Work Text:
Spencer’s knee hurt like a bitch.
See, he wasn’t sure what did it exactly—just the cold, or repeatedly climbing this extra large hill in the snow, or this last time when he steered the sled straight into a tree and broke it. Jack and Henry were both in one piece. But if the sled weren’t in two pieces, Spencer might have asked them to drag him back to the car on it.
His arthritis always flared up in the wintertime; his orthopedic surgeon had told him it would follow him for life. But Spencer had never gotten to go sledding before, so he wouldn’t miss the opportunity to experience snow the way Las Vegas never allowed him.
Jack led Henry by the hand. “You alright, Uncle Spencer?”
So it’s obvious. “Yeah, buddy, I’m fine.” Spencer touched the top of Jack’s toboggan. “Let’s go back to Aunt JJ’s for your sleepover tonight.”
“Ice cream?” Henry asked.
“Ice cream?” Spencer repeated. “Guys, it’s twenty-eight degrees outside. You don’t really want Dairy Queen, do you?” They both ogled back at him. Of course they want Dairy Queen. “Okay, ice cream, and then we’re going to Aunt JJ’s house. Your dad’s going to wonder where I am.”
“Dad’s going to wonder what happened to the sled.”
“Yeah, well, the sled was my fault.”
“Is he going to make you go to the doctor?”
If he sees me limping like this, almost certainly. “Maybe. But I’m pretty sure I’m okay.” God, I hope so. Things kept popping down there. Some degree of crepitus was normal for him, but not this much, and not this painful. Still, he didn’t exactly want to spend the evening in the ER.
Spencer swung by the Dairy Queen and got them each a chocolate milkshake, and then he dropped them off at JJ’s house, where they ran inside and stomped snow everywhere. He used one remnant half of the sled as a crutch where he stood in the doorframe. At the muddy footprints tracked everywhere, JJ greeted him with a scowl, ready to reprimand him, but she stopped herself. “Did you bust your knee again?”
“No, I’m fine.” She arched an eyebrow at him. “Yes. And I shattered the new sled Aaron bought.”
“How did you do that?”
“I steered wrong.” JJ chuckled to herself. “Thank you for keeping Jack overnight.”
“Thank you for giving them both back to me on a sugar high.” Spencer ducked his head and gave a sheepish smile. “Spence? Take care of yourself. Get your knee looked at. I’m serious.”
Spencer looked down at the ground. “Right.”
Getting back to Aaron’s apartment was agonizing. He left half of the sled in his car. The other half, he used as a crutch, making his way to the elevator—he scarcely ever used the elevator, but he doubted the stairs would serve him kindly today.
He lumbered into the apartment and derobed—his gloves, his hat, his coat, his snow pants—at the front door to keep from dragging slush all over. Warm smells invaded him from the kitchen. He shivered. The winter’s chill had just begun to get to him.
“Spencer?” He straightened up at the sound of Aaron’s voice, trying not to favor his knee too much. “How was it?”
“Good,” he said in a carefully neutral tone. Aaron placed his hands on his hips. The weight shift sent pain shooting through his knee. Trying to distract himself from it, Spencer grabbed onto Aaron’s front and kissed him hard.
Hot hands from working in the kitchen pressed under his shirt. He gasped in surprise. “Nice try.” Aaron’s voice lilted gently. “JJ texted me about your knee. She thought you wouldn’t be fully honest.”
Spencer grimaced. “Well… Maybe I was going to build up to it. I broke the sled, I broke my knee, I broke that ceramic vase—”
“ You broke my grandmother’s vase? I blamed Jack for that. I punished him.”
“You did? You weren’t home when it happened, so I just threw it away. I didn’t know it meant that much to you.”
“It didn’t, but I thought he was lying—wait, you broke the sled? ”
This was going to be a long winter.