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“For what it’s worth, I don’t approve…” Stiles says, sitting sideways on the sofa next to Jackson.
“Great, you don’t approve. What else is new?”
“No, I don’t. And I don’t need you to be my echo, thank you very much.”
“The doctor said I’m okay. He said—”
“He said you’re recovering well… which is great but it doesn’t mean you are okay. It doesn’t mean you should go back to work. And honestly, I don’t know why you even bother considering it because I doubt Adam would ever approve your reinstatement so soon anyway.”
“You think you know Adam so well…” Jackson frowns.
“Maybe in the past I’d have said that I don’t know him as well as you do… but I think I know how he feels about this since I’ve actually talked to him,” Stiles admits, looking away from his husband.
“You did what?”
Stiles doesn’t need to see his face. The angry tone of his voice pretty much describes his upset features.
“In my defense, I must say that he called me, okay? He wanted to know how you were doing?”
“He fucking called you?”
“Don’t act so surprised, okay? What? Do you expect him to call you for reliable intel? He’s smart… he’s a fucking spy and he fucking knows you! Of course, he’s gonna call me.”
Jackson shakes his head but doesn’t say anything.
“So, yeah, he knows…” The truth, Stiles doesn’t need to say it for Jackson to know what he means. “I told him that your headspace is not exactly what it used to be…”
“You had no right.” Jackson closes his eyes, shaking his head with disbelief.
“I knew you’d say that but you know what? I don’t give a shit. He’s your friend and he’s worried about you! And shit... if he asks me, I’m not going to cover your ass. Not to mention that your leg is not as fine as you’d like it to be. You still have a long way to go whether you want to admit it or not.”
“You’re forgetting that he’s also my boss. If you tell him all that, he won’t consider letting me come back, don’t you get that?”
“Yeah—Sure. Now it’s gonna be my fault. Like they won’t make you pass all these medical and psychological tests first, right? They are just gonna trust everything I say… to Adam… who obviously wants you back, but only if you are fully recovered.”
Jackson sighs as he rests his head on the back of the sofa and closes his eyes.
“Look, I know this recovery is being hard for you… but I’m enjoying having you home and spending more time together.” Stiles won’t say it but he’s also enjoying taking care of his husband and feeling needed, and he hoped that Jackson could also feel the same way once he wasn’t in pain anymore.
“And you know…” Stiles hesitates but he finally says it. “The truth is that it could always be this way if you chose to work for another department. One with a more normal schedule—”
“You didn’t just say that,” Jackson says, opening his eyes and focusing his gaze on Stiles.
“Yeah—Yeah, I did. Would it be so fucking terrible? We’d have more—”
“I don’t want a desk job. You know that. You’ve known that pretty much since the day we met.”
“You’d still be doing very valuable work, okay? It’s not like if you’d be working in a bank or something! I’d still be all that fun spies stuff—Whatever it is that spies do when they’re not on the field…”
Jackson sighs. “Exactly, you have no idea." Jackson shakes his head. "And you promised we’d never have this fucking conversation… and what are we doing right now?”
“Yeah, I guess we’re having a conversation?” Stiles raises his eyebrows.
“Exactly. And you know, I’m not having it,” Jackson shakes his head.
“Adam said he’d understand it. He said—”
“You’re unbelievable.” Jackson rolls his eyes dramatically.
“I simply asked him—”
“You fucking promised me.” Jackson shakes his head. “When you asked me to marry you, I asked you if you would ever ask me to change what I do for a living and you said you wouldn’t, remember? You said you could live with it for as long as I wanted because you wanted to be with me… and you were so convincing that I believed you… but you fucking lied to me.”
“Shit! I didn’t lie! I really felt that way. I still feel that way…”
“No. You obviously don’t! You talked to Adam about me leaving the field behind my back!”
“No, it wasn’t like that—”
“The fuck it wasn’t!” Jackson interrupts him.
“Look, it doesn’t matter what I told him or what he told me. This is your decision and you’re the only one who will make it. All I wanted to tell you is that maybe you could at least consider it, but after seeing your crazy reaction, just forget it, okay? Forget I said anything. I don’t want to argue with you.”
Stiles knew it would be a touchy subject to discuss but he didn’t expect that outburst. Now he realizes that it really wasn't such a good idea.
(Scene to be continued...)