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By the time Barney is pulling the shower curtain Gordon knocked down out of the tub, the physicist is standing to the side naked as the day he was born. Of course he had boxers on under the jumpsuit when he put on the HEV suit, but he can’t exactly shower with those on. For now, he just uses them to cover himself partially as Barney moves, folding the curtain and setting it off to the side, on top of the toilet. He picks up the bar soap and the small bottle of shampoo as well, then turns back to Gordon with his hands on his hips. Barney eyes him up and down for long enough that Gordon squirms, and his focus goes back to his face.
“You can go ahead and get the water goin’ if ya want, Doc. I’m gonna get you a towel and some clothes. I doubt you’d wanna put that thing back on.” He chuckles, indicating the jumpsuit carelessly piled in the corner. That said, he slips past Gordon, who practically jumps out of his way. He watches the taller man go, pulling the door most of the way closed behind him.
Gordon sighs, and drops his boxers with the jumpsuit. Then he catches himself in the mirror. Dark marks under his eyes, bruises all over his skin… He’s sure his back has the worst of it, and he can’t see that. That may be a good thing, he decides, considering the deep purple splotch peeking over his shoulder. His glasses end up folded next to the sink. Barney said the water is cold, so he figures it doesn’t really matter which way he turns the handle for the faucet. Already set for a shower, water comes pouring out of the showerhead. The pressure doesn’t look great, but considering how bruised Gordon’s skin is all over, that may be for the best. He stretches his hand out into the stream, goosebumps rising on his arm at the temperature. It isn’t freezing, but he wouldn’t exactly call it pleasant, either. He shakes his head, and carefully steps into the tub at the far end. The stream hits his legs first, making him shiver. He breathes through the cold shock, slowly easing the rest of his body under. He continues to breathe, slow and deep, focusing on getting used to the water. It’s a huge difference in temperature compared to the HEV suit he had just been occupying.
The water finally starts to feel normal and Gordon shifts to get himself under the stream more. It’s also numbing his aching bruises somewhat, an added bonus to how cold the water runs. He lets out a shaky sigh and does his best to make himself relax. The security here is good. Barney isn’t even armed, from what Gordon saw. That has to be a good sign. That, or there’s weapon caches all over the base. He’s more willing to believe his second idea than the first, the idea of anyone being totally defenseless is… unsettling. He breathes in deeply.
It’s only a matter of time before the base gets attacked, anyway, he thinks. Has to be. No matter how good the security is, the best it can do is give fair warning, and maybe hold it all off. Gordon shivers, and not just from the water. Barney promises his safety, but for how long will that last? How long does everyone in the building have peace? How long until he has to crawl back into that disgusting oppressive suit and don a sub-machine gun, or a pulse rifle stolen off of a corpse just to make more? The trembling breath he lets out then comes out as an almost-sob.
He doesn’t have time to feel ashamed of the sound because then his legs buckle under him. He lands hard on his already damaged knees, the water starting to stream down on his head. His breathing picks up as a result of the cold, his body starting to finally shake all over. His mind is swarming with “what if’s”, with scenarios where everyone is too relaxed, where things are too calm and then suddenly ruined by the world, of course. Of course everything gets ruined, nowhere is safe anymore, and Gordon shouldn’t even be out of his suit…
And then the door swings back open. Gordon can see it in his peripherals, and knows that it’s just Barney. His brain does, at least, but his body doesn’t. He tenses painfully, watching Barney set some things down on the counter from the corner of his eye. “Hey, Gordon, you okay…?” He asks slowly, approaching the tub. Gordon nods. “Okay, let’s get you up, then… Can’t be comfortable.” Barney hauls him up by his arm, steadying Gordon against the tile wall. It isn't much colder than the water itself, but he still shivers. Barney shakes his head. "Geeze, Gordon, can't leave you alone for five minutes!" His tone is light now, though it makes Gordon's cheeks burn with shame. It's just a shower, he should be fine for a shower! It's not hard, and yet… "Now am I gonna have to get in with ya, or do ya want me to just stand here an' keep an eye out for ya?"
That makes Gordon turn and blink at him. The idea of Barney getting so close to him, hands on his body, knocks the wind out of him. He swallows hard.
Barney raises an eyebrow, hands on his hips. “C’mon, Doc, water’s running. How ‘bout I just get in and help ya, okay?”
Gordon slowly nods. Despite the helpless feeling… it sounds nice to have help.
One of the clean towels gets tossed over his head first, Barney vigorously drying Gordon’s now very clean hair. He leaves it for Gordon to finish the job on his own after a few long seconds, which Gordon starts to do. He turns away from Barney, who now also lacks clothes due to joining him in the shower. He wraps the fabric around his shoulders, carefully running it over his skin to dry off while minding his injuries.
Barney sighs deeply. “Y’know, you’d think ya never get used to showers that cold, but damn, it can be refreshing.” He comments with a chuckle, using the second towel he’s brought with him to dry off. “Least I think so. What about you, Gordon, was that okay? Bet you feel better bein’ clean, at least.”
Gordon pauses in pulling on the sweatpants Barney brought him. He pushes a slight smile and nods, tightening the drawstring on the pants once they’re up. Compared to the suit, they feel like heaven, soft against his skin and far, far warmer than he expected. He blames the lack of hot water for that, really. Then he unfolds the shirt Barney brought him. It’s plain black with a few holes in it, but the sleeves are long. He pulls it on and also sighs. It’s more comfortable than he expected, and suddenly he wants to pass out right there on the bathroom floor.
Barney laughs, and Gordon looks back up at him with his head tilted. He’s fully clothes now, in the same clothes as before, Gordon notices. Barney waves a hand at him. “Sorry, Gordon, your hair’s just tryin’ to escape!” He explains.
Gordon turns to the mirror and smiles to himself. His hair, after being so vigorously dried, is sticking up in every direction. He smooths it down, throwing Barney a glance.
“There ya go, now it’s tame. C’mon, you look ready to fall over.” The rebel officer throws an arm around his shoulders to lead him out of the small space. Gordon winces at the pain that burns across his skin as a result, but he doesn’t pull away. Barney is considerably warmer than he is, and he absolutely enjoys the contact. Especially after what they just did.
He’s lead to where the mattress on the floor is laid out, and Barney makes a grand gesture to it, letting him go. “Have at it, Gordon. Get some rest for a while, I’ll hang around outside, alright? That okay?”
Gordon slides from his grip and flops face first on the left side of the bed. His face is buried in the the pillow as he lets out a loud groan. He manages to bring a heavy arm up to pat the empty space next to him, then turns his head to look at it.
Once again, Barney laughs, flopping down in the space a few moments later. He’s on his back, easily hauling Gordon close, laying on his chest.
Gordon lets out a startled noise, then sighs as he settles in. His eyes drop closed before he knows it, Barney’s arms firmly wrapping around his lower back. He’s not as bruised there, so it’s fairly pleasant.
“Or I could just hang here. That works too, I s’pose.” Gordon hardly catches the other’s comment as he lets himself slip into unconsciousness, warmth slowly seeping back into his bones.