Chapter Text
Chris didn’t take a deep breath until he’d buckled the seatbelt, and let his head fall back against the cool leather in the backseat of the town car. It was only 9pm, but since his day had started at 4:30 in the morning, he felt like warmed-over shit. His eyes slid closed, and only then did he realize that he hadn’t taken his contacts out, as the dried out plastic lenses scraped against his lids.
“Dammit.”
“Everything alright Mr. Pine?”
“Fine Andy. It’s just been a long day.”
“Understood sir. I’ll have you home straightaway.”
“Thanks man. I’m counting on you.” Chris smiled as his ever-cheerful driver began the trip back to his flat.
He reached over for the bottle of spring water that sat in the cup holder, and fished his phone out of his pocket. He thumbed through a text from his agent and a picture that Zac sent, then checked his messages. The only one that he wanted to listen to was from the first number on his favorites list.
[ Morning Sweetheart. I see you’ve got a rainy day ahead of you. Not much going on here. I’m just making a list for next week. Call me at the end of your day if you can. Love you.]
Chris listened to the message a second time, smiling at a mental image of Karl making out a meticulous packing list for his upcoming trip back to New Zealand for the New Year’s holiday. He hadn’t seen his boys in three months, and with Chris busy filming, it was the perfect time for Karl to make the trip. Still, the younger man was a bit sad that they’d been apart for their second Christmas as a couple. Such was the life of actors though, especially when one of them was a divorced father of two.
Taking a swig of water, Chris pushed the auto-dial for Karl’s number. It was lunch time in LA, so chances were good that his favorite Kiwi would be close to his phone.
[“Hi, this is Karl. Leave me a message and I’ll call you back.”]
Chris smiled wistfully at the familiar voice and soft accent. With the way his day had gone, he should have known he wouldn’t be lucky enough to actually talk to his significant other.
“Hey...just me...where are you?” Chris’s voice sounded whiny, even to his own ears, but he was too worn out to care.
“I was hoping we could talk before I pass out.. Today was a killer, and I’m dead. Hope you’re having a good day though...whatever you’re doing.” Chris had to swallow a yawn before continuing. “I miss you. Guess I’ll try you again in the morning. Love you...”
With another sigh, the actor shut off his phone and closed his eyes, letting the car ride lull him to sleep.
Chris woke up with a start a little more than half an hour later, as the car pulled up the driveway to his flat. He felt a dull throb behind his right eye, which was usually a sure sign that a migraine was on it’s way. Perfect.
“Here we are Mr. Pine. Home at last.”
Chris scrubbed a hand over his face as his driver got out and came to open his door. Normally, he didn’t make the poor guy do that, but tonight, he’d take all the help he could get.
“Thanks Andy. See you in the morning.” Chris pulled himself out of the car and fumbled for his keys.
“You’re finished for the week aren’t you sir?”
Chris blinked at the shorter man, his mind dulled by the need for sleep and his oncoming headache. “Uh...I...”
“I believe you’re off until next Tuesday at 6am.”
“That’s right,” Chris smiled. “Sorry, it’s been one of those days.”
“Quite alright sir. Get some rest.”
He held up a hand in thanks as the car backed up and turned around in the driveway, then trudged to the door. He squinted at the too bright light that illuminated the front stoop of the flat and turned the key, making his way inside the empty house.
Less than twenty minutes later, he lay in bed, knowing that the ibuprofen he’d taken weren’t going to cut it, but feeling too tired to rummage through the bathroom cabinet for his prescription. When his phone vibrated and then the alert ringtone sounded, he reached blindly for the offending apparatus.
“Hey,” he answered, his voice muffled by the pillow.
“Hi,” Karl answered with a smile in his voice. “Are you asleep? It’s only just after nine.”
“Shitty day.” Chris responded. “How are you?”
“Alright I suppose. Sorry I didn’t get to the phone earlier.”
