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Hsin dragged Boyd into the bathroom before he showed him to the bedroom, because he was sure that Boyd was not far from collapsing, and he doubted he would have much time for showers once he was back in the Med Wing.
The water was deliciously hot on Hsin’s hands, pelting the opposite wall with an impressive demonstration of the water pressure. He turned on his heel to help Boyd out of his clothes and into the shower.
The steam wafted up from the shower, clouding in the air and relaxing his tense, tight muscles. Now that the mission was over and the adrenaline was wearing off, exhaustion was beginning to set in. The stress and anxiety of the past few weeks was a tightly wound ball sitting in the pit of his stomach that was beginning to unravel.
It was apparently having a similar effect on Boyd, as his knees broke, and he fell to a kneel. Hsin tried to catch him, wrapping arm around him but slipping and ending up with them both on the shower floor.
Hsin shifted, folding his legs and letting Boyd sag against him. His eyes were cloudy and unfocused and it was unclear whether he was awake or still drugged out to oblivion. Either way, the complete and total lack of response or inhibitions he was displaying made Hsin glad they had blown up the lab, including everyone working inside. He reached up to adjust the showerhead.
Boyd gasped as the stream of water soaked half of his face and shoulder. His hands found Hsin behind him. “Hsin?” He looked back and forth, taking in the tub and the two of them on the floor, “Where are we?”
Hsin brushed some wet locks of hair out of his face, adjusting the spray so it wasn’t hitting him in the face. “We’re in the shower.”
“Oh,” Boyd looked around again, as if to confirm this fact. Water ran down his cheeks and lips in rivulets, washing the dried blood and dirt from them. His eyebrows drew down and he wrapped his arms around his torso.
“Can I wash your hair?” Hsin asked, running his hands through his hair and flipping it back over his shoulder, letting it run down his bare back.
Boyd nodded again, relaxing against Hsin, head tipping back against his shoulder and eyes going glassy in a way that was told Hsin he was mentally checking out again.
Attempting the least amount of jostling of the 160 pounds of blonde in his lap, he reached towards the shelf for the bottle of shampoo, pouring a liberal amount on his hands before moving to work it through Boyd’s hair.
He stirred slightly, leaning into the touch of Hsin’s fingertips dragging along his scalp. “That feels nice,” he crooned.
Hsin felt a smile tugging at his lips, sifting his hands through his long locks and halting in his tracks when he encountered resistance. Boyd winced as he yanked on a tangle, jerking his head back. “Ow,” he complained, scrunching his nose and sending Hsin a look over his shoulder.
“Sorry,” Hsin slid his free hand out of Boyd’s hair and went at the knot with both hands, taking care to gently pull it apart and feeling satisfied when Boyd once again fell into silence and didn’t complain again.
He took good care with the tangles that were copious due to the weeks of neglect. Just the thought of it had him running a hand down Boyd’s spine and resolving to cook for him lots in the coming weeks post his release from the Medwing. He didn’t see himself leaving him alone again anytime soon.
He shielded Boyd’s eyes as he reached up to the showerhead again to turn the stream back in their direction. Boyd jolted when the water hit him, drenching his hair and streaming down Hsin’s face. Hsin tipped Boyd’s head back, running his hands through his hair, smoothing out the gnarls and dirt that had accumulated in the past six weeks. He watched as the water washed away the foam that the soap had formed, circling the drain in a filthy swirl.
It was hard to believe this was real. That they were here, together, now. The feel of Boyd’s hair slipping through his fingers and his skin against his own was an otherworldly pleasure that was at once familiar and completely foreign.
“You can sit up,” he told Boyd and gently prodded him until he straightened out, so the water was no longer hitting him. His hair fanned out over his back, and without all the dirt and grime and woefully uncared for hair, he was beginning to look like himself again. Even just skin and bones, as he was now.
He decided to apply conditioner too, just for the excuse to continue touching him like this. Under the stream of hot water, it seemed that Boyd was beginning to mellow. His incoherent rambling had stopped, though he was unsure if that was just because he was too tired. He leaned into Hsin, eyelids heavy and coming down slowly with each blink.
Hsin carded his hands through his hair. It was beginning to feel soft and silky again, like normal. Like they were just taking a luxury after a long mission before they collapsed. Even if this product was the wrong scent from Boyd’s usual. That was what was tethering Hsin in the moment, reminding him of everything that had happened and everything that was to come.
But right now there was none of that. It was just the two of them. Together, the way he had wanted them to be again for so long, even if he hadn’t known it. He stroked Boyd’s head, pulling him closer and pressing a kiss to his crown. “You’re safe now.” He whispered against his head, savoring the feeling of him pressed against his chest. It was hard to believe so much time had passed since he had felt the weight of Boyd’s skin. He stood and turned off the water.
Boyd’s gaze snapped up to him when he pulled back the curtain and the light flooded the shower. Hsin grabbed a towel and turned back to help him up.
He caught him when he faltered, leading him to sit down on the edge of the tub. Boyd shivered in the open air, crossing his arms and resting them on his thighs. His hair fell in his face, shielding his expression.
Hsin knelt in front of him, gathering his hair behind his head and wrapping the towel around it. He dried it gently, wringing the excess water out quickly. “I know it’s cold.” He said apologetically, grabbing a fresh towel and wrapping it around Boyd’s shoulders.
He hoisted Boyd up with two hands on his elbows and helped get him dry and clothed again. There was nothing else but the shorts he had come in, and since all of Boyd’s clothes were ashes in the ruins of his old house, they would have to do. At that point, he was listing and barely responsive.
Hsin led him to the bedroom. Just the sight of the queen sized bed covered in fluffy pillows and a plain white bedspread made Hsin’s knees weak. It looked like heaven from where he was standing, especially in present company. He pulled back the blankets, but the only thing stopping him from climbing in was Boyd, who had drifted towards the window.
It was floor-to-ceiling, covering the entire wall opposite the door leading inside. It afforded a good view of the city below the penthouse. The Agency loomed on the horizon, the tower charcoal black against the stormy grey sky like a monument to all the pain and misery they had endured in the last two years. Boyd put his fingers to the glass. “It all looks so real.”
Hsin gave him a slightly strange look, cocking his head and his eyebrows upticking ever so slightly. He made sure to settle back into neutrality as he approached Boyd’s side. He didn’t bother with the comment, instead making eye contact with Boyd in the reflection on the glass before reaching out to put a hand on his shoulder.
“Come to bed,” Those words, combined with the touch of his hand and the low rasp of his voice were enough to get Boyd to look back at him with nearly all traces of his guard down. He nodded.
He stumbled but ultimately made it to the bed, crawling over it to collapse on his usual side on the left. Hsin shut the lights off and laid next to Boyd.
“You take such good care of me.” Boyd said, his brilliant brown eyes peeking through the light of his eyelashes. His voice was drowsy, but the smile pulling across his lips was radiant. “I love you.”
Hsin brushed his lips over Boyd’s forehead. “I love you too.”
Boyd let out a small sound of surprise at that, eyes shining, “That’s the first time you’ve ever said that to me.”
Hsin pulled him close to his chest, burying his face in his shoulder in a hug. Boyd returned it, wrapping his arms around Hsin’s neck and sighing. “I wish I had said it more,” he told Boyd, “before… everything.”
“There’s still plenty of time.” Boyd squeezed him, “Now that we’re together again I’m never letting you go.”
“I’m never ever leaving again.” Hsin told him seriously. Boyd just sighed again, shifting and loosening his hold on Hsin as his whole body began to go slack.