Untouchable: Chapter 25: A Restless Sickday
Oliver's hazy mind hardly acknowledged his alarm clock. But became more and more alert as the dread from his nightmare returned. He saw Sean's Muzzlebook message when he checked his phone.He messaged back, "chatting here's fine, I hope you slept better than I did, I had a nightmare about, you know, past things. I think I'm going to call in sick."After he messaged Sean he did call in. He realized that he was still slightly loopy and foggy headed from his new meds it wasn't just poor sleep.So he called the doctor, he was directed to the nurse that took him to Sean's room."Hey the front desk said you have questions about side effects?" Shelly asked."Yeah, I had crazy dreams and, ah, the dreams kinda kept going after I woke up," Oliver said."Are you having the dreams still now," Shelly asked."No but I feel light headed and kinda loopy," Oliver said, "like I just ran long and hard but without the breathing.""Well I hope there's breathing going on here, I'll have to check with the doctor, I know they can be bad at first and on an empty stomach worse," Shelly said."Ok, so I should keep taking them?" Oliver said."Yeah these side effects are known and not threatening, well you may not want to drive till they go away," Shelly said."Yeah I called in sick," Oliver said."Probably for the best, anything else you needed?" Shelly asked."Oh no thank you, talk to you soon," Oliver said as an end to the call.His loopy head made the bathroom journey far harder than it had any right to be.He opened the bathroom drawer and wished he could flush his pills all down the toilet.He brushed his teeth, then sniffed his shoulder, he smelt the same as always and oddly chemical, almost sterile, so he showered.He looked at the bottle in the still open drawer while he dried off. He hated the betrayal of his faith and the reminders of everything that kept him from it.He went to the kitchen and surfed the web periodically while he made breakfast.He read Sean's reply on Muzzlebook, "sorry your not feeling well, I'm swinging by channel five, then the post office, I could pick you up something if you want lunch?""I have the left overs from lunch so I'll be fine but thank you, you should probably get work done." Oliver replied then sat down with his food."True, I do have work to do, 5.7 hours till I have a working phone again, woot woot! But till it's working I'll be MIA." Sean messaged.Oliver left the conversation at that and read the news till a Muzzlebook came in he ignored it to finish the interesting article he was half way through when he got three more alerts in rapid succession.Sean messaged, "wait you dreamed about it, like all of it again?" Then he messaged, "I haven't dreamed about mine in years. Are you ok?"
His next message was, "I'll come over, I missed that bit of your first message!" Finally, "ok I'm on my way!"Oliver got halfway through his reply about being fine and that Sean didn't need to come over when Sean's online indicator switched offline."Ah, what ever, it'll be good to see him," Oliver said to himself then deleted his half written message and wrote, "see you soon."He finished the article on reactionary politics of the food crisis in Africa then cleaned up his breakfast.He lay on the couch wrapped in a warm blanket and dozed. Wolfy was now an XMen the Untouchable Rogue. He was on a mission stalking the attacker in the night. The Darkness Fear, and another demon Malice had lured Rogue out. He was walking into an ambush. He was being hunted and didn't see it coming. A dark form loomed behind him then-The front door opened which awoke him.Oliver's sleep blurred eyes noticed wolfy in the hall."You're safe, good I was worried," Oliver said."You were worried, I was the worried one, are you ok?" Sean asked, grocery bags in paw."Why were you worried?" Oliver asked in confusion."Your dreams, I got us ice cream, and everything else needed to vent," Sean said with a lift of the groceries.Oliver said, "oh yeah that... it was very personal and... embarrassing.""I got sweet cream, it's your favorite right?" Sean asked."How did you know?" Oliver asked."Muzzlebook stalking, I can't help stalk my biggest crush," Sean said and scented embarrassed by his admission."You like me that much?" Oliver asked, "and isn't my house, well, risky for you?""You're worth every risk," Sean said shyly then got some bowls after setting the bags on the kitchen counter."I'm not, you probably shouldn't be here," Oliver said."In your frail state what are you going to do about it," Sean said while he dished the bowls."Wait, how did you get in here anyway?" Oliver asked."You gave me the garage code," Sean said.Oliver liked how Sean ignored his protests that he should leave."Soon you do need to go, even if I don't want you too," Oliver said, "you have work and I don't want you to get sick.""No worries I'm here for the bowl at least," Sean said and passed Oliver his bowl."I think I need more counseling," Oliver said."I never got any, I was on my parents insurance back then, and I was worried they'd find out, now I just don't want to think about it," Sean said."You need counseling it helps," Oliver said, "at least for the daylight hours.""Is a dream like this common?" Sean asked."No it isn't, well it might be, but this was the first dream I've had in years," Oliver said."About it?" Sean asked."No just dreams
period," Oliver said."What changed," Sean asked."I don't really know," Oliver lied, then thought, "I need to stop lying.""So do you want to talk about the dream, I'm here if you do," Sean said then took a huge spoonful."Sure we can," Oliver said and took his own smaller bite, "I dreamed I was back home and a kid again. My parents left me alone for some reason.""But you weren't a kid when it happened?" Sean asked.."No, I was an adult, if you can call a senior in high school that, but in the dream I was five I guess," Oliver said."With mine, we watched a movie and cuddle for a bit," Sean said. "But when I have a nightmare about it's not the same, it's-" Sean sneezed then sniffled."Eat fast for your health, Oliver teased."Yeah I was hoping to last longer, can I take a shower and visit again after work?" Sean asked."Not like I can stop you, you seem dead set on breaking in here," Oliver said."Well there's something precious here that I really want," Sean said then finished his last bite."You're so sappy," Oliver said while he hid his face in his bowl."Well you make me that way," Sean said, "but I need that shower or I might have an allergy attack.""Ok, I wish I could hold you," Oliver said, he grabbed Sean's paw as Sean got up from the couch."Soon, maybe we can," Sean said as he slipped away."What you got me that Lycra suit?" Oliver teased."No something better," Sean said then grabbed one of the grocery bags and headed into the bathroom.Oliver settled back into the couch to finish his ice cream, when he remembered his meds. He started to panic. "What if Sean finds them?" Oliver thought claws extending and retracting, "I should have told him by now, damnit."Oliver sat in his fears till the shower started then he got up.