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Hook's flight is delayed. Orange checks his phone again, not surprised by the lack of texts. Hook's not the best at communicating when he's healthy, much less when staring at a screen makes his headache worsen. To Orange's relief, however, there are flight tracking sites that he can access, that will tell him where Hook's flight is currently, and he can watch it finally begin to make progress again an hour later. Because of that, he notices when it finally arrives a little over an hour later.
He lifts Rocco and stares at him. "Hook's coming home soon," he tells the puppy, who quirks his head and whines curiously. "But he's probably not feeling the best so let's take it easy on him today, alright?"
Rocco licks his face and settles into his arms, Orange's face softening as he nuzzles the puppy close, his thoughts running all over the place as he considers what shape Hook might be in when he sees him again. Sighing, Orange wanders into the living room so he can hear the door and be there quickly in case Hook needs help. Rocco seems to sense his mood, cuddling up close to him, ears limp against his head as they wait.
They both hear the key in the lock, Orange just getting to his feet as the door is pushed open, Taz helping Hook into the apartment. "Thanks," Hook murmurs as the door closes behind them, Taz's hand warm on his back. He looks up and sees Orange and Rocco, lips twitching up into a faint smile. "Hey."
"Hey." Orange steps back so Hook can shuffle his way into the living room, sitting down with a heavy sigh. "How are you?"
"Tired," he mutters, squinting up at Orange. "Better than last night, though."
Orange nods somberly, sitting down next to him. "We'll just have a couple of quiet days," he says. "Let you rest."
Hook exhales, sinking back into the couch. "I hate this," he mumbles, knuckling an eye as he squints over at him.
"I know," Orange says softly. "I do too." Rocco whines and squirms, getting free of Orange's hold and crawling into Hook's lap, nuzzling into him.
"Hey, little guy," Hook murmurs, hugging the puppy. "You good?" Rocco rubs his face against Hook's, whining a little, and Hook hums, pressing a kiss to his forehead. "I'm ok," he says quietly. "Just a little tired. It's ok."
The puppy nuzzles into him and rests against his shoulder, panting softly. Hook smiles wearily and presses his face into the puppy's fur, exhaling softly.
"You boys need anything?" Taz asks, hovering in the entrance to the living room. "Groceries, or... anything?"
Orange considers it, then shakes his head. "I think we're ok," he says. "If we need something later, we'll let you know."
"Yeah," Hook says quietly.
"Ok." Taz walks over to the couch and leans in, wrapping his arms around Hook. "Me or your mama'll call later, check in with you two." He pulls back and brushes at Hook's hair, searching his face. "See you later, kiddo."
Hook nods. "See you, dad."
Orange sees Taz to the door, holding it open for him while he hovers in the hallway. He fiddles with his keyfob and looks up at Orange, adjusting his sunglasses with a sigh. "Take care of him, alright?" he asks. "Yesterday was a lot."
"Yeah," Orange says. "I will. Of course."
Taz nods and claps Orange on the good arm before taking his leave, Orange watching until he disappears into the elevator.
Exhaling, Orange heads back inside and sinks down next to Hook on the couch, watching him listlessly play with Rocco. "So," he says softly. "Can I get you anything?"
Hook sits for a minute, head tilted back, staring up at the ceiling. "Uh," he says after a minute. "Hold me?"
Orange nods, feeling a little choked up. "Yeah," he finally says. "Yeah, I can do that." He leans over and wraps his arms around Hook, squeezing him as best as he can.
"Thanks," Hook murmurs, pressing his face into Orange's neck.
"Of course," he says softly, stroking Hook's side soothingly.
"I'm tired," he sighs.
Orange tilts his head, trying to catch Hook's eye, but upon failing at this, he runs his fingers lightly through Hook's hair, guiding his face down onto his shoulder. "Just relax," he murmurs. "We don't have anything else to do today, handsome." He kisses Hook's forehead and leans back into the couch, taking Hook with him. "Rest."
"Kay," Hook sighs, nuzzling in closer to him. Rocco rejoins them after awhile, cuddling up close to Hook, and Orange smiles faintly as Hook reaches out and gently pets down his nose.
After awhile, Orange gets up reluctantly, laying Hook down on the couch and draping a blanket over him, Hook groaning and tangling his fingers in the soft fabric, squinting up at him. "Taking Rocco out for a minute," he says softly, kissing the corner of Hook's mouth.
