The States

The Downsides of Healing Factors

The phone is ringing and Kit drags himself out of bed to answer it. "Hello?"

"Can I come over?" Tyler asks in a rush of words it takes a moment for Kit to decipher.

"What?"

"It healed," Tyler tells him. "Good- good as new. There isn't even a scar." His voice breaks and Kit's heart falls as he puts the pieces together.

"Tyler- I am so sorry-"

"Just- can I come over? I know it's late-" Tyler sighs. "I'm sorry I called and bothered you, I can just go home-"

"Yeah, it's fine," Kit responds quickly before Tyler talks himself out of it. "Do you want me to come get you?" He'd drive five hours for Tyler without complaint if he asked.

"No- it's fine," He murmurs.

Kit nods even though he knows Tyler can't see him. "Alright. I'll see you in a while, then."

"Bye," Tyler says back quietly, and then hangs up.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The drive from Tyler's to Kit's is about five hours, maybe four and a half if you take a loose interpretation toward speed limits.

So when three and a half hours later, Kit opens the door to let Tyler in, he's a little confused.

Tyler rubs the back of his neck. "I might have called from a rest stop about halfway up?"

It comes out as a question. Kit smiles because of course, Tyler had called. He'd probably started driving and then freaked out about showing up without warning and pulled over at the first place with a phone. He was too polite to just show up, even when he was the middle of a personal crisis.

Kit steps aside so Tyler can come in, and looks over him. He's wearing a baggy, old sweater, and the way he ducks his head so his bangs cover his eyes hurts Kit's heart. His eyes are red, and puffy.

Tyler had thrown out his binder already. He needed a new one anyway, needed a bigger size, much to Tyler's displeasure. He'd put it off for over half a year because he said he didn't need it if he was getting his surgery.

Kit sighs. "Hold on."

Tyler gives him a confused look, but Kit just ducks back into his room.

Kit pulls down the box from the top of his closet, and when he goes back out, Tyler has taken off his shoes and refolded the blanket on the couch and straightened all the throw pillows and looks like he might start alphabetizing his books.

Kit passes him the box. Tyler gives him another confused look as he takes it.

He undoes the wrapping paper, pulls the lid off the box and goes still at the neatly folded fabric in the box.

"I got it before I knew about your surgery," Kit tells him when he just continues to stare at it. "I knew you needed a new one, but then you told me about the surgery and how you didn't want to get a new one-"

Tyler holds the binder like it's something fragile and precious.

"You can't put it on right now," Kit rushes to explain why because Tyler has raised an eyebrow at him. "Because it's night time, and you need to sleep." He drops his gaze. "But I thought it might make you feel a little better."

"Thank you."

Kit shrugs. "You don't have to thank me-"

Tyler kisses him. It's brief and short and Tyler is gone before he can do anything about it.