Kevin smiles when he sees that it's Scotty calling him.
"Hi hun." He answers.
"Hi Kev." Scotty sounds strange. "How are you?"
Kevin sees Robert walk past his office, and exhales of relief that he didn't enter. He walks over to the door and closes it.
"I'm fine. Why?"
"I kind of have the chickenpox." Scotty explains.
Kevin laughs slightly at his husband's ashamed voice.
"I've already had it, so don't worry. I won't catch it again. I can take care of you without any risk."
"Oh that's great." Scotty says, clearly relieved. "You can scratch my back for me."
"Oh no, there'll be no scratching." Kevin argues. "I'll make sure of that. I have to go." Kevin sees a Robert shaped shadow coming closer to his door. "I'll see you tonight. Maybe I'll bring chicken soup." He ends the call just to hear Scotty mutter something on the other side.
****
When Kevin comes home, Scotty is asleep on the couch. He closes the door as quietly as he possibly can and puts his briefcase on the floor. He sees red spots all over Scotty and a tube of coolant next to him.
Kevin goes to the bedroom to switch clothes and when he returns Scotty has one eye open.
"I feel miserable." He says with a very weak voice.
"Yeah? You don't have a fever as well, do you?" Kevin asks and crouches next to Scotty. He carefully kisses him on the lips and puts the back of his hand on Scotty's forehead.
"No." Scotty says. "It just feels like my body is trying to escape my skin." He sits up and Kevin sits down next to him.
"So it itches?" Kevin asks. Scotty doesn't reply, just looks at him. "Of course it does. Sorry. You want me to get you anything? Food? Water?"
"I'm hungry." Scotty says. Kevin reaches out to stroke his leg, but withdraws his hand in the last second.
"Actually. I won't encourage you…" He smiles. "I'll just go cook something for us, huh?" Before he has time to lean in for another kiss, there is a knock on the door.
Kevin looks puzzled before getting up.
"I thought those Jesus freaks got the message when I opened wearing only underwear waving my hand at them." He says and gets up to get the door.
"Mom?"
"I Sarah told me you were sick Scotty, so I thought I'd come by with some food." Nora explains, walking past Kevin into the apartment. "I also brought calamine. It's very good, that's what I used on Kevin when he had the chickenpox." Nora puts a big bag on the coffee table and picks up a tube.
"It was like the gates to hell at home, I tell you." She tells Scotty. "Sarah, Tommy, Kitty and Kevin all had the chickenpox at the same time, and I had a cold at the same time, and with those four ones sick," Nora rambles on, taking the bag and moving towards the kitchen. "I could've killed myself. I'll heat this up for you." She says and disappears into the kitchen.
Both Kevin and Scotty look after her, stunned to silence. She returns before either of them regain their comprehension.
"Of course William was out of town and I had to take care of them all by myself, just like I always did." Nora continues, carrying a Tupperware box. "And this one here," She walks up to Kevin and very motherly strokes his cheek. "He's not easy when he's sick. Well, we were all there for the post-operation party." She finished and returns to the kitchen.
"Mom!" Kevin hurries after her, determined to make her go away as fast as she showed up. "Why are you here? I'm not sick, I can cook."
"Oh Kevin, you don't have to. Just sit down and this will be done in a minute." She ushers him back into the living room and he meets Scotty's gaze. He shrugs and sits down next to him, not knowing what to do.
Nora returns shortly and puts two bowls in front of them, both filled with rice and some reddish stew.
"Don't look so hesitant. It's filled with antioxidants. Very good for your immune system." Nora says. "There's more on the stove if you want a refill. I put some blueberry muffins on the sink too, if you want them for later. Don't forget the calamine and call me if you need anything." Nora smiles at them and heads for the door. "Feel better, Scotty." She says before exiting.
Scotty looks at the food and then at Kevin.
"Wow." He says. "I even forgot my agonizing desire to scratch my skin until it bleeds." He says
"That's so strange, because that is exactly what I wanted to do." Kevin replies dryly. He leans forward to take another look at the food. He grips the fork and tried some of the stew.
"It's not as bad as it looks." He says. "It's better than the seaweed smoothie she insisted on when Sarah had acne."
Scotty tries the food as well and agrees with Kevin. It's not as bad as it seems.
"I remember once when I was like 10. The girl next door had the chickenpox so I couldn't play with her for over a week." Scotty says. "Now I wish I had just gone over there and rubbed myself against her."
Kevin laughs at the image of a young Scotty desperately rub himself with a girl the same way he uses a towel when he's out of the shower.
"I mean in a very unsexy kind of way." Scotty adds.
"I didn't expect anything else." Kevin assures him.
When they've finished their meal and Kevin has stopped Scotty from scratching approximately a hundred times, Scotty moves closer to Kevin.
"I'm tired, maybe we should go to bed." He says in a low suggestive voice. Kevin looks him up and down.
"On so many levels no. We can go to bed and sleep, by all means, but you stay on your side and I stay on mine." Kevin settles. Scotty looks at him with big puppy eyes.
"First of all, you look like a moldy candy bar with these dots and the lotion on you, and second, you won't be using any friction between us to scratch your dots."
Scotty looks a bit disappointed, showing that he was clearly after just that.
"You're evil." He concludes.
"It's only because I love you." Kevin says and kisses Scotty on the mouth. "and still partly because you look a bit icky. No offence."
"How could that be offensive?" Scotty asks.
"Remember when you called me fat on our wedding night?" Kevin winks.
"Remember when you ran out on my on our wedding night?" Scotty counters.
"Okay, we can make out a little bit, but that's it." Kevin smiles. "And only if you promise to never again tell anyone in my family when you're sick."
Scotty laughs at him.
"Deal."