Author's Note: The sequel takes place about three months after Accepting. Enjoy!
Breaking the Ice
Alistair walked in a daze out of the subway station faster than he had ever fled a place in his life. Faster still, than the time he had come across a nest of rats under his house. He was speechless. In all his life he had never suspected that he would be caught in between the proverbial "rock and hard place." Yet, damned it all to hell, there he was, introducing the huge, infamous, ugly rock to the even harder and more infamous hard place.
Alistair growled under his breath, sure that he sounded quite the animal and looked it too. He had gotten an urgent page from Bridget right before he had gone on break at the hospital, so being the good little ex-boyfriend-friend that he was, he had traveled the distance across town to meet her at her father's summer home in Greenwich Village. Big mistake, big mistake. Alistair didn't know it then, but if he could change the day's events he would. Bridget, being the darling woman that she was, had given him quite the surprise when he had taken lunch with her. Now he had to get back to work, go home and find Theron, and with any luck try to find some courage to "spill the beans." Alistair gulped down a bit of bile as he thought of the conversation that would inevitably ensue… It was just not his day.
Theron unlocked the door, shuffling the bags of groceries, mail, and coffee around so that he was able to kick the door the rest of the way open. His last client of the day had run longer than he had expected, which inadvertently forestalled any plans he might have had with Alistair, or getting any errands done early that day. He was still lagging behind on his electric bill and though he had the money, he just didn't have the time to pay it. He was only so lucky to have managed to get the grocery shopping done. But he supposed there was a certain lazy quality to his actions the past few weeks. He did have the time to go out with Alistair, he did have the time to watch a few movies that had recently come out in the theaters, and he did have the time to sit through an hour and thirty minute phone call from his blonde lover's mother. He just really needed to get his priorities straightened out again.
Coming into the kitchen, Theron dropped off the bags of groceries, put his cup of coffee down, and proceeded to open his mail as he emptied out his pockets. Again, there was his notice for the late electric bill, telling him that the power would be shut off in the next month if it were not paid in full during the extended grace period. He sighed as he put the bill aside, groaning as he came across a letter from his own mother. It seemed she was visiting Taiwan with his father that summer and they wanted him to join them for a vacation. Theron shook his head and put the rest of the mail down. He only wanted to get dinner started and to relax for the rest of the evening. His parents and their gallivanting eccentricities would have to wait along with every other unwanted mail lying on his countertop.
Picking up his coffee, Theron started putting away the food whilst sipping the hot confection from the corner café shop. He liked his coffee sweet, so sweet that the coffee didn't actually taste like coffee. He had a sweet tooth the size of Canada and he really didn't see how he was still able to keep his figure. He thought, reasonably so, that his body should have been the size of a blimp with how much sweet foods and sugars he put into it. But somebody obviously like him up in the Great Beyond and had decided to grant him the ability to stuff his face with whatever he liked. Though, he still worked out after work, he undoubtedly should have been the size of a balloon. A big red one.
Gulping down another swallow of coffee, Theron suddenly paused in what he was doing as a small buzzing sound caught the attention of his ear. His right hand was still inside of one of the bags on the counter when the buzzing "thing" finally decided to show itself fully in the shape of a black bumblebee. "Fucking…" Theron's eyes widened as the huge insect took to the idea of landing on his arm in the brown bag, making the brunette's throat constrict with overwhelming panic. Slowly setting the coffee down on the counter first and foremost, Theron then started to flail his right arm while backing away and out of the kitchen as quickly as he was humanly able to. He was not going to go into anaphylactic shock in he middle of his kitchen, or ever, if he could manage it.
Theron looked around his living room, searching quickly for a swatting device of any kind as the bumblebee came buzzing around the corner to the kitchen, and straight for him. He cursed his cleanliness with a passion! Not only did he not have any magazine lying around the room, but also every fly swatter or flat object suitable for the swatting job was in the kitchen! He couldn't believe is luck. It was a cool, mid-February day, downright gloomy with all the rain and clouds. But somehow, by some flop of destiny or whatever other utter bullshit, he was able to bring home the one bumblebee in New York set against him. And to make matters worse, his "Epi-pen" was lying on the counter next to his damned coffee. "Fuck." It just wasn't his day.
