After Forbidden Door, Hook and Orange spend a couple of days at home, decompressing. The time goes by too quickly and before Hook is fully prepared, it's Wednesday and time to fly out. He sighs and presses a kiss to Orange's shoulder before getting up, careful to keep him tucked into the sheets.
"No," Orange mumbles, squinting his eyes open and reaching out for Hook. "Stay..."
"Wish I could," Hook says, leaning in to quickly kiss him. "But I have to go pack and get ready to go to the airport." Orange isn't booked, so it's Hook going by himself this week. He has a trios match to compete in, and he's kind of looking forward to something that doesn't have to do with Jericho for once. He's tossed a couple of clothes into his suitcase before something comes to him and he turns back towards the bed, squeezing Orange's hand. "Hey, are you still awake?"
Orange blinks up at him. "Yeah? What's up?"
Hook smiles at him. "Well, I wasn't going to tell you and ruin the surprise, but I guess since I won't be home until tomorrow afternoon, I might as well so you can handle something for me."
"What's going on?" Orange wonders, sitting up.
"Well, I wanted to try to make tomorrow special," Hook says with a sheepish little grin. "Rented us a place for the weekend with a perfect view of the fireworks display. I'll send you the information and let the guy know that you'll be coming, if you want. You can go there and enjoy the place until I get home. How's that sound?"
"You rented a place just for the two of us?" Orange smiles, pulling Hook closer and kissing him.
"Well, I think I might invite Joe and Shibata now, but yeah. It's a big enough place, we'll probably barely notice them. Is that ok?"
"Yeah," Orange says. "That's fine."
"Great," Hook says, kissing him once more quickly. "I gotta go. I'll see you tomorrow morning."
"See you then." Orange sits back and watches as Hook leaves, sinking back into the pillows with a small smile, thinking about the weekend ahead.
All of his thoughts and plans disappear that night when he's watching Dynamite. He has the TV muted because Jericho is on commentary after kicking Taz off, and Orange isn't interested in listening to him, focusing instead on Hook's match. He, Joe and Shibata win again, and Orange smiles- but it fades away quickly when Big Bill and Bryan Keith run in, distracting them for Jericho to follow. They overpower Shibata and Joe, tossing them out of the ring before turning their focus onto Hook, holding him up by the arms and hair as Jericho hits him with brass knucks, Hook crumpling to the mat. Orange is standing in the middle of the living room, his hands held in fists as he trembles with helpless rage, unable to do anything but watch as they set up a table. "No," he mutters. "No, no- no-"
There's nothing he can do but watch as Bill hoists Hook up and slams him cruelly through the table, shattering it into pieces.
Orange tangles his fingers in his hair and tugs, pacing back and forth. He wants to call, but he doesn't know if there's a point- Shibata and Joe had been out of sight, and Taz isn't even in the building, and- His head shoots up after pacing and overthinking, Hook's name cutting through everything. He stands in front of the TV and watches, a frown on his face as one of the hallways is shown while two medics lean over Hook and seem to be checking something at the back of his neck- when Jericho and his thugs reappear, toss the male medic away and immediately lay into Hook again. He tries to fight back, the poor guy, even gets some good hits in, but when he turns towards Jericho-
there's a flash of fire, and Hook drops immediately, grabbing at his face. "My eyes," he cries out, Orange feeling like there's ice in his veins as he struggles to make sense of it. It'd all happened so quickly, he doesn't know where Joe or Shibata is, and Taz is still banned, and-
"FUCK!" he says outloud, wishing that he'd just brushed off not being booked, or the loss Sunday and had just gone to be with Hook. Of course Jericho would take what happened Sunday and spend the last few days plotting against all of them. "Fuck, fuck, fuck," he says, thumbing quickly through his phone.
It rings twice, then clicks on. "I'm in the room with him," Joe says tensely. "They won't let me or Shibata too close, they're checking his eyes out right now."
"Where were you?!" Orange snaps, breathless, not caring that he's talking to Joe like this.
"He got dizzy while they were trying to help him back to the medical office, they sat him down in the hall to look him over. Shibata and I were already in the office when they attacked, we didn't know." Joe sounds angry in a way Orange has never heard him. "I'm going to kill them."
"Yeah, well, if you need a third, let me know," Orange says through gritted teeth.
