January 2014
Chris shuffles around in the kitchen, in denial about cooking something new as usual. Finally, he settles for unpeeled poorly cut cucumber slices, whole tomatoes and steak. It's one of the few things he can cook, if you can call it cooking - taking it out of the packaging and sticking it in the oven is not exactly a rocket science.
His stomach rumbles as he is waiting for it to get ready, he likes it well cooked, none of that medium rare shit. It seems like it's been days since Chris has last eaten, or at least eaten well, so his patience is wearing thin. While he waits, he decides to make a grocery list. If Jill is forcing him to take a break from the BSAA missions and focus on his "personal life" - he almost laughed when she said it, but her stern look had kept him in check - then he might as well try to have one.
What do people eat, he wonders, hitting the pen in his hand against the desk quietly as he wonders. Vegetables aren't really his thing, but meat is. Maybe he should get chicken, he could put that in the oven too, Chris assumes.
As he's wondering about what other meat can be cooked with minimal supervision, his phone rings. It's Jill again, probably calling to offer more life advice.
"Yeah?" he picks up gruffly, still mostly half asleep.
"Tell me you intend on doing something productive today."
She's already got the big guns out, huh. Chris huffs under his breath. "You mean like sitting on my ass and pretending I have a life?"
Jill snorts on the other end like it's the funniest shit she's heard recently. "I think we already reached the conclusion that there is more to life than killing monsters and chasing bio-terrorists, Chris." she says, like it's a universal truth.
"Well, I wasn't convinced." Chris makes sure to tell her, impaling a cucumber slice on his fork and sticking it in his mouth to munch shamelessly as Jill starts to talk again.
"I don't care if you're not convinced yet. Wong and Simmons have been taken care of, the C-virus has been contained for the time being - there is no work for you right now, Chris, face it."Jill lectures him, her tone firm and superior, as though she is talking to a child. Chris doesn't like it. He considers hanging up on her, but then she continues. "And did I mention that you have a fine young man pining for you, waiting for you to make your move?"
Chris scoffs. "You are delusional, partner."
"But I'm not your partner anymore, am I, Chris? He is." She says, and Chris can swear she's smiling that infuriating all-knowing smile of hers on the other end.
"Yeah, he confirms, my partner at work, but I'm on a forced vacation now, remember?" He points out, momentarily feeling like he's winning the argument. Then Jill has to ruin it.
"Weren't you the one who wanted to leave the B.S.A.A.? Turn in his badge and leave for good?" She asks, her tone growing impatient.
Chris frowns and doesn't answer. Sure, he wanted to leave, but that was before everything with Piers had happened. Before the younger man's sacrifice, before they'd had to convince Jake Muller to give them his blood to test as a cure, before Piers had got better...
"He isn't pining for me." Chris says out loud before he can help himself, then curses under his breath. Damn Jill for putting this idea in his head, it can't possibly lead to anything good, can it? And Chris isn't keen on making a fool of himself.
Jill snorts again.
"Stop doing that, it's an annoying sound." Chris scolds her and then she snorts yet again on purpose.
"The boy's waiting for your every word, every look, every move, Chris." she says cheekily "with how young, brave and handsome he is, he could probably have anyone." she then purrs and Chris growls before he can stop himself. Jill laughs on the other end as a reply.
"You better tell me what your point is." Chris demands, stuffing another cucumber slice in his mouth as a means of distracting himself. It works poorly since now he can't stop thinking about Piers and how devoted the young man truly has been to him in the last few years. Sure they'd had their moments but it was just the intensity of their work environment, right? What else could it have been.
Jill interrupts his train of thought. "My point is that you've pretended to be clueless for long enough already. It's been six months since China, Piers is almost entirely healed from the virus and you should take this opportunity to make him yours."
"Make him mine?" Chris repeats, staring at the kitchen counter, his own voice sounding alien to him, as much as the words do.
"Yes, Chris." Jill officially sounds like she's had enough of him. "Just grab him already, admit that you love him and then have hot sex with him for the rest of your lives." she snaps.
Chris stares. "What has gotten into you?" he asks.
"I can still see through your bullshit, even from a thousand miles away," She says in a low, almost threatening tone, then adds in a hiss "partner."
"You're not my partner." Chris corrects her immediately. Piers is his partner.
There is a pause on the other end. And then Jill says "I rest my case." before promptly hanging up.
Chris frowns and eyes the oven. When is that steak going to be ready anyway? Piers is not pining after him. He's not sure how the two are connected.