"Ok." Hook blinks sleepily. He lifts his head and looks over at where Rocco is running around, waiting to go out. "Sorry I can't come with, little guy," he mumbles. "Have fun."
Rocco tilts his head, yipping. When Orange comes over with his leash, he sits up straighter and waits until it's clicked in place, panting softly. "Good boy," Orange mumbles, petting his back. "C'mon, let's go."
Hook slumps back down as the door clicks shut behind them and sighs. "This sucks," he mumbles, closing his eyes. He's not sure how long he's slept this time when the door softly opens and Orange comes back inside, murmuring to Rocco as he unclips his leash and wanders around in the kitchen for a couple of minutes. Rubbing at his eyes, Hook sits up as Rocco bounds over to the couch and hops up, laying his head on Hook's leg and panting up at him. "Hey, little guy." He rubs his thumb between Rocco's eyes and smiles down at him. "How was your walk?"
Rocco wriggles and squirms happily, licking at Hook's face.
Hook laughs, then gets his arms around the puppy and draws him up, hugging him. "Silly guy," he says fondly.
Orange joins them, setting a bag on the table in front of them before sitting next to Hook and running his fingers through Hook's hair, smiling at him. "Rocco had a lot of fun chasing leaves and even found a stick to chew on during the walk home," he says. "And i brought something for us." He reaches into the bag and draws out two Chinese containers. "What do you think? Want to eat?"
"I probably should, yeah," Hook sighs. "What'd you get?"
"Orange chicken and broccoli beef," Orange says, handing him a fork. "Thought it sounded like it'd be easy for you to eat. I know you're pretty tired."
Hook makes a face, then sighs. "Yeah," he huffs. "Who knew traveling could wipe me out like this? I didn't even wrestle or anything."
Orange wisely bites his tongue and reaches in, pulling out a couple of fortune cookies. "Dessert for later," he says, smiling as Hook forks up some rice and chews it, watching him. "Good?"
"Yeah," he mumbles. "Thanks."
Orange nods. "How about we eat this, and then spend the rest of the night relaxing? I don't have anything else planned for tonight."
"Sounds good," Hook says. "I wasn't planning on going anywhere for awhile anyway."
Orange smiles. "Great." He settles in next to Hook and they proceed to eat, shoulder to shoulder. After finishing, Orange flicks the TV on and looks for something simple to watch while Hook finishes off his beef.
Once he finds some comedy that looks mindless enough, Orange collects the fortune cookies and hands Hook his. They break them open and look at the fortunes within, taking them in for a bit before exchanging them to read each other's.
Orange glances over at Hook, mulling over the words. Every step taken brings you closer to your dreams. He inclines his head. "That sounds nice," he says, waiting for Hook to finish looking at his own fortune.
He smirks. Your productivity will skyrocket- unless you discover cat videos first! "This thing acts like you haven't already discovered cat videos," he says, laughing faintly as they trade fortunes again.
"Well, they're fortunes, not mind readers," Orange shrugs. He watches as Hook rereads his fortune, then carefully tucks it away in the pocket of his hoodie. "You alright?"
"Yeah," he says softly. "Can we go to bed soon?"
"Of course," Orange says. "Wanna go now?"
"You don't mind? it's still kinda early," he says, glancing at the clock under the TV.
"No," Orange says. "Even if I can't sleep right away, I'd rather lay with you and watch you sleep than stay out here, bored and lonely."
Hook runs his hand through his hair, looking a little sheepish. "Alright," he says quietly, reaching over and squeezing Orange's fingers. "Let's go do that then."
Orange winks at him and leans in to kiss him. "Let's."
-x
The next morning starts earlier than either would've liked, Hook's phone ringing. He hisses and squints over at the offending noise. "What the fuck-?" he mumbles, grabbing at it. He stares at it for a second before answering. "Dad? What's wrong?" He listens as Orange sits up and stares at him, wide awake at the concern in his voice. "Well, ok, but why are you calling at 7 AM-?" He falters. "Really? Dad, why... No, I understand why you're concerned, but you didn't even mention-..."
He grits his teeth and Orange reaches over, squeezing his hand, relieved when Hook looks over at him and shakes his head with a grim twist to his lips.
