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“For Fuck´s sake, call him already if you miss him that much.”
He doesn´t even pretend that he doesn´t know who she is talking about because she does, like everyone else around him even if they keep quiet about it. For a moment he wonders if it is the same for Lee on his side of the planet, wishes for them to have normal jobs working from eight to four in the afternoon but knows in that same moment that it isn´t for them and never will be. Creatures of habit they both are, he thinks with a smile and another gulp of beer. With a start he realizes two things while glancing on his clock. First he is on his way to getting spectacular drunk in a matter of hours and the second is that Lees Birthday lies ahead. When that information pierces his foggy brain, he nearly spills the rest of his beer, fumbling for his phone. His companion just stares at him for a moment, probably wondering if he has finally managed to go off the deep end but he hasn´t. Not yet anyways, he is just stupidly in love, that is all.
It is a feeling he has been living now for the better part of four years and a giggle wants to rise up in throat once his mind helpfully supplies that he is crushing harder than a teenage girl in pigtails. He can just imagine Lees reaction to that and he really shouldn´t have done that, because as suddenly the happiness came there is wetness gathering in the corner of his eyes which he angrily blinks away. The life they have, it isn´t always easy – far from that, but they have managed so far even if they can´t be around each other around the clock. He closes his eyes, wipes a hand over his weary faces and stands so abruptly that the room around him spins. She looks at him then, shaking her head and muttering about men – he can´t blame her, the poor woman has a right to be a tad angry at him for the foul mood he was in while learning to sound German and when he didn´t succeed – yelling at her. So he offered what he always did when he apologized to people. A round of drinks and a night on the town.
He remembers that is how it had started between them back in New Zealand. Really started between them, well past longing glances that quickly were redirected when caught. His mouth still twitches into a smile at the memory of Lee looking at him, a regal Elvenking in a robe, wig messy and boots to keep his freezing feet at least a bit warm. He doesn´t know what it was but suddenly they had been shouting at each other and then, well - then he offered to make it up to Lee. The smile on his face grows larger. Oh, how they made up. Blinking he comes back to reality, a cigarette dangling from his mouth and a phone in his hand. He glances briefly over his shoulder when his companion comes out – probably to look if he has finally managed to fall flat on his face and if in turn he would need help getting up.
A snort rises in his throat when she actually asks him that and he shakes his fuzzy head and a glint appears in his eyes. Her hands fly to her face at that and he snaps a picture of it for shits and giggles when he starts to sing – rehearsal he tells her. The few people that pass them by barely look at them and he gets a right thrill from it for no other reason than being not recognized. Sometimes that is a blessing.
Clearing his throat he quickly saves the picture for later usage on twitter (he doesn´t tell her that now, maybe later , maybe not) And dials Lees number. It rings three times before Lee picks up. Richard wants to weep, even if they talked on Skype only a week ago. When you are missing someone that you love someone from the props department told him over lunch after that call had ended, a week might as well be a year or ten. In the past he would have laughed at something like that, nowadays he can relate to such sentiments. Painfully so.
“Rich?”
Lees voice drifts over the line and through different time zones straight into his ears. He doesn´t even dignify that with an answer because Lee has caller ID and they got each other on speed dial so of course it is him. Instead of giving into his mild irritation he nods more to himself than anybody else and starts to sing his version of Happy Birthday into the phone. That makes a few heads turn but nobody really cares and he could care less The other end of the line is deadly quiet for a minute and panic rises in his chest. Maybe that wasn´t such a good idea, the always doubting portion of his brain shouts at him but after a minute there is a wobbly laugh over the line. Oh no.
“Hey now – is my singing that bad? There is no need to cry.”
His eyes drift close, phone pressed to his ear. He is almost able to see Lee wiping hastily at his face while the other man tells him that he isn´t crying. He isn´t a very good liar.
“That´s so sweet of you, darling. Really.”
Lees voice sounds gruff and raspy. Yep, definitely crying then. It makes him nearly regret the whole calling and singing thing. Whenever they part it ends up with someone crying – like him when shortly before Valentine´s he got a text from Lee saying nothing but wanting him to turn around. He had thought that Lee would be drunk then or that the message had been an error but when he turned Lee just stood there, backpack slung over his shoulder and jet lag visible in every move he made. It hadn´t even embarrassed him when an audible sob had risen in his throat seconds before he had launched himself into the other mans arms.
“I wish I could be there.”
He hears himself say, trying to ignore the sound of Lee wiping his nose, counting to ten inwardly and blinking away the new moisture at the corner of his eyes. Damn emotions.
“Me too.”
Lee says quietly. The next part however makes Richard from.
“At least Chuck is keeping me company.”
Who the hell is Chuck, he thinks trying to squash down the hot wave of jealousy he feels rising from the pit of his stomach.
“Who the hell is Chuck?”
It must be the tone of his voice that makes Lee laugh lightly into the phone before he can explain who the mysterious Chuck is.
“Chuck is my brothers Chameleon. Strange little thing, he is – doesn´t want to leave my side for some reason. Well, could be because I keep feeding him.”
God how he loves it when Lee starts babbling. At least he isn´t crying anymore, so that counts as a win – he has to thank Chuck should he ever meet him.
“Yeah, I can relate.”
He says instead, trying to tease Lee a little and he knows it worked when he hears the huff, can almost see the pout the other man wears.
“So you only stick around for food? That´s harsh Rich.”
Despite it all, Richard snorts.
“Take Out and Pasta hardly count as food Lee.”
There is a mock shocked gasped drifting into his ear and he smirks a little.
“Excuse me Paul Bocuse , if my cooking skills are not up to your standards.”
And suddenly they are both laughing so hard no doubt remembering the failed attempt of making dinner together. The kitchen of Lees mother had to be cleaned for six hours after that Thanksgiving and she never will let them near her stove again but that was worth it. They exchange a few quiet and rather sappy words before they hang up. Richard almost screams when a hand lands on his forearm. Oh right, he hadn´t been alone and Lee is still on the other side of the world. She looks at him and he knows how he must look. Like a lost, very sad puppy.
“You know what. Why don´t you take a few days off, you look sick.”
His brows knit into a frown. He isn´t sick. Well, heartsick, that -oh. Oh. She rolls her eyes at him then but smiles fondly. On the next day, after having slept for a few hours he all but races to the airport, purchasing a ticket, a hastily packed duffel bag stuffed under his arm, passport phone in his hand. He calls Lees brother in advance and tells him that he is already half on his way. To his credit John says nothing but states calmly that he would tell his wife to cook a bit more. It has to be longest flight of his life, Richard thinks but he knows it is not.
He is just in love and that makes it harder. So much harder. When he finally trudges up to the house of Lees brother something green darts over his shoes and runs up his leg. Lees voice drifts to him from somewhere.
“Chuck? Oh come on, not again – I swear if you don´t..”
He stops whatever he wants to say, coming to a stop a feet away from Richard who is quite the sight with mussed hair, luggage haphazardly down by his feet.
“Seems like Chuck makes fast friends, does it not?”
Richard whispers and poor Chuck can only jump to the side as the man he was climbing like a tree is enveloped in a bone crushing hug. Not that he minds, whispering sweet nothings into the other mans ear, planting a kiss or a dozen on his lips.
“Oh god, you are crazy, but I love you.”
Richard only chuckles at that, grabbing for Lees hand and interlacing their fingers. It feels good, feels right.
“I bloody well hope so.”
Like home, he thinks while Chuck zooms past them into the house, apparently smelling the food. Lees brother just gives them both a strange look when they cackle at the mention of Pasta but then again, he really doesn´t want to know and just watches how happy they are.