Joe sighs, then shifts around. "Hang on." There's a moment of silence, and then-
"Orange?" Hook asks, voice shaky.
"Yeah, handsome, I'm right here," Orange says. "What's going on?"
"They're checking my eyes," Hook exhales. "They- they want me to go get looked at as soon as I'm back home. They... they say..." He makes a pained noise and Orange digs his fingers into the phone, listening desperately. "They say they're going to bandage my eyes tonight, then change them tomorrow before I fly back to New York."
"They're letting you fly out?"
"Say I'm not showing concussion symptoms, but they want me to keep an eye on things. Just in case. So I can fly out in the morning as long as that continues."
"That's good," Orange says, sitting down heavily.
Hook groans softly. "I wish you were here," he says quietly.
Orange closes his eyes, kneading his forehead with his knuckles. "I wish I were too," he says softly, shaking his head. He would've never guessed something like this, with Hook stuck in Illinois and himself in New York. At least before, at Dynasty, Orange was on the road and could help him in the immediate aftermath of Jericho's bullshit. But this? Now? With states between them? Orange has never felt this helpless or pathetic. "I'll see you in the morning," he finally says. "Can I talk to Joe again?"
"Joe?" Hook calls out. "He- he wants to talk to you."
The phone shifts again, and Joe says, "Yeah?"
"Take care of him."
"I will. We'll get him out of here, Taz'll be around. He's got plenty of support right now. We'll get him home."
"Thank you," Orange says, unable to think of anything else to say. "I'll be at the airport when his plane arrives."
"Alright. See you then," Joe says before the call ends abruptly.
Orange exhales, casting a woeful glare at the TV before turning it off and heading to bed. He won't be able to sleep, but he can't stand to sit or pace any longer, so laying down and trying to comfort himself with Hook's things scattered around their room, his scent lingering in the bedding, is the only thing he can think to do right now.
-x
The morning finally comes and Orange stays in bed for a short while, scanning through his emails, trying to find a distraction or something to do until Hook's plane arrives around noon. He falters when he sees Hook's email, remembering with an abrupt rush about the place he'd rented. It's ridiculous to think about doing it, but Hook had clearly gone to a lot of trouble to get the place, and it seems a shame to let it go to waste. Worse case scenario, Joe or Shibata could use it, something.
So Orange screen captures the information just in case and heads to the address Hook had given him to pick up the keys. Orange is subdued, nods along to the instructions the guy gives him, but all in all, he pays very little attention, doesn't even really recall the guy's name after they finish shaking hands. "Thanks," he says once he thinks the guy is done talking. "We'll leave the place in good condition, don't worry."
"Well, you better," the guy jokes. "Just leave the keys in the mailbox Monday morning."
"Will do," Orange says, relieved once he's taken his leave, Orange turning in a shaky circle to take in as much of the place as he can see from the living room. Hook hadn't lied, it's pretty big, with sizeable bedrooms and bathrooms, a nice living room and a ridiculous kitchen that he thinks Mrs. Senerchia would've loved. There's also an incredible balcony aimed towards the Hudson River, like Hook said, perfect for viewing the 4th of July fireworks later. Orange sinks down into one of the lawn chairs, burying his face into his hands. It all would've been so perfect, if not for fucking Jericho. Which seems to be the theme of their lives the last few months.
He's not sure how much time has passed when he glances at his phone and notices that it's about time to go to the airport to wait for Hook's flight. He taps his thumb against the screen of his phone before leaving.
He makes a quick stop before going to the airport, hovering in front of Hook's parents' apartment building, before making his way inside. He takes a deep breath before knocking at the Senerchia's door, taking his sunglasses off when he hears the locks getting undone. He smiles weakly as soon as Hook's mom gets the door open, staring out at him.
"James," she gasps, grabbing at him. "Have you heard anything?"
He takes her hands and lightly squeezes them. "Hi, Mrs. Senerchia. Their flight is coming in in less than an hour. I'm on my way to the airport, and I was wondering if you wanted to come with me?"
Her face twists and she nods, squeezing his hands. "Please," she manages.
"Ok," he says softly. "Do you need a minute to get ready to go?"
"Yes, come in for a minute," she offers, holding the door open for him.
He waits for her in the living room and when she comes back with her purse, a strained but determined look on her face, he smiles comfortingly at her and walks side by side with her to the stairs.
