darker_london | Uncalm (Flynn, Bob, Maree, Eamon, Quinn)

He'd better not be sick or I'll break something... and similar notions were the thoughts racing through Flynn's mind as he waited for Quinn to be finished at the doctor's office. It had started as a simple checkup, and escalated into blood tests and x-rays and bullshittery. Well, it probably wasn't bullshittery, but Flynn felt like calling it that because he was freaking out on the inside more than he had since Spectre had gone missing. He sort of felt like vomiting and ripping up the stupid coloured waiting room sofas all at once. Which would have been pretty impressive to watch...

It shouldn't have surprised him that Quinn's family showed up that morning to accompany them, but it did a little because Flynn was used to parents being people who cast you out and treated you like a burden. Quinn's aunt and uncle, the people who acted as Quinn's parents, weren't like that in the least. They were waiting with Flynn now, Quinn's Aunt Maree holding tight to Flynn's hand, which he found incredibly reassuring but didn't want to admit it for fear of showing weakness. Some instincts took longer to fade. "He's been in there a long time, Bob." Maree said to her husband, frowning.

"Can't rush things like this." Bob explained simply, the ever-present cheerfulness still lacing his voice though Flynn could tell it wasn't coming easy. "Just means they're being thorough."

"Yeah, Mum, don't freak Flynn out. He's gone all white." Eamon, Quinn's cousin, gave Flynn a reassuring smile. "Our Quinn's a tough man. He'll be fine."

"Eamon's right." Bob nodded. "Quinn was sick when he first came to us, but he got through it."

Flynn looked guilty then, because Quinn had been sick because he'd been on the streets with him, but he did know Bob would never want him to feel guilty about that. Flynn looked up at them all. "Thanks for coming."

"Oh of course, Lovey." Maree squeezed Flynn's hand more tightly as Eamon leaned forward to pat Flynn's knee and was immediately distracted by the gossip magazines on the waiting room table.

"Oh, is Britney pregnant again?" Eamon said, picking it up. "That's like 12 times now, isn't it? She's a gumball machine, according to the tabloids." Bob snorted and Flynn just shook his head.

About 45 minutes later, a rather tired and harassed looking Quinn rejoined them in the waiting room. Maree stood immediately, wrapping her arms around him. "Oh, Honey, is everything okay?"

Quinn leaned his head against her shoulder and he sighed. "I think so, Mum. They want me to come back tomorrow."

"But...why?!" Flynn nearly wailed. More tests? That had to be bad, right?! His heart was immediately pounding against his chest. Oh god, Quinn had polio! Tuberculosis! Dengue fever! ...Whatever that was. Meningitis! Typhoid! The black plague! His Quinn was going to die of cancer and African sleeping sickness and there was nothing Flynn could do about it! Flynn was a fighter, but how did you fight when there was nothing to pummel?!

Quinn lifted his head off of his Aunt's shoulder and he gave Flynn a sympathetic look. "It'll be okay, Mal. They just want to go a...lipids test? Something like that. I don't know. They want to test my fasting blood levels as well. So. I can't have anything to eat or drink besides water."

"But you'll be hungry." Flynn frowned. He hated it when Quinn was hungry. He'd seen too much of it.

"Only for a little while, Bub." Quinn disengaged from his aunt and he went to wrap his arms around Flynn's waist. "And afterwards we can all go out for a big lunch, okay?" He knew Flynn's issues, but this was different because there was an end in sight.

"Well I'm not going to eat either!"

Quinn caressed Flynn's cheek and he shook his head. "Don't do that, you Drama Queen." But his smile was affectionate. "They said it's probably just a deficiency or something. Just like Spectre said, okay? They gave me X-rays and ruled out a whole bunch of stuff. All that's left are things like that. No cancer. No...whatever it was you were rattling on about last night."

Flynn looked slightly sheepish. "I was talking about consumption..."

"Yes. No TB for me." Quinn found he was more calm when he was reassuring Flynn. But he wasn't calm. They didn't test like this if there was nothing wrong. But the doctors seemed stymied. Dammit. And he'd been able to ignore his general feeling of unwell when he lived by himself and remained isolated for months at a time, but he couldn't anymore. He needed energy if he was going to be social. And too many people would be affected if anything happened to him.

"So it's just vitamins and shit? Because I can get you those chewable ones they sell at the store in amusing shapes!" Flynn leaned in and he rested his nose against Quinn's cheek so he could feel Quinn chuckling.

"I want Tarzan ones." Quinn muttered, smiling over Flynn's shoulder to his gathered family.

"You and your loincloth fetish." Flynn said with a naughty wink.

"Hah! Some things you don't need to know about your little brother." Eamon said, standing up to clap Quinn on the shoulder. "Come on, Pincushion. Let's get you home so we can eat in front of you."

Quinn glowered, but there was no malice behind it. Eamon being Eamon was actually more relaxing than anyone would have thought. "Fiend." He muttered, and then he followed them all out, hand in hand with his beloved Flynn.