It's been a little while, I've been taking my time. Hopefully you'll enjoy this longer chapter that I've tried out. The last arc has already been planned out, I just need to write it out somehow.
I'd like to thank Ulyferal again for helping me with my story, giving me confidence and pointing out my errors. Without such help, I wouldn't be able to improve much. I hope I can make you proud!
Well then, enjoy~!
Chapter Nine: Recovery
The afternoon gave away to a bleak and slow day as Chance finally closed up the garage. His constant working had taken a toll on the tired tom as he got ready for the evening. All day, each moment, the thought of Jake kept pouring into his head, distracting him from working on the cars that lined the garage in need of repairs.
With the day finally over, Chance could finally focus his attention on his friend. Climbing down the ladder to the hanger, he winced, still feeling the many aches and sores that covered his body. Though the monitor never sounded off, he still went down on every opportunity to check on his buddy.
Walking over to the medical area, Chance saw Jake sleeping peacefully and purring in a relaxed rhythm. Taking a seat on the stool nearby, he carefully studied the smaller tom from foot to head. Jake was lying on his side, facing away from Chance. The bloody and burned back appeared to be healing well, much to Chance's relief, though Jake's continuing unconsciousness concerned him a bit.
'At least he's not in a coma and he's been moving around, so all those are good signs. Stop worrying yourself to death!' He berated himself.
Shaking off his burdensome thoughts, he stared with love and compassion over Jake's sleeping form. He was so grateful the love of his live was still alive, now if only he would awake once more so he could stare into those warm brown eyes and finally tell the tom how he felt. Reaching his arms up behind his head and stretching, his thoughts drifted to how much he wanted to hold Jake in his arms again
Hesitantly, Chance reached out toward that soft and warm body only to freeze partway in shocked surprise when he saw motion from the resting tom. Stirring in his sleep, Jake slowly rolled over, hissing a little at the pain the movement caused then sighing as he settled again, facing Chance. Still in his frozen position, Chance felt a rush of heat flood his face. Embarrassed, he lowered his arm and stared at Jake's peaceful sleeping face.
Sighing, Chance could see Jake was still going to stay asleep, so, not wanting to wake him, he headed back upstairs to the garage. Knowing Jake was on the mend had given Chance the lift he needed to raise his spirits. In a much better mood, he headed upstairs to the apartment to make dinner.
Jake would need a lot of calories to regain his strength and hasten his healing so a good protein laden meal was just the thing. He would make it up then put it in the fridge to heat when Jake woke up.
Their tiny apartment over the garage appeared tired and run down in the light of the lowering sun. However, inside, that same fading light shone warmly through the clean windows, revealing a tidy place with old but comfortable furniture in the living room, a tiny kitchen could be seen beyond the main area and beside that was a dark hallway leading to their shared bedroom and bath. It wasn't much but Jake had managed to make it look like a home. Chance especially liked the little patio Jake had made up on the small scrap of flat roof above the living room reached by a pull down ladder in the kitchen. He'd placed some lawn furniture and a table with an umbrella up there so they could enjoy the warm summer nights watching the stars.
Chance headed for the kitchen, pumped up and excited to make dinner. Though small, the kitchen was bright and had plenty of cupboards for storing stuff. The stove top had stuck on food stains and the oven was rarely used as the pair of toms didn't have much time to cook a fully prepared meal nor clean the kitchen very thoroughly. A wipe and a promise was mostly all they did when tidying up. They did, however, insure the garbage was dumped out and that any spills on the floor were wiped up immediately. They didn't want a smelly or foul place with bugs after all.
One thing they did get done was the dishes and they took turns doing those but the sink was full at the moment because Chance simply didn't have the time between working in the garage and taking care of Jake to get them done. He gave the sink a gimlet eye of disgust as he poked around for a clean set of dishware. He would really have to make time to wash dishes no matter how tired he was.
Normal chores did not include any regular cleaning of the apartment and, for the most part, the tiring days of working in the garage and saving the city didn't allow for much work to be done in their home. Not much living went on upstairs besides sleeping, eating and bathing.
Life for Chance and Jake were spent in the garage and hangar, as if their normal lives in an apartment were separated by their salvage yard duties, the garage that provided them a living, and their chosen duty as SWAT Kats. Jake did, however, try to keep a clean home for the both of them and Chance wondered at times how he found the energy to do it all.
Pondering what to make for dinner, Chance thought out loud, "Hmm, I bet something filling and warming would hit the spot. Good old meat and potato cream soup should do the trick!"