-x
The airport is busy, bustling already, and Orange slips his hand into Mrs. Senerchia's so they don't lose track of each other in the crowd as they find their way towards Hook's gate, going as far as they can without gaining security's attention. "I hope he's ok," she whispers, pressing her fingers to her lips.
Orange swallows. "Yeah, me too," he exhales. "Me too."
They've been waiting about ten minutes when Orange sees them. Mrs. Senerchia notices at the same time if the soft oh she lets out is any indication, her fingers biting into Orange's hand as they take in the bandages wrapped around Hook's eyes, how carefully Shibata is guiding him through the milling people.
As soon as they're close enough, Orange meets them halfway and cradles Hook's face gently in his hands. "Orange," Hook murmurs and Orange exhales shakily, relieved just to hear his voice sounding mostly normal, especially after the phone call last night.
"Hey, handsome." He strokes his jaw, careful not to touch too close to the bandages, unsure what the damage is.
"Tyler?" Mrs. Senerchia asks, stepping hesitantly towards them.
He turns towards her, reaching out in the direction of her voice. "Mama?"
"Oh baby," she breathes, taking his hand and holding it close to her cheek. "Are you ok? What's going on?"
"Let's get out of this crowd," Taz speaks up from where he's standing with Joe. "And we'll explain."
They leave the airport, Orange on one side of Hook, Shibata remaining on the other. It's a relief to be away from so many people, the breeze cooling Orange a little, calming his nerves as Hook squeezes his hand and steps carefully where guided.
"Long and short of it," Taz says once they stop at Orange's car, "is the bandages are a precaution. They think his eyes are gonna be ok, but they want him examined by his doctor at the earliest possibility which, because of the fuckin' holiday, won't be until tomorrow afternoon. We're just lucky the guy had a cancellation and could work him in at all." Taz rests his hand on Hook's shoulder and squeezes lightly. "Arms got a little singed when he tried to defend his face, and-"
Hook shifts anxiously, head tilting left to right. "Orange?" he asks, a little panic in his voice.
"Yeah, Hook?" Orange asks, squeezing his hand to prove he's right next to him.
"Is my hair ok?"
There's a pause, and Joe scoffs out a faint laugh, Taz rolling his eyes skyward.
"Yes, Hook," Orange says fondly. "Your hair's fine."
"Nothing a little conditioner wouldn't fix, right?" Joe jokes, and Hook tenses up.
"Bro-?!"
"Don't tease him," Mrs. Senerchia speaks up, steel in her voice that makes even Joe stand straight.
"Yes, ma'am," he says, brows lifting up towards his hairline.
Taz smirks at him before resting a hand on Hook's lower back. "Alright, where are we going? Our apartment, or yours?"
"Wait, no-" Hook cuts in, turning towards Orange. "Did you get the place?"
"Yes, I did, just a couple of hours ago," Orange tells him. "Do you want to go there?"
"Yeah," Hook says. "I'm not letting Jericho ruin this too. Please."
Orange nods. "Yeah, Hook. We can still go there."
"What place?" Taz asks, looking around, not used to being kept out of the loop like this.
-x
The look on everyone's faces when they see the place Hook had rented is amusing to Orange. He just wishes Hook could see it too, his fingers rubbing gently against Hook's knuckles as he leads the tour through the place, keeping Hook tucked in close.
"I'm sorry," he says against Orange's throat.
"What do you have to be sorry for?" Orange murmurs, glancing down at him.
"All of this, ruining our plans, I... I didn't mean-"
"It's not your fault," Orange interrupts him, squeezing him closer. "You're not to blame for any of this. It's all more of Jericho's bullshit. And our plans aren't ruined, just changed a little. We're still here together, that's the important thing."
Hook presses a kiss under his jaw and Orange smiles, rubbing a hand up and down his back. He finishes the tour with the balcony and Mrs. Senerchia oohs and ahhs over the view while Joe immediately drops down into a chair and stretches out. "This is officially my home for the next couple of days, do not disturb," he declares to the group and Hook huffs a laugh.
They stand around, staring out over the river while Orange runs his fingers lazily through Hook's hair, wishing he could see it all too. "Is it nice?" he asks quietly.
"Yeah, baby, it's beautiful," Hook's mom speaks up. "You picked the perfect place for fireworks tonight."