"Fine, Dad, but next time, tell me first-" He sighs. "Yeah. Fine, thanks. I'll let you know how it goes later."
"What was that?" Orange asks once Hook hangs up the phone, staring down at the device with a grimace.
"Dad was worried about how Sunday went, and made me an appointment with my doctor." Hook sighs, pinching his nose. "On some level I get it," he admits after a few moments. "But I... I'm still kinda pissed off about it, you know? He didn't even tell me he was gonna do that. And I just wanted to relax and catch up on stuff today. Guess that's not going to happen now."
Orange sighs and strokes Hook's knuckles with his thumb, relieved when it soothes him a little bit, takes a little of the tension out of his shoulders. "What time is your appointment?"
"8:30," Hook mumbles. "Says it's the only time the doc had an opening. Sorry I woke you up with that, you can go back to bed, I'll be as quiet as I can be-"
"No," Orange says, pushing the sheets off of his legs. "I wanna go with you." He examines Hook, taking in how pale and tired he still looks. "Taz wasn't the only one concerned."
Hook sighs. "Fine," he acquises, shaking his head. "Well, let's go feed and walk Rocco, he's probably about to wake up."
"Maybe we could feed ourselves too," Orange says dryly as they get out of bed and begin to start their day properly.
"Eh, if we have to," Hook says, grinning as Orange huffs at him.
Although Hook seems in a fine enough mood during breakfast and while taking care of Rocco, the closer the appointment comes, the more anxious and quiet he gets. Orange lets him have his space, watching as he gives Rocco another couple of pets before they head out.
New York traffic actually moves along at a fast enough clip and they arrive at the doctor's office with plenty of time to spare, Hook not looking necessarily pleased at this. Instead of going in immediately, Orange rounds the car and takes Hook by the hand, leading him over to a cluster of trees on the outskirts of the parking lot. There's a flower garden between them, and they examine the various peonies and orchids reaching up towards the sun, delicate little bursts of color within the grass.
Orange lightly grazes his fingertips over the soft petals, watching as Hook leans against the tree and takes a breath. "Alright?"
"Yeah," Hook says. "Just..." He shrugs listlessly. "Hoping that the doc doesn't find that I fucked up my recovery Sunday."
Orange stands up and squeezes Hook's arm, searching his face. "Either way, I'll be here with you. And we'll get through this. Remember your fortune last night?"
Hook stares at him, then nods jerkily. "Yeah," he says softly. "I do. You believe it?"
"Yeah," Orange says, smiling at Hook. "I do."
Hook nods, and they spend a couple of more minutes staring down at the flowers before turning and heading into the office.
All in all, Hook's appointment goes ok. His doctor examines him pretty thoroughly and spends a fair bit of time tapping away at his computer, typing up his findings while Hook and Orange wait, exchanging nervous glances until he turns back to them and claps his hands on his thighs, finally beginning to talk. "Well, all in all, I'd say you're making steady progress," he says. "It's going to take time and some patience, but I don't think you delayed your recovery with what you did on Sunday. I'd suggest taking some time and resting, take it easy for awhile longer. You're getting there, Mr. Senerchia. I know it's frustrating, but I'm pleased with what I'm seeing from today."
Hook nods slowly. "Thanks, doc," he says quietly. It's not quite the answer anyone wanted, but it's better than Hook had been fearing, so he'll take it.
They linger by the car and Orange smiles at him. "Well, that wasn't too bad," he says. "Now what do you want to do?"
Hook taps his fingers against the keyfob and looks over at him. "Honestly? I just wanna go home, and go back to bed," he admits. "Still pretty wiped out. I know my dad meant well, but this impromptu appointment didn't really help much."
"Yeah, sure," Orange says. "We can go home. I could use a little more sleep too."
Hook smiles. "Let's do it then."
The apartment is shadowy and almost cool when they arrive, Hook nudging his shoes into the closet as he wanders into the kitchen and gives Rocco some pets while the puppy looks up from his food bowl, panting happily. "Hey, little guy. Need anything? We're gonna go get some more sleep."
Orange smiles as Hook stands up and stares at him, shrugging. "I can take him out for a little bit, if you wanna go lay down."
Hook takes a breath, then shrugs. "I think I can come out with you guys for a little bit. How's that sound, little guy?" He laughs and rubs Rocco's sides as he pants and wriggles happily.