Alistair opened the apartment door, his eyes widening as he took in the scene developing before him, a black bumblebee flying past his head and out into the hall. "…the Hell?" Theron lay curled on his side on the floor, grasping at his throat and wheezing softly. Tears were trickling down his reddened cheeks as he writhed on the floor. Alistair was shocked still until Theron's leg jolted and kicked at the coffee table, sending a vase of flowers off and over the table to land in a colorful splash. He dropped his backpack and ran to where Theron lay, falling to his knees and began searching the brunette's pockets for the epinephrine pen he knew his lover carried on his person at all times.
"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, shit…" Alistair's breathing became fast and panicky as he was unable to find the pen. He looked back at Theron, noticing the bluish tint to the other man's lips and the way his tongue was starting to swell. Alistair shook his head, meeting Theron's dazed blue eyes for a moment before looking around the room quickly for any sign of where, or if the pen had dropped. Theron wheezed loudly, weakly gripping Alistair's forearm to catch his attention and motioning shakily with his other hand over to the kitchen.
The blonde shot up, running into the kitchen and knocking the brown grocery bags over, spilling a few boxes of pilaf rice mixes and some apples onto the floor. He glanced around the kitchen, looking at the floor and around the bags until his eyes alighted on the coffee cup and what lay next to it. Taking up the bright yellow pen, Alistair ran back into the living room, dropping to his knees once more. He pulled Theron's coat open and pushed up the blue dress shirt as he uncapped the pen, plunging it into the brunette's side and releasing the vaccine. Putting aside the pen, Alistair sat behind Theron, rubbing his back and arms to try to prevent further air constriction and cramping.
Theron gulped in air, finally able to breathe after what seemed like eternity. He laughed quietly, still wheezing slightly. "You're…a shitty…doctor." Alistair glanced down at the man before him, raising an eyebrow at the whispered words. The damned idiot was laughing too! Shaking his head, Alistair pulled Theron up to sit with his back to his chest. The brunette's head rolled to the side to rest against the other's neck. Alistair continued to rub at Theron's arms, careful not to do any more harm to his lover. "Why are you laughing, you idiot? You almost died, if you haven't noticed yet! And why the fuck did you put your pen in the kitchen? What the hell good is it going to do when it's in the other room?" Theron only shook his head slightly and rolled his eyes as best he could. Alistair and his hysterics.
"I…was…fine." The blonde let of a frustrated sigh and shook his head in exasperation. Theron was stubborn as a mule and would never admit to doing anything remotely stupid as leaving his Epi-pen in another room. "You're absolutely incorrigible, just incorrigible." Alistair chuckled quietly as he held the other man, kissing the top of chestnut colored locks.
After almost an hour, Alistair finally began to rise, shaking Theron a bit to wake him up from his doze. "Theron…" At the brunette's silence, Alistair shook the other's shoulder harder, "Theron." The brunette woke with a start, looking around groggily as Alistair started to shift behind him. "Hey sunshine, can you stand up for me?" Theron glared at the nickname and rolled his eyes as he slowly shifted to leaning against the blonde's side. Alistair stood, holding Theron to his side as he started to slowly walk them to the door, grabbing his set of spare keys along the way. "And to the hospital we shall venture."
But as soon as the first syllables of "hospital" were said Theron was digging his heels into the carpeting and hissing out a mantra of noes. Alistair puffed out a curse, forcing the taller man to start walking in the direction of the door. "Theron, I know you can move that scrawny ass of yours… Damnit, you have to go!" And however much Theron didn't want it, with all of the pushing, he wasn't able to keep up his protests for much longer, especially after his "little attack." Theron sent a curse to every god or sacred being out there as he was lead through the doorway and out into the hall. They all hated him, he just knew it! "No…"
It took about thirty minutes and many a veiled threat to arrive at the hospital with Theron in one peace. And in no time at all, much to the brunette's dismay, Theron had been escorted to his own room and was being thoroughly looked after by the doctor on call. Alistair got a cup of coffee from the vending machine, sipping the black elixir as he made his way back to Theron's little room and bed. After the work out he had gotten trying to get the taller man to their current location he really needed a cup of caffeine to sooth his nerves. When he reached the room the doctor was still there, checking over Theron's charts and marking things off as he went along his way. Alistair also wryly noted, that Theron was already grumpily imploring about when he could leave and not have to be monitored by "the monkeys in uniform" anymore.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Baxter, but we want to keep you over night for observation. Just to be careful, right?" The doctor smiled thinly as Theron shrugged his shoulders and flipped him the bird, saying that they only wanted his money. Alistair shot Theron a dark look as he came fully into the room, nodding to the doctor in passing. When the door closed Alistair blew out a sigh and placed his hand over the brunette's. "What's with you and doctors, hmm?"