"That's good," he says wearily. "At least everyone can enjoy it."
The group exchange sad, uncomfortable glances before Orange holds Hook close. "Why don't we go lay down for awhile? You need to rest, Hook."
"I don't want to go to bed," he mumbles. "I get all disoriented."
Orange takes a minute to think, rubbing his back. "I have an idea," he says. "Come with me?"
Hook sighs. "Alright," he says, allowing Orange to take him back inside.
Orange leads him into the living room and sits down on the couch. "C'mon," he says, holding Hook's hand and guiding him to sit down next to him. "Wanna stretch out here and lay your head on my lap? Then if you wake up confused, I'll be right here."
Hook sits for a minute, then nods, slowly shifting around in an attempt to find how best to do it. "Uh," he mumbles. "Orange, I-"
"I've got you," Orange says, gripping his arm and lightly drawing him down until his head rests on Orange's lap. "There you go."
Taz joins them after awhile, lips twitching up at finding Hook still resting like that, Orange's fingers stroking through his hair gently. "Hey, we have some pain meds for him. Does he need them?"
Orange looks down at Hook but he grimaces and buries his face deeper into Orange's stomach, shaking his head. "I think he's ok," he says, petting Hook's hair slower. "But if you want to leave them nearby, if that changes, I can give them to him later."
"Good idea," Taz says, dropping the pill bottle within reach. He watches Hook for a few moments before looking at Orange. "Thanks for taking care of him."
"Always," Orange says, smiling slightly. Taz leaves and Orange sighs, letting his head drop back against the couch, his eyes drifting shut as he continues repetitively brushing his fingers through Hook's hair.
When he falls asleep, he's not sure.
The next time he sluggishly opens his eyes, it's much darker in the living room and Mrs. Senerchia is leaning over them, a soft, sympathetic look on her face as she shakes them awake. "Hey, boys, it's getting dark out and fireworks will be starting soon. I didn't want you to get scared awake."
Hook shifts and Orange nods at her. "Thanks, Mrs. Senerchia," he says groggily, rolling his neck to try to work some of the kinks out of it. "Ugh, I"m too old to sleep like this."
She smiles at him before leaning down to press a gentle kiss to the top of Hook's head. "Do you want to come out on the balcony for awhile, baby?"
"No, mama," he mumbles. "I can't see it anyway."
She frowns, standing back up. "Ok, well, we're out there if you change your mind." She glances at Orange questioningly, but he shakes his head, quietly opting to stay with Hook.
When the fireworks do start, he can see the reflection of them through the glass doors, flashing red, blue and gold against the walls, and it's good enough for him anyway.
"Orange? Are they pretty?" Hook asks quietly after awhile, and Orange stares down at him.
"Yeah," he says in a hushed tone. "They're pretty."
"That's good," Hook murmurs, curling his arm around Orange's waist and resting his head back down with a sigh.
Orange smiles sadly down at him and continues watching the colors flicker off of the walls.
-x
The next morning, Orange wakes up early and glances over at Hook, watching him sleep. He'd taken pain meds in the middle of the night when a headache started tormenting him, and thankfully they'd helped him make it through the night in some comfort.
He sighs and pulls himself up out of bed, running his fingers through his hair as he wanders out into the hall. The house is quiet but he can hear Mrs. Senerchia in the kitchen, starting breakfast. He heads in and greets her. "Good morning, Mrs. Senerchia."
She turns and smiles at him. "Oh, hello, Orange."
"Hook's still asleep," he says, leaning against the counter and watching as she stirs some chopped vegetables into egg mixture. "Omelettes?"
"Yes," she says. "Does that sound good?"
"It does." He smiles at her. "Thanks."
She smiles back at him and turns her focus back onto the eggs.
Orange decides to leave her to it. Shibata's asleep on the living room couch, so he quietly pushes the balcony doors open and slips outside, clicking the doors together loosely just to turn around- freezing as he comes face to face with both Joe and Taz. "Oh," he says. "I didn't know you were awake."
"Shoulders were too achy," Taz says. "Can't really sleep well in strange beds anymore."
Joe doesn't say anything for a moment. "Hook still asleep?"
"Yeah." Orange sighs and drops down on one of the lawn chairs, running his fingers through his hair. "Pain meds seemed to have really knocked him out."