Hook sits on the steps as Rocco wanders around in front of the building, sniffing at the line of trees while Orange leans against the pillar next to Hook, the two of them watching him. When he finishes, he trots back to them and pants happily as Orange leans down and ruffles his fur a bit. "Back inside then?"
"Yeah," Hook agrees. "C'mon, little guy."
The day passes quietly, slowly. Hook sleeps into the afternoon and Orange alternates between resting next to him, scrolling through his phone on a dim light, or taking care of Rocco whenever he needs to go out or a refresh on his water bowl. By the time Hook wakes up, it's somewhere between lunch and supper and he's hungry, so Orange orders pizza, since neither of them feel like cooking.
"Sorry I've been off the last couple days," Hook says, rubbing at his eyes sleepily. "Just... still getting my footing after Sunday."
"Don't worry about it," Orange says, reaching over and squeezing Hook's hand. "Take all the time you need, it's fine." They sit quietly for awhile, Orange rubbing his thumb over Hook's knuckles until the pizza arrives and he gets up to answer the door.
After they eat, they spend the evening in front of the TV, Orange holding Hook with his good arm, the two of them just relaxing and chuckling whenever Rocco wanders back and forth between them and his doggy bed, curling up for a little while before moving back to the other place and curling up there, just to return until he tires himself out and falls asleep in Hook's lap.
"Hey," Orange murmurs to Hook.
"Yeah?"
"I have rehab tomorrow," he says. "But you don't need to come with, you can stay at home and relax. It's fine."
Hook twists around to look at him. "I haven't missed an appointment yet," he says, frowning. "I'm not starting now."
Orange hums, running his fingers through Hook's hair, drawing him in for a kiss. "Fine, just telling you," he says. "You don't have to feel obligated to come with."
"Not an obligation," he huffs. "You were always there for me when I had appointments last year. I'm not going to let you go through it alone if I can help it."
Orange sighs, then presses a kiss into his hair. "Alright," he says. "If you change your mind, just let me know."
"I won't," Hook murmurs, resting his head on Orange's shoulder.
The next day, Orange's rehab appointment goes alright. Hook doesn't like watching him in pain, or struggling to follow along with even the simplest instructions given to him, but he does, offering quiet support as Orange makes it through each exercise that the specialist guides him through.
Once the appointment has ended and they leave, Hook drives them back to the apartment. Orange looks tired and achy as they walk down the hall from the elevator, yawning widely. "You go nap," Hook tells him, unlocking the door. "I'll take Rocco for a walk and then we'll join you."
"Ok," Orange murmurs, relieved when Hook guides him down the hall to their bedroom, supporting him as he kicks his shoes under the bed and shrugs out of his jacket, Hook taking it from him and draping it over a chair so he can find it later. He helps Orange out of his jeans, smirking a little when Orange blinks slowly at him. "Next time," he says, folding the jeans up and settling them next to Orange's jacket. "Lay down." He helps tuck Orange in, leaning in to kiss him. "Gonna go take care of Rocco, I'll be back."
"Mmkay," Orange sighs, closing his eyes.
After Hook takes Rocco out for a quick walk around the block, just to let the puppy blow off some energy, he returns to their room and kicks his shoes off next to Orange's, crawling into bed next to him. He's not as tired as he'd been the last couple days, but it still feels nice to be curled up next to Orange, listening to him breathing.
He wakes slowly awhile later, blinking up into the darkness. He squints over at the clock and stretches lazily, noticing that Dynamite is about to start. He grimaces and rubs his eyes and considers what he wants to do, glancing around. The room's empty, and he wonders where Orange's at. Sitting up, he wiggles his toes under the sheets before moving to stand up. "Orange?" he calls out, walking out into the hallway and squinting around, looking for him. "Where're you?"
"Bathroom," he calls out, and Hook frowns, pushing the bathroom door open, finding Orange leaning over the bathtub, adjusting the water knobs. "Hey," he says. "Whatcha doing?"
Orange shrugs, a soft smile on his lips. "Thought maybe we could both use a bubble bath. What do you think?"
"Hm," Hook says, examining him. "Yeah, that sounds pretty good."
"I know we usually try to do some sort of date night during Dynamite, but I figured we're both pretty wiped out and not feeling great, so something at home would be nice."