Alistair smiled as Theron scrunched up his face, looking like very much like the child he was acting to be. "I don't know… I just don't like them. They all hate me and want my money." Theron look at the blonde and reached up to take Alistair's cup of coffee, sipping minutely at the hot liquid before shaking his head convulsively from the bad before and aftertaste. "How can you drink that shit? It's like goddamned battery acid!" Alistair laughed as Theron handed the cup back, taking a huge swig of the warm fluid as the brunette watched him with scrutiny.
"I like it this way, it's outstanding. And I'm a doctor too, you know?" Theron shook his head and shrugged, as if everything where explained by a simple movement. He was tired and his side was sore. He really didn't feel in much of a talkative mood.
"You're just different I suppose…" Theron shrugged again and leaned fully into the pillows at his back. He looked up at Alistair for a moment before smiling and entwining their fingers together. Alistair sat down on the edge of the bed, still sipping from his cup. After a moment, Theron sighed, "So, what is it you wanted to talk to me about?" At Alistair's blank look Theron rolled his eyes and laughed. "Don't you remember? You called earlier and told me to meet you at my apartment. You had something to tell me."
Alistair's eyes widened, "Oh! Oh, yes, yes I do have something to tell you…" Alistair lowered his eyes, chuckling nervously and looked down at their entwined fingers. He fiddled with Theron's fingers wrapped around his, brushing his thumb across the bright red lump forming on the brunette's index knuckle from where the bee had stung him. He knew he was stalling, but hell, he needed a moment to collect.
"Babe."
Setting down his coffee, Alistair looked back up at Theron, seeing the brunette becoming impatient from the suspense. "Well, you know how Bridget and I have stayed in contact a bit? Well, she called me over to lunch today and she told me that… Umm… The oddest bit has happened!" Alistair's laughter became louder as Theron glared at him. He wasn't one for jokes when it came to Alistair and Bridget. Theron hated Bridget. "So, you see… She's pregnant."
Theron blinked at the last bit, completely caught off guard. It was all said in such a rush that Theron almost didn't believe the blonde had said it. "Excuse me?"
Alistair closed his eyes in a grimace, "With child, knocked up, bun in the oven… Do I really need to continue, Theron?" The brunette twisted Alistair's fingers in a tight grip as he sat up fully, hissing lowly, "That bitch! That fucking, two-timing, no good… Slut! Whore…" Alistair gasped and started to jiggle his hand out of Theron's grip as the blue-eyed man twisted his fingers harder, grinding them together. When his jiggling did nothing to relieve his fingers he finally started to try and pry Theron's hand away from his own.
"I knew it! I knew that fucking slut would do something like this! She's just trying to lock you, you hear me, Alistair?" The blonde nodded, grinding his teeth has Theron lifted and slammed his hand back down onto the bed before at last letting go. Alistair grabbed his hand away, making sure it was not within clutching reach again. Theron took hold of the blonde's face, bringing their noses scant inches apart, squeezing Alistair's cheeks and lips together. "I know you want a son. Hell, I want you to have a son! But you must realize that she's probably lying to you! You have to get a DNA test. It's a must, Alistair. Don't sign, or agree to anything until you see a DNA test!"
Alistair nodded as best he could. When Theron let go of his face the blonde rubbed his cheeks grudgingly, "Well, you see, we have a problem there because it seems that she's gone to my father… And he wants us to get married. Right away." Alistair tensed for the coming explosion, counting in his head as he saw Theron's face become a bright red hue.
"What!"
Author's Note: Contrary to popular belief, bumblebees do sting. Also, their stingers are not barbed like regular honeybees but are needlelike, which allows them to sting numerous times without dying. So, watch out if you come across a nest of them. They usually only sting when they feel very threatened (like in Theron's case) or if they are protecting their nest.