“Still working on your list?” Chris asked with a smirk, He didn’t feel much like talking, but he’d suffer through it for Karl.
“My list?”
“You only have eight days left to pack. Running out of time, I’d say.”
“Do not mock the Packing Master. My organizational skills have saved your ass more than once.”
Chris let out a muffled laugh and Karl sighed. “You sound tired.” he said.
“I’m ready for this thing to be over.” the younger man admitted.
“You’ve got a way to go love.”
“I really miss you though. I feel like we haven’t had any time together over the holidays.”
Karl was silent for a moment before he spoke up again. “I know. I did get you one more present.” He offered. “To make up for being apart over Christmas.”
“You did?” Chris smiled, his eyes closed as he burrowed deeper beneath the covers.
“Do I get three guesses?”
“You’ll never guess this one Sweetheart.”
“Is it bigger than a breadbox?”
“Could be.” Karl answered, amusement in his tone. “Why don’t you check and see for yourself. It should be there...right about now.”
“Here?” Chris opened his eyes. “You mean like, here, here?”
“Check outside. On the stoop.”
“Andy just dropped me off at nine. There was nothing...”
“Go check again.” Karl insisted.
Chris sat up, ignoring the slight wave of nausea he felt. “Karl, what did you do?”
“I told you,” the older man answered. “I got you a present.”
“Is it alive?” Chris asked as he padded out of the bedroom and down the dark hallway. “If you sent me a cat...”
“A cat?” Karl barked out a laugh. “Why in bloody hell would I ship a cat to London?”
“I don’t know. My head hurts and I can’t...ouch! Motherfucker!” Chris swore loudly when stubbed his toe against the corner of a table in the living room.
“I can’t see. If something jumps at me when I open this door...” he opened the door slowly, ready to defend himself if need be. What he saw had him rooted to the spot, too shocked to even squint in the bright glare of light that illuminated the front stoop.
There stood Karl, with a suitcase in one hand, and his phone in the other.
“It’s alive...” he winked.
Chris let out something akin to a squeak, and launched himself at the handsome, dark-haired man on his doorstep. Karl took a step back, letting go of his suitcase as Chris’s full weight hit him, and wrapped both arms around his lover. In the next moment, Chris leaned back to look into a pair of familiar green eyes, as if to convince himself that this wasn’t some migraine-induced hallucination.
“Surprised?” Karl smiled.
“How...how did you...?” Chris shook his head, still feeling like this must be a dream.
“What do we always say?” Karl asked, running the pad of his thumb over Chris’s stubbled cheek.
The blond shook his head again, unable to process much of anything, other than the fact that Karl was here.
“I’d move heaven and earth...”
Chris blinked, and upon hearing the line from the cheesy Rick Astley tune that had somehow become ‘their song’, his eyes filled with tears.
“I can’t believe you did this!” he cried, still holding tight to Karl as the other man made his way inside.
Karl set his luggage down, and closed and locked the door. He flipped on the light switch that turned on a nearby table lamp, and then turned to Chris, taking the blonde back into his arms.
“Hi” he said softly, brushing a kiss against younger man’s full lips and pulling him closer. Chris returned the kiss, and then with a shuddering breath, buried his face in Karl’s neck, holding on so tightly that his knuckles were white.
“I missed you.” he hiccuped, still trying to get his emotions under control.
“Missed you too,” Karl told him. “So much that I had to come and see you.”
“Wh...when did you get here?” Chris asked, loosening his grip on Karl by a fraction.
“A couple of hours ago.” Karl smiled again and kissed the corner of Chris’s mouth. “I’ve just been waiting for you.”
“You’ve been outside this whole time?” Chris squinted a bit when the light from the lamp fell across his face, and Karl gave him a questioning look.
“You ok?”
Chris nodded, and finally let go of the other man. “I should make you some tea. I think I have some...”
He took a step away from Karl, swaying on his feet as wave of dizziness hit him.
“Chris?” Karl caught his arm as the blonde stumbled a bit.
“Sorry...” he offered, steadying himself. Karl noticed the way he was avoiding the light and his brow knitted with worry.
“Are you hurting?” he asked.
Chris nodded and gave a frustrated sigh. “Yeah.”
“When did it start?” Karl stepped closer and put his cheek to Chris’s, the same way he did with the boys when he was checking them for a fever. Chris always ran a bit of a temp when he had a migraine. This time was no different.
“I’ve felt like crap all day. I fell asleep on the way home, and when I woke up...” the blond gave a defeated shrug as Karl turned him in the direction he assumed the bedroom would be in.
“Why didn’t you say anything?” Karl asked, sounding a bit perturbed.
“Um...because you magically appeared at my door five minutes ago? I was distracted.”
The tall man chuckled and led Chris back into the bedroom, easing him down on the bed. Chris relaxed a bit in the dark room. He was getting little flashes of light behind his eyes. This was going to be a bad one.
“Did you take your meds?” Karl asked, looking around for a glass of water.
“No,” Chris mumbled as he lay down. “Too tired.”
Karl sighed, once again pressing a hand against the other mans flushed cheek.
“Are they in the bathroom somewhere?”
Chris nodded, and let himself drift while Karl went in search of his medication.
He felt like he was stuck at the bottom of a deep hole when he heard Karl calling his name. He opened his eyes and winced in pain when he tried to move, so he didn’t object at all when Karl put an arm around him to help him sit up.
“You don’t have any ginger-ale. We’ll have to go to the market tomorrow and get some.”
Karl put his own palm under Chris’s and placed two pink pills in the other man’s hand. Next he gave him a glass of water. Chris stared blankly at the glass for a moment, until Karl spoke up.
“Down the hatch,” Karl urged, rubbing Chris’s back gently. Once the younger man had taken his medication, he let himself be eased back down to the bed.
“You should’ve taken that when you first got home.” Karl admonished, pulling the comforter over him.
“Sorry,” Chris mumbled.
“Stop apologizing. Are you warm enough?”
Chris nodded, and Karl continued to fuss over him, straightening the covers before he toed off his own shoes and walked around to the other side of the bed. He laid on top of the covers, careful not to jostle his patient, and closed his eyes.
Karl wasn’t sure what time it was when he woke up, but his mouth felt like the inside of a sock. Glancing over at a sleeping Chris, he got up and made his way to the bathroom. He had just finished washing up and had changed into a pair of sweats when he heard a noise from the bedroom.
“Chris?” he walked back into the room, to see the blonde trying to sit up, and looking disoriented. He peered at Karl in the semi-darkness, and rubbed at his eyes.
“I didn’t mean to wake you.” Karl said climbing gingerly back on the bed.
“ ‘M thirsty...” Chris mumbled. Karl handed him the glass of water, and brushed his fingertips along the back of Chris’s neck.
“Feel the same?” Karl asked.
Chris gave a slight nod, and then lay down facing away from Karl. The bigger man let out a frustrated breath, hating the fact that he couldn’t do more for his lover. He hated seeing Chris suffer like this.
“Sucks.” Chris muttered, echoing Karl’s thought at that moment.
“I’m so sorry love. Is it really bad?”
“ ‘s bad that you’re here and I’m...worthless.”
Karl moved closer and put his hand on the back of Chris’s neck, massaging gently. He felt the other man relax just a fraction and smiled.
“I’m jet-lagged anyway, so we’re a good pair.” He pressed his thumb into the base of Chris’s skull and the other man let out a quiet moan of appreciation.
“Can you lay on your stomach?”
Chris did as he was told, and Karl proceeded to massage his neck and shoulders. Within five minutes, Chris was sound asleep, drooling into the pillow. Karl leaned down and kissed the back of his neck, stifling a yawn.
“So much for a romantic reunion,” he sighed.