They sit quietly for awhile longer, listening to birds chirping and the general sound of the city below waking up. Then Joe's voice cuts through things and it takes Orange a minute to realize what he'd said. "Excuse me?" he says.
"This shit's all my fault," he repeats himself, scrubbing his hands over his head. "It was my idea that Hook use the Judas Effect, I never thought Jericho would be such a petty little bitch about it. Fuck, a fireball. I'm gonna kill him."
Orange and Taz exchange glances, trying to think of what to say when they hear a knock against the glass doors and look up, startled. "Shit, Hook," Orange says, getting up and pushing the door open the rest of the way. "Hey, are you ok?"
"Yeah," he says, reaching out blindly. "I- I woke up and you weren't there."
"Sorry," Orange says, resting his hands on Hook's shoulders. "I thought you were going to sleep a little longer than this. Did you find your way out here alright?"
"Yeah, I don't think I knocked anything over." Hook steps forward as Orange guides him out onto the balcony,
"Well, that's good." Orange helps settle him down on the lawn chair, easing himself down next to him.
Hook picks at the side of the chair for a moment before tipping his head up. "Bro?"
"Yeah?" Joe asks.
"I heard you when I was in the living room. It's not your fault," he says, lips twisting into a frown. "It's all my fault. I should've listened to my own instincts and not get involved with Jericho to begin with. All of this is my burden to bear, losing the FTW title, dragging Dad into all of this bullshit, now you and Shibata."
"Hook-" Joe starts to say, leaning towards him.
"And I chose to go ahead and use his move. You suggested it, but I was the one who went through with it and pissed him off further. You were just trying to help me. There's no reason for you to feel guilty. I have to be the one to end this as soon as I get this all sorted out. I'm sorry I dragged you guys into all of this bullshit"
"You will not be alone," Shibata says, walking onto the balcony. "We will have your back."
Hook smiles a little. "Thanks, Shibata," he says quietly.
"He's right, kiddo," Taz says. "We're all here for you."
Hook nods and tips over, resting his head on Orange's shoulder. "Thanks, guys," he murmurs.
Mrs. Senerchia's perfect timing strikes again as she brings in plates of food while they're sitting quietly, lost in thought, passing them off to Orange. "I only have so many hands," she says, turning back to the doors.
"I'll help," Shibata says, joining her.
Between the two of them, everyone has their food in a few minutes and Orange nudges Hook. "Are you hungry?"
"Not really," he mumbles. "I can't really... eat like this anyway."
"Will you let me feed you?" Orange asks. "I know you don't like feeling helpless, but you have to let people help sometimes, Hook. Especially right now."
"I guess," he mumbles after a few tense moments. "Mama?"
"Omelettes and toast, baby," she tells him. "After your appointment, I'll make something you can eat easier on your own. But my options were limited for now, I only had time to get a few basics before everyone woke up."
"Ok," he says. "Thanks."
"Of course, baby," she says softly, watching as Orange forks up some of the egg and moves to help him eat. "Thank you, Orange." When he looks up in confusion, she smiles. "For always watching out for my son."
He smiles back at her. "He makes it easy, Mrs. Senerchia."
Joe coughs out something behind his fist that Orange doesn't quite catch, but Mrs. Senerchia casts a warning glance his way that quickly sends him back to his plate, careful not to look around again until she's turned her attention back to her own breakfast.
Orange scoffs lightly and taps Hook's jaw. "Here, handsome," he says, smiling a little when Hook obligingly opens his mouth, waiting.
"You could do the airplane thing with the fork, he used to love that when he was little," Taz suggests.
Hook sputters violently, Orange putting the fork back down on the plate before he risk losing the eggs. "Dad!"
"Peter!" Mrs. Senerchia scolds him.
"Geez, tough crowd, alright," Taz mumbles.
Orange shakes his head, ignoring the others and focusing on Hook. "Let's try again," he says quietly, Hook breathing out roughly before following Orange's soft commands again, finally getting to taste his mom's cooking.
"Thanks," he says.
"Any time, handsome," Orange says, content to take turns feeding himself and Hook while the others all bicker and laugh, Mrs. Senerichia shaking her head at them all, unable to hide her smile whenever Taz and Joe get especially boisterous.
It's a ridiculous group of people, Orange thinks as he chews on toast, that shouldn't get along at all, but somehow they do. And he's glad to be part of it.