Gathering items from the refrigerator as well as from the tiny pantry, Chance began to prepare a filling soup. In a cheerful state of mind, he set to work making the best soup he could, pouring his heart into it, making it just right. Turning on the kitchen light as the sun finally set, Chance began to hum as he crafted his dinner creation.
Below him in the hangar medical room, the echoes of something stirring, skipped across and echoed along the walls. Slowly opening his eyes, Jake woke staring at the far cement wall across from the bed where he lay. It told him immediately where he was at the moment.
Moving slowly, he was relieved to be free of the severe pain he had been in earlier. It was more bearable though still not gone but considering what he'd gone through, not a surprise. Wincing as he carefully pushed himself into a seated position, he sat up and took stock of himself.
He noticed the bandages first, 'Chance did a good job doctoring me,' he mused. Looking around, he saw no sign of his partner. On a small table nearby, he spotted the monitor that allowed the tabby to hear him if need be. Jake didn't call out yet as he continued to wake up more and see how badly hurt he still was.
Slowly raising his arms above his head, he immediately felt the burns on his back pull and sting. He grimaced with pain but it wasn't too bad, he'd suffered worse before. At least he was alive.
Lowering his arms, he used a paw to rub his face of sleep and the dreams that had haunted him. Recalling those dreams now made him blush and feel scared about what they meant. Not able to reconcile how he felt about what those dreams had shown him, Jake felt a strong desire to go see Chance.
Placing his feet carefully on the cold floor, he found to his pleased surprise that he could stand but could he walk? Once he had his balance and his head seemed clear of any dizziness, Jake began to put one foot before the other. To his pleased amazement, he found he could walk with only a little stiffness that wore off as he continued to move to the ladder leading up. The long hours of rest he'd had, seemed to have done the trick in regaining his strength. No infection reared its head and the soreness he felt on his back should be gone in another few days.
Sighing in relief, he could now focus on the troubling dreams as he made his way silently through the garage but froze before going up the stairs. The real world fell away and he was again seeing the garage as it had been in his dream. There again was Chance offering him all that he'd wished to have, the golden light surrounding them and the perfect home beckoning. A deep longing filled him to make that dream a reality.
He shook his head and the garage came back into focus as he let the dream images go. If he wanted what that dream promised then he had to do something about it rather than wish it were so. Determination goading him, his inner turmoil finally resolved, Jake headed up the stairs. He had something momentous to tell Chance and nothing was going to stop him now.
Chance was nowhere in sight but the scent of something wonderful struck his nose coming from the kitchen. Moving silently, Jake crossed the room and peered into the kitchen. Chance stood before the stove with an apron on and stirring something in a pot on the stove. It was rare to see the tabby cooking and Jake couldn't help but snicker at the image before him.
Seeing his buddy in a good mood and actually pleased to be making a meal, Jake slipped into the room and easily snuck up behind his best friend. Chance never heard him, too focused on his task.
"Mmhhmm, what's cooking Chance?" Jake purred in the tabby's ear.
A startled shiver raced down Chance's spine making his fur stand on end. He couldn't believe what he'd heard. Dropping the spoon in the pot, he whirled around to stare in shocked surprise at the sight of his friend on his feet and smirking at him.
"Jake! What are you doing up! You should have called me!" He scolded, fright making his voice sharper than he'd intended.
"Easy, Chance, I'm okay, a little stiff and sore but feeling much better. Seems like you're cooking up something mighty tasty there," Jake soothed him, moving closer to peer into the pot.
"Uh, well, I knew you'd need something heavy on the proteins to get your strength back so I'm making my famous meat and potato cream soup. It's almost done. But you shouldn't be walking around so much yet. Go to your bed and I'll bring a bowl to you," Chance said worriedly.
"Hope it's better than the last time you cooked. That was a disaster," Jake couldn't help but chuckle.
"Hah hah! Real funny, buddy. Quit being such a smart-ass! Let's get you in bed, " Chance growled, gently pushing Jake toward the bedroom. Turning into the room, he got the tom into his bed, pulled the covers up then turned on the TV. "Now you stay there and I'll be right back as soon as the food's done," he said firmly, turning to leave.
Calling to the retreating back, Jake said, "Thanks for taking care of me, Chance." An earnest look of gratitude shining from his eyes.
Turning his head to look over his shoulder, Chance smiled warmly and said, "You're welcome, Jake." Then he continued on his way back to the kitchen feeling thrilled, happy, and relieved that his friend was going to be okay.
In the kitchen, he sighed as he fished the spoon out of the soup and cleaned it off. He went back to the soup and began to add other things to it, enriching the flavor more. The soup was bubbling merrily and smelled wonderful. It hadn't burned while he was out of the room, for which he was very grateful.
