All the Aches in the World

Chapter 10 : Day One

A piercing pain through his head woke Elliot first, dragging him spitefully from his sleep like a sudden gong vibrating through his entire body. He could almost feel his heart beating in his temples, pricking right behind his eyes. He groaned long, turning and burying his face further into his pillows. While the curtains were pulled shut, the light of morning still streamed through the cracks, illuminating his bedroom further than his eyes could bear.

Elliot groaned again into his pillows.

He stayed like that for several minutes, before realizing he was not going to fall back asleep anytime soon. Rolling over, slowly pushing himself to a seated position, he rubbed at his eyes, pressed his fingers to his temples, and tried blindly assessing the wildness of his hair.

That's when he noticed the man sitting in the corner of his room, neck stuck at a crooked angle, Hunter looked practically dead in the armchair. He stared, at the mess of his blond hair, the way his chest expanded on each deep breath. Lashes brushed against the curves of his cheeks.

"Hunter?" He called, voice coming out in the middle of a crack, throaty and weary. He cleared his throat, but Hunter didn't so much as stir. Elliot grunted, moving and stumbling from the bed and towards Hunter in the corner.

"Hunter?"

Still nothing.

Elliot carefully reached a hand and poked him on the cheek. "Are you dead or something?"

Not even a flinch.

He poked harder.

"Stop touching me," Hunter suddenly grunted.

"I thought you were dead."

Hunter's eyes fluttered, lips parting in a heavy breath. "So you thought to poke me until I was resurrected?"

Elliot scowled. "What are you doing here?"

The blond slowly moved his head, finding the repercussions of his arrangements in the clear ache of his neck. Elliot could almost feel the ghost of that pain creep up his own shoulders.

"Sleeping," Hunter groaned. "What does it look like?"

Elliot folded his arms over his chest, tipping his head down to better look at the other. "Why are you in my room?"

The blond shifted further in his seat, straightening his posture. His eyes didn't meet Elliot's. "I brought you home last night."

"And you thought it was okay to stay the night?"

"It's not like I slept in the bed with you."

"Oh, yes, thank gods for that," Elliot uttered with great sarcasm.

Hunter rolled his eyes. "You were supposed to have a bag packed to come back to my place. You passed out on the bed before even starting."

Elliot sighed and rubbed at his temples. That's when he finally noticed his lack of clothes. He stared down at his bare chest, bare legs. In normal circumstances, he wouldn't mind getting caught this naked, in only his briefs, but he stood before Hunter right now. He felt a heat ignite at his core and tremble up his spine.

"You stripped me?" Elliot gaped.

Hunter's face twisted. "You don't have to say it like that."

Elliot scoffed and spun around, attempting to look for something to cover himself up. "You are a pervert, huh?"

"Get dressed," Hunter grunted, standing. "We have a busy day."

Annoyance settled like a second skin on Elliot's body, a better covering than any piece of clothing could provide. He turned, saluting the blond with a dramatic flourish. "Aye, aye, husband!"