Who do you call?
Early the next morning, Chance was crudely awakened by the alarm on his phone.
He let out a long sigh and got out of bed to exercise.
Despite not having slept well, he still forced himself to get up.
'I've been lazy long enough.'
What he really wanted was to run but he knew that wasn't currently an option. Though the building had a gym with various equipment, including treadmills, he didn't care for running in place.
It was boring and stuffy.
While he could get Koty to run with him, he felt it was too risky after what had happened in the suburbs.
In the meantime he would settle for basic exercises that he could do in his living room.
Though it had only been a few weeks since he last completed a work out, it was enough time for him to tire out quicker than he was used to.
He had to really push himself to finish his usual set of push ups.
As he was finishing a set of squats, he felt a sharp pain in the back of his left leg and lost his balance and found himself seated on the floor.
He tried to extend his leg to stretch it out but was greeted with a burning sensation, causing him to wince.
Chance frowned and rolled so he was laying on his stomach. He crawled over to a chair and pulled himself up. Reaching down, he massaged his calf muscles to help it relax.
The pain subsided enough for him to stand so he tried to walk it off only to sit back down again.
'Perfect, just...' He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.
At least his phone was within reach.
He picked it up off the nearby coffee table and scrolled through his contact list.
His finger hovered over a certain someone's number, hesitating.
'I'm probably going to regret this either way.'
He took a deep breath and swallowed his pride before finally tapping the call button.
The dial tone ended person on the other end picked up.
"Hey, can ask you for a favor?"
...
"All the new friends you've made and who do you call when you're in trouble?" Koty strode into the apartment with a proud self-satisfied grin.
"Good morning to you too." Chance ignored his question.
Given Koty's reaction over the phone, where he had of course burst out laughing, the attitude was as expected.
"Yeah, good morning. How can I help?" His green eyes sparkled and he was still smiling from ear to ear.
"Is this really all it takes to make you happy?"
"Kind of."
Chance just shook his head and wondered if he should have called Roy instead. Though the big guy would probably laugh too...
"Anyways, can you help me get to my bedroom? I need to get ready for work."
"Let me check out your leg first." The smile finally faded a little as he turned his attention to Chance's slightly swollen calf.
Although Koty was well... Koty, he actually possessed a fair amount of basic medical skills from fighting.
Nevada would patch him up sometimes but typically he was on his own for treatment. Especially when she was mad at him for fighting and getting hurt in the first place.
"Looks like you just pulled a muscle. All you need is some ice and an anti-inflammatory and you'll be fine in a few days. And you should stay off of it as much as you can."
"I was afraid you'd say that."
"Why's that?"
"No particular reason. Now, I need you to help me over to the kitchen." How could he tell him it was because he didn't want Fait to see him limping around?
"Fine, but I'm not gonna carry you." The smug grin returned.
Koty helped Chance to stand and wrapped his arm around his back. He then had Chance put his own arm over his shoulders so he could lean on him.
Like that, he helped Chance hobble over to a seat at the kitchen counter.
"The fridge has an ice dispenser, plastic bags are in that drawer there. The cabinet above has cups, please fill one with water. And two cabinets to the right, on the top shelf, is where you can find a bottle of ibuprofen."
Koty followed Chance's directions and handed him everything he asked for.
After icing his leg for twenty minutes and swallowing a couple of ibuprofen tablets, Chance could finally move around on his own. Though the entire ordeal only lasted an hour or so, he hated every second of it.
He limped into his room to get cleaned up for work while Koty made breakfast.
"This isn't in my job description." Koty whined as they ate.
"Sure it is. You're responsible for my safety and well-being." Chance imitated the smug look Koty had used earlier.
"I don't think I like working for you." He childishly retorted.
"That's old news. You didn't like working for me before right? Isn't that why you left?"
Koty murmured under his breath.
"Speak up, I can't hear you."
"I said is wasn't like that!"
The two fell into an awkward silence.
"Koty?" Chance eventually couldn't stand it.
"Hm?"
"Thanks for your help."
"You're welcome." He answered in an uncharacteristically soft manner.