While he was busy, Chance's mind went back to the subject upper most in his mind, that of telling Jake how he truly felt about him and his faltering belief in remaining a SWAT Kat. He still hadn't really figured out a good way to tell his friend but he needed to do it soon or it would just continue to eat at him.
Meanwhile in the bedroom, Jake's eyes wandered restlessly around their shared quarters. The room was just big enough for the two of them, with two beds, dressers and desk. Over on one of the dressers was an old TV. Scattered around the floor was Chance's discarded clothes and comics that didn't make it to the shelf over his head board. He smiled to himself as his mind's eye brought images of the tabby lying on his back on the bed reading his comics and laughing or watching TV until he fell asleep.
The big tabby had always been a messy Kat but Jake didn't mind much. On his side of the room were models of jets and planes hanging on strings from the ceiling, a tiny desk was tucked next to his dresser and was covered with blueprints and notebooks, on the floor were balls of crumpled paper that hadn't made it into the already filled trash can nearby. Some of Jake's greatest weapon's designs and ideas originated in their bedroom as Jake daydreamed looking out of the window thinking of ways to improve the Turbokat and its weapons.
As he lay there in bed, his mind went back to how he was going to tell Chance about his feelings. He needed to muster his courage and confront his dear friend but words escaped him as to how he would do it. Trying to clear his mind, Jake reached over to the nightstand that sat between their beds and picked up the remote.
Turning on the TV he flicked to a certain channel and began to watch the David Litterbin Show. The elevated humor from the show caused Jake to laugh, allowing his worries to melt away. He never understood why Chance could never get any of the jokes and was so delinquent for watching cartoons still, but that was what made his friend so quirky.
In the kitchen, Chance put his last touches on his well-made meat and potato cream soup. He spent so many hours richening the taste and he was proud of his creation. Although he was still concerned for Jake's condition, he couldn't help but be happy to see him up and moving around already.
And though his thoughts were still filled with how he was going to bring up the subject of his feelings, for now, he'd focus on just getting his friend healthy and well again and that began with this amazing dinner he'd made. Scooping up the soup with a wooden ladle, Chance poured the soup into two large bowls, one for Jake and one for him. He grabbed two spoons and placed them in the full bowls then grabbed two glasses and filled them with milk. Using an old tray they kept around, he placed the bowls and glasses on it then carried it off to the bedroom.
"Dinner's ready, time to eat up!" Chance sang out happily as he set the tray down in front of Jake then taking his own bowl and milk off it to sit down beside his friend on the bed.
"Smells great Chance, hope it tastes good too," Jake smirked, reaching for the spoon to take a sip of the hot soup.
"Of course it will taste good, after all I worked my ass off making it," Chance snorted in mock insult. "Eat up buddy, you're going to need it," he said more solicitously, giving Jake a pat on the back.
Jake hissed, nearly spitting the soup back out. "Ouch, Chance. Watch it, I'm still sore." He shifted his shoulders and winced but gave Chance a forgiving smile to show he wasn't angry.
Chance blushed hotly at his stupidity and murmured in embarrassment, "Ahh, I'm sorry buddy, I forgot."
"It's alright. Wow! This is great soup. Thanks, Chance, I wouldn't know what to do without you," Jake said sincerely, turning away from the embarrassing moment.
"That's what friends and partners are for buddy. Now you better start eating before your soup gets cold. Don't blame me if it tastes bad by then."
"Well I'm trying to but it's still a bit hot," Jake snorted and lifted another spoonful up and blew on it before gulping it down, making sounds of pleasure at the delicious taste of cream which soothed his dry throat.
Smiling at the sight of his friend enjoying the soup, Chance relaxed and ate his own, finding he was ravenous. The two of them ate with gusto as they watched TV. Chance surprised Jake by actually showing enjoyment at watching Litterbin, laughing along with him at each witty joke and punch line.
Although yesterday had been filled with turmoil and pain, today was full of relief and happiness as well as uncertainly. Just the act of watching and eating together had eased their minds and allowed them to let go for just a little longer, those plaguing thoughts and feelings they both had. Enjoying each other's company was all that occupied them as the evening progressed. But underneath the shared comradery, the tension began to build as things unsaid and desires unfulfilled began to rise between them. It was only a matter of time before one or the other broke the stalemate.
How was that take with a longer chapter length? Hope you liked it!
Things are heating up for Chance and Jake, look forward to the next remaining chapters!
*Brenton*