"Absolutely," Hook agrees, pulling off his hoodie. Orange eyes him before pouring some bubble bath into the water. "Ready whenever you are."
Orange chuckles and finishes undressing as well. "I think you should go in first, if that's alright," he says. "I... can't really hold you right now."
Hook's eyes soften. "Yeah," he says. "That's fine." He piles his clothes with Orange's before stepping into the tub, sighing as the hot water teases up his legs.
As he sits, sinking down into the water, Orange watches with a small smile. "How's that?"
"Feels good," he says, peering up at Orange. "Gonna join me or just stare?"
"Either sounds good," Orange chuckles, but he steps in, careful as he turns around and sits between Hook's legs, resting back against his chest.
"Comfy?"
"Mm hmm," Orange says, sighing as the water licks at his skin, easing some of the tension out of his muscles. "I hate rehab," he mumbles, tucking his face into Hook's jaw.
"I know," Hook says softly, brushing his fingers up and down Orange's sternum. "I do too." He kisses Orange's forehead and hums, looping his arm around Orange's waist. They laze quietly, just enjoying the quiet, until the water gets the uncomfortable side of cool, Hook nuzzling into him. "Wanna get out?"
"Yeah, I guess," he sighs, carefully maneuvering himself upright. As he gets out and grabs one of the waiting towels, Hook drains the tub and stands behind him, wrapping a towel around himself before helping Orange to dry off.
Once they're both dried off and back in the bedroom, Hook gets some clothes out, handing over Orange's while he shrugs into a shirt and some shorts, dropping down onto the bed with a sigh. "I know you're the one who did rehab today, but I gotta admit, I've been pretty sore since all of that travel too," he says, stretching his arms out over his head before rolling over to watch Orange shrug gingerly into his tank top with a small smile.
Orange hums. "Yeah, first time back out is always a little fucked up, huh." He lays down next to Hook and sighs. "You know, if rehab had gone a little easier today, I kinda had some plans for tonight..."
"Oh yeah?" Hook asks, smirking as he trails a hand up Orange's side. "Anything in particular?"
"Hm, well, the bubble bath was part of it," he admits. "But maybe we can still do the rest... if you help me figure out how to do it."
Hook laughs a little and kisses Orange slowly. "I do love figuring stuff out with you," he says teasingly. "But lemme just look in on Rocco real quick, and then we can see what happens."
"Alright," Orange says, rolling over onto his side while he waits, looking up when Hook returns. "What've you got there?" he asks as Hook settles back in next to him.
"That cream the doctor recommended for you," he says, pouring a generous amount into his palm. "Alright?"
"Yeah," Orange murmurs, relaxing into his pillows. "Sounds fine."
Hook kisses him, before easing the strap of his tank top aside and gently beginning to massage the cream into his pec, taking it slow and easy as he watches Orange for any sign of discomfort.
"If I didn't know better," Orange murmurs, "I might think you had a new favorite hobby."
Hook scoffs, then shakes his head. "You in pain would never be a favorite anything of mine," he says. "But if we took the injury, surgery and rehab out of it, yeah maybe."
Orange smiles slightly. "Yeah," he sighs. "Well, any time you wanna do this after all of that, I won't complain."
Hook laughs at him, finishing up. "Well, you said you had something else you wanted to do tonight."
"Yeah," Orange says. "Get over here."
Hook hums, curious, before scooting closer. "Yeah?"
Orange curls his fingers around Hook's jaw, tipping his face up just enough to kiss him, eyes glinting in the soft light coming from the window behind them as the sun sets. Hook makes a noise deep in his throat, curling his arm around Orange's waist, holding him close. Orange smirks and trails his hand up, tangling his fingers lightly in Hook's hair as he continues to kiss him, soft, sensual, sighing as Hook slowly deepens the kiss, exploring his mouth, tasting him.
They're both still warm from the bath, but nothing can outdo the heat from their mouths right now, Orange's body thrumming as Hook holds him, continuing to kiss him. They never bother to go any further, content just to lay in each other's arms, each kiss lingering and intimate as they take their time with each caress, with every press of their lips.
"Is this ok?" Orange murmurs, easing back to look into Hook's eyes.
Hook stares back at him, a soft, adoring look on his face. "It's perfect," he says, drawing Orange back in and kissing him again.