on his bicep.
It’s as woven together as the two of them have ever been, as close to jigsaw pieces as two people can get.
Staring intently at Jack’s face, Robby rubs a heavy hand over Jack’s chest, trying diligently to get any sort of response out of him. “C’mon, honey, open those eyes for me,” he says. “Come back to me, it’s okay.”
It’s not long before Jack’s eyelids start to flutter, a glassy look remaining even after they’re open. His gaze remains stuck on the ceiling, his breath picking up gradually. “Robby?”
Robby shifts his hand from Jack’s chest to his face, his thumb stroking slowly over his stubbly cheek. Robby croons at him, “I’m right here. I got you. Can you tell me how you’re feeling?”
Jack’s face tips towards Robby’s shoulder, his hazy eyes rolling towards the sky briefly before settling back on Robby’s face. Jack hums somewhere from the back of his throat, his eyes pinching shut again as he swallows.
“Jack.” Robby leans in closer, his lips brushing Jack’s temple and his voice insistent. “You gotta talk to me, babe. Don’t make me drag you into the pit on our day off.”
That seems to stir him, a grimace flashing across his face from the idea. Jack’s hand paws around his own chest, searching for something. Robby takes his hand away from Jack’s face, planting it over Jack’s sternum again, letting him find Robby’s fingers with a loose grip. Jack’s eyes open again, settling somewhere around Robby’s brow.
“There we go, there’s my guy. Alright, you know the drill. Are you hurting anywhere?”
Jack shakes his head, then seems to regret it, letting his eyes shut again. “Dizzy.”
“Any nausea?”
Jack hums again, something like a nuh uh. The color is slowly returning to his cheeks, less washed out than he was even minutes ago. It’s not much, but at least it’s some improvement.
“Are you hurting anywhere?”
“My leg, a little. The normal ache, that’s all. Think I got up too fast.”
Robby tries not to laugh. “You’re telling me. Can I get you something? Water? An ice pack?”
He wets his lips with his tongue. “Water, but…”
“But what, Jack? What is it?”
His eyes open slowly again, looking down at Robby’s lips before flitting back up to his eyes. “Keep holding me. Please.”
The small, nearly insecure tone from Jack is practically unheard of. The moment of weakness must be throwing him. Robby can’t remember the last time that he heard his husband speak like this, but he’s sure as hell not going to tell him no.
Robby kisses the top of Jack’s head one more time, slowly taking his hand away from Jack’s. He leans away just far enough to reach behind him for the green water bottle left on the nightstand, then settles right back where he was. Robby pops the straw up with his thumb, shifting just enough to move the water bottle between Jack and himself.
“Slow sips to start, alright?”
Jack closes his mouth straw, taking two short gulps before resting his head on Robby’s arm again. Robby latches the straw back in place, then drops the water bottle on Jack’s opposite side for easier access. As soon as he’s settled, Jack reaches for Robby’s hand again, awkwardly hooking their fingers together.
Robby doesn’t mind in the slightest. Whatever his love needs to feel better.
Gradually, Jack begins to perk up. His eyes stay open longer, skittering around the room as he collects himself. Afterwhile, Jack untangles his legs from Robby’s, shifting onto his side so that they’re face to face again. The arm that isn’t pinned to the mattress gets flung over Robby’s ribs while Robby’s free hand slides up to trace the features of his husband’s face again.
Now that the fear is leaving, Robby is almost able to imagine that this is just another morning for them. In a few minutes, Robby will go back and start the coffee machine and Jack will insist that the shower is lonely without him. Robby will chuckle and shake his head like he always does, but still have a steaming mug waiting for him once Jack is out. One teaspoon of sugar and a healthy splash of milk, the same way that he’s been drinking it for years.
Jack lets his head drop into the warm space below Robby’s neck, hiding his face there. His voice is muffled by Robby’s skin as he asks, “Five more minutes, then a shower?”
Robby shifts his chin until it touches the crown of Jack’s head, kissing the curly wisps of hair. “Only if you promise to keep me company and we come back to bed afterwards,” Robby insists selfishly. “I get lonely when you’re not with me.”
Jack pushes away just enough to meet Robby’s gaze, a gleam in his eye that wasn’t there before. One that never gets old, as far as Robby is concerned.
“Absolutely,” Jack all but sings.
In the end, it’s one of the best lazy days they’ve had in ages.