Unfixable

Missing You

"Gavin, come down for dinner," Chloe cooed softly as she opened his bedroom door. He hadn't left the room all day. Not since he'd seen off Nines and the others that morning. Her brow creased in sympathy as she clicked her way across to his bedside and slipped out of her shoes. "Gavin..." She crawled onto the bed and peeled back the covers. Gavin grumbled and tugged them down again, hunkering lower. Chloe huffed softly as she raised the edge and slipped in beside him, shuffling her way down until she was lying in front of him. "Hey..."

"Hey." The stuffy sound of his nose told her he'd been crying. She could barely see him in the darkness beneath the sheets, especially since he'd kept the lights off and the curtains drawn. He sniffled quietly, humming and wrapping his arms around her as she moved closer and looped an arm across his waist. She used to do this a lot when they were younger. Their families had always been close, and they'd always known that Gavin was different. They'd never worried or placed any extra rules on their time together the way they had with Elijah. Her aunt had always been present during meetings with Elijah, but she was free to come and go around Gavin as much as she pleased.

"You barely touched your breakfast this morning, and you didn't eat lunch," she chided gently, hoping she could guilt him into eating a little.

"Wasn't hungry..." He knew that wasn't an excuse she'd let him get away with. He only got away with that if he was actually sick. He whined softly. Nines' scent had faded from the sheets and pillows. He'd brought little with him in the first place, and whatever he'd brought, he'd taken back with him. The only reason Gavin knew the past few months weren't some sort of fever dream was the little ring sitting on his bedside table. It would probably crumble in a few days when it dried out, but he was going to keep it there regardless. He was pretty sure Nines took his with him. He hadn't noticed it lying around anywhere.

"Nines wouldn't want you to go hungry..." That was a low blow. Chloe was truly shameless. She kissed the corner of his mouth in apology. "How about we eat a little dinner, and then you can write him a letter! I'm sure he'd love to hear from you." Gavin almost scoffed. He'd barely even left! He probably hadn't even reached France yet. How could he miss him already? He skipped over the part where he already missed Nines. Nines was different. Who wouldn't miss Nines?

"Are you going to write Connor?" He felt her stiffen at the question. That's right, I noticed. He was pretty sure the whole hospital had noticed, except Elijah. His brother was as dense and work obsessed as ever, which explained why Chloe had strayed in the first place.

"How do you know about that?" It was probably a reasonable question, though they hadn't exactly been careful. They'd been seen together around the house plenty. To their credit, nothing had happened publicly. The only reason Gavin was certain there was something going on was that he'd actually seen them come out of Connor's bedroom once. He sighed softly and rested a hand on Chloe's head.

"You and Connor aren't exactly subtle. I think half the house noticed you mooning over each other..." He felt her stiffen in shame at the news. His mouth felt dry as he swallowed. It wasn't his business, of course, but he couldn't help being curious.

"You think you'll leave Eli?" He could just barely see Chloe lower her head at the question. He couldn't blame her hesitancy. It was a big decision. It wasn't that she was worried financially. Her family was pretty well off regardless, and from what he understood, Connor did pretty well as a veterinarian, too. She was probably more worried about hurting him and Elijah than how she'd live afterwards.

"I don't know...I do love Eli." Gavin knew that. She'd had a soft spot for him since they were children. She loved the way his mind worked, his enthusiasm for science, and his desire to help people. She also loved the way he used to look at her, like she was his world. "I'm just...not sure he loves me..." Gavin sighed and pulled her closer. Yeah, my brother's an idiot. He held back from pointing out that it was very unlikely that Connor loved her. They'd barely known each other for a month. He had a crush. He'd give him that much, but love? That shit took time.