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He didn’t have an alarm anymore- Footsteps on creaky floorboards, the sound of the kettle whistling, the high pitched tweeting of mountain finches had long since replaced his need for any actual alarm- But still it didn’t matter how long he’d been living at the farm, he could never quite get used to the often pre-dawn awakenings. His body seemed to sink five inches deeper into his and Tien’s comfortable mattress, the heavy bed cover pulled up high around his chin as he watched the pale grey morning light slowly inch in from the window.
He didn’t want to get out of bed, this was plain- If it were up to him he’d stay in bed with Tien until the sun was high in the sky, but farms and dojos don’t run themselves. Contending with the fact he should be getting up, Yamcha allowed himself two more minutes, snuggling the cover up to his nose, enjoying the smell of fresh linen and pine and Tien- He hummed quietly to himself, eyes closing for a moment, completely content. He really could have stayed in that bed forever... But the ever brightening light against the ceiling told him what he needed to do- Letting out a deep sigh, he rubbed his feet together one last time, just enjoying the warmth Tien had left behind- with a deep breath Yamcha threw the blanket back, the cold morning air accosting him as he swung his legs out of the bed, bare feet hitting carpet.
Grabbing for his fluffy robe and some clothes to change into, he made his way to the small bathroom across the hall- The icy green tiles felt freezing against his feet as he reached for the brass tap, turning the shower on.
Knowing it would take a couple minutes for the hot water to kick in, the old water heater not exactly on par with what he’d been used to in the city, he shuffled toward the small bathroom mirror, hugging himself as he tried to retain some of the warmth of the bed. The image that met Yamcha in the mirror was one of a wild haired man, something more akin to a haystack on top of his head than his usual long wavy hair, he brought a hand up rubbing absently at his tired eye- The top few buttons of his flannel pajamas were undone, one shoulder half revealed, the fabric thoroughly crumpled from sleep.
Shaking his head at his reflection he turned away, pulling his shirt off, his pants following soon after- With nothing between the cold of the bathroom and his body Yamcha couldn’t help but to shiver, tucking one arm against his ribs as he reached out to feel if the water was ready- Thankfully his hand was met with searing heat. Stepping over the porcelain tub into the shower he couldn’t help but to let out a deep moan as the warmth hit his body, running over his face and chest- Seeping into his thick hair. He closed his eyes against the stream, just enjoying the soothing feel of heat against his tired muscles, slowly kneading some of the aches of middle age out as his mind wandered to nowhere in particular, a quiet tune on his lips. The serenity was interrupted by sound of the shower curtain being pulled back, giving him a start as Tien suddenly appeared beside him, stepping into the shower himself.
By way of explanation his gruff voice simply stated “You were taking too long”- as he pressed close against Yamcha’s bare back, reaching so the shower head was better directed over the both of them-
A small smile played at the edges of his mouth as he looked at Tien over his shoulder- “Is that all?” He quirked an eyebrow at his partner, the smile getting more pronounced as Tien's blank face stared down at him-
“You’re coming with me to the dojo today, remember?” Tien’s voice still had a slight lilt of sleep in it, making it even deeper- “So we don’t have time for that.”
The emphasis he put on that made Yamcha snort as he leaned his head back against Tien’s shoulder-
“You haven’t even said good morning.” He poked his bottom lip out in an over done pout- “Or given me my morning kiss- You're so rude.”
Warm arms wrapped around his midsection, pulling Yamcha’s body closer to Tien's as hot lips brushed his ear- “Good morning, Yamcha-” Tien craned his neck, warm lips lightly brushing against Yamcha’s before he pulled away- “Now can we get moving?”
“Hmmm” Yamcha dropped his head back against Tien’s shoulder again, his hands softly rubbing at the arms encasing him in a hug- “I suppose if we have to.” He breathed a quiet sigh, the small smile still on his lips, if they couldn’t do that Yamcha found himself hoping Tien would at least help him elsewhere.
“You suppose?” Tien’s voice was nearly sarcastic as his hands finally disappeared from Yamcha’s waist. Before Yamcha could miss his arms too much he was speaking again-
“Come on.” Moving Yamcha out of the way Tien reached for the shampoo- “I know how you are first thing in the morning.” Uncapping the lid, the smell of macadamia and cocoa hit Yamcha's nostrils as Tien squeezed some into his hