Dillon's gaze moved to the setting sun on the horizon out the hospital window. He blew out an irritated sigh as his attention shifted to Rory's sleeping body, folded over Rin's bed from the chair he'd dragged over earlier. Dillon shook his head. "If you don't step up, I will… and I will take him from you… You don't deserve him. Not right now, not like you've been acting… even before this…"
Rin's eyes met Dillon's, but he didn't say anything. He didn't have to. It was all written there. 'I know. You're right, but what can I do?'
Dillon gritted his teeth, but before he could say anything else, Rory stirred awake. His disheveled blonde hair fell like a halo around his face, framing it perfectly. He wished more than anything that he had his camera at that very moment. He swallowed his anger and blew out a sigh. "It's getting late. Visiting hours are almost over. We should probably head home. What do you say?"
Rory nodded, sleep still heavy in his eyes. He stretched his stiff body, finding that not only had his arms fallen asleep, but his legs had as well. He began wiggling them, flicking his hands and feet until Dillon's hand came into view. "Hum?"
"You've been in the same awkward position for so long, I can only imagine your whole body is numb. Here, let me help you up." Dillon cooed. He pulled Rory into his arms and held him against him, breathing in the faint lingering scent of his own shampoo in Rory's hair. "You still smell like my shampoo… It's almost like we're a married couple or something… Oddly, I don't hate the idea…" He sent a warning glare toward the bed, knowing Rin was at least listening. He gave Rin a snide smile when irritated violet eyes met his. He pressed his lips against Rory's soft hair as he ran his hands over the bandages on Rory's hands. "Come on, and I'll help you bathe again tonight. His eyes sparkled with mischief as they held Rin's, daring him to give up the 'sleep' farce finally. But, to Dillon's irritation, Rin remained quiet. Dillon glared at him as he guided Rory out of the room. "We'll come back same time tomorrow. What do you say?" He asked Rory more as a warning to Rin than a question to Rory.
Rory nodded sleepily against Dillon's side.
Dillon chuckled. "Alright. Let's get you home then, sleepy head. Night." He called over his shoulder to Rin as he left.
**
Dillon was silent for the longest time as he stood in the tiny bathroom, his unfocused gaze trained on the steaming water filling the tub. He fumbled with the packages in his hand as turmoil ravaged his mind.
"Is… is it ready?" Rory's voice shook slightly as he stepped into the cramped space.
Dillon nodded his head as he bent forward on the toilet where he'd been resting and concealed the contents of his hands.
Rory furrowed his brows. "What's that?" His gaze was obviously trained on Dillon's hands.
Dillon shifted the packages to one hand as he tugged Rory over with the other. He pulled Rory in front of him and rested his forehead against his bare thigh. "I'm still such a shit person, aren't I?" He tilted his head to the side as he ran his thumb over Rory's bandaged hand.
"Not true… You've helped so much, even before…" Rory's words broke.
Dillon snorted out a sarcastic laugh. "But I'm still just as selfish." He leaned back, and his gaze held Rory's. "I want you. I want to use this opportunity to get closer to you… I know I could with little effort… I want nothing more than to be the one to sit behind you inside that tub right now and cleanse your troubles away… I want to see and feel every part of your body." A bittersweet smile spread across his handsome face. "My body can't help but react to the thought." He read the many emotions, none of which were joy, that spread across Rory's face before finally lowering his head back to Rory's thigh with another chuckle. "Maybe I have changed a bit… The old me wouldn't have struggled with the decision. I would have just taken what I wanted, and consequences be damned… but I can no longer stand the thought of you hating me, Rory. I… think it's been that way for a while now… Maybe since that night at your mom's… I wanted to do so much more than just hold you that night, but I couldn't stand the thought of you hating me worse than you already seemed to."
Rory reached for Dillon's head with a trembling hand. Rory intended to just pat his head, but when the silky soft strands met his fingertips, he couldn't help but slide his fingers through the long locks. "I… never hated you… I was just mad… and had already planned on running away. You were simply in my way at that time. It was easier to make you both believe I was angry… Though, to be fair, I was a bit… You both have a way of making people angry…"
Dillon nodded. "I'll try my best to do better… starting with this…" He leaned back and pressed the packages into Rory's hand.
Rory arched his brow as he opened his hand and stared down.
"You've been through enough. Having me fondle you while you bathe is the last thing you need. I got an entire box." Still leaning away, he reached for Rory's hands. "Here, I'll help you put them on. According to the pharmacist, they're latex bandages and will keep your stitches dry so you can bathe worry-free. She did say not to wear them all the time, though, that the stitches and wounds need to breathe." He repeated the instructions as he carefully began working to free the cloth bandages from Rory's palms and placed the new waterproof ones on him.
Rory's cheeks heated as Dillon stood and began making his way from the bathroom. "Could… could you stay nearby still… in… in case I… I need help?"
Dillon swallowed hard as he ran his hand through his hair. His eyes raked over Rory's body, clad in only Dillon's loose-fitting tee and boxers. "Yeah, of course… Don't worry. I'll be right outside the door. I'll leave it open too, so I can hear if you call for me."
Rory nodded as he ran his fingertips over the new bandages on his palms. "Th-thanks."
Dillon nodded awkwardly as he sidestepped out of the room. He collapsed against the wall outside the bathroom as soon as he was clear of the door. "Shit…" He muttered as he squeezed the bridge of his nose in frustration. His gaze shifted to the relentless tent at the front of his pants, and he silently cursed. "Busy… got to get busy…"
When Rory came through the house, dinner was already prepared, and Dillon was fast at work at his desk. It wasn't a completely uncommon sight, but this time Dillon barely acknowledged him as he came into the room. Rory frowned. He took the plate that was obviously prepared for him and picked at its contents as he watched Dillon work from the tiny bar that jutted out into the kitchen. "It's good, thank you." He muttered once he could no longer tolerate the silence, but Dillon only grunted. Rory's frown deepened. "What are you working on?"
Dillon muffled a groan as he dug his heels into the floor under the desk. The slight reflection of Rory from the computer screen earlier had been enough to have his erection spring back to life once. Again, he wore nothing but one of Dillon's oversized shirts and loose-fitting boxers. Long, bare legs stretched out from the hem of the oversized tee, making it look like nothing was beneath. Dillon stifled a growl as he shifted awkwardly in his seat. There was no way he could stand right now and still pretend to be a caring, compassionate friend. "Covering some work Rin should be doing. Rodric doesn't want news spreading faster than it is, so the team is working night and day to do what we can to mitigate what we can."
Rory nodded as he pushed away from the bar and walked over. He clasped the back of the office chair and leaned forward. "Is there anything I can help with?"
Dillon breathed in the fresh scent of bodywash. His gaze instinctively followed the alluring smell and instantly fell on the open neckline of the oversized shirt. Tiny, flushed nipples could barely be seen resting atop creamy, pale skin that held a slight flush from the hot bath water. Dillon's loins swelled more, and he nearly lunged out of his seat at Rory. How could his own bodywash smell so enticing on someone else? Dillon clenched his jaw. "You just need to rest. We'll handle everything for the time being."
Rory frowned. He could sense Dillon's discomfort but couldn't figure out its source. He pushed on as he moved around the chair to better face Dillon. "But I think busying my mind may help… especially with Rin still in the hospital…"
Dillon began to protest, but when he locked eyes with Rory's pleading gaze, he couldn't outright refuse him. "I'll see what I can find you, but for now, there's only one computer, one desk, and a chair. So, even if I had something for you to work on here, there wouldn't be space… ah…" Dillon's words died, and his mouth dropped open as Rory pulled the rolling chair out and sat down on Dillon's lap.
Rory arched a brow. "What?"
Dillon stared at him, his body unyieldingly stiff. "What… are you doing?"
Rory shrugged. "You usually just pull me onto your lap anyway. I figured, why not if that was the only problem…"
Dillon groaned as he leaned forward and pushed Rory back onto his feet. "You don't understand what… ha…" He shook his head. "No… You're not in the frame of mind, regardless, right now… I may be a piece of shit, but I'm not that much of a piece of shit…" He gripped Rory's arms tightly, not wanting to release him and regretting the words even as he said them. "Rory, go to bed… You need rest. I'll be in later once I'm finished, alright."
Rory's brows furrowed as he studied Dillon's expression. "I'll never understand you…" Rory pushed away from the desk and made his way over to the couch. He curled up on it and was about to nod off when Dillon interrupted.
"What are you doing now? Go to bed if you're sleepy."
Rory stared at Dillon's reflection in the big-screen TV. Does he know I can see him? "There's no point. I won't be able to sleep in there anyway. Just wake me up when you finish."
Dillon blew out an irritated sigh. "I may not finish until early morning."
Rory shrugged against the sofa even though he knew Dillon couldn't see. "So… Wake me then, I guess…"
"Ah!" Dillon blew out in irritation. "That defeats the point." He muttered as he shoved up from the desk. "Come on then." He growled.
Rory sat up. "You're coming to bed now?"
"Looks like it…" Dillon muttered as he shoved his hands through his hair.
Dillon lay on the bed and stared at the ceiling, watching the minutes turn to hours and the hours turn to days as he and Rory fell into the awkward routine of coming home from the hospital and sharing a bed. He feared it would only continue in this same suffocating loop as long as Rin refused to let Rory know he was awake…
Dillon blew out a long, heavy sigh as he turned his head to study Rory's silhouetted sleeping face. "What should I do?" He whispered into the darkness to no one in particular, but his voice stirred Rory because he moaned as he rolled over toward him. Dillon's entire body went rigid as Rory wrapped his arm around Dillon's waist and cuddled up against him. "Fuck…" He muttered under his breath, trying not to move, not to breathe. Here goes another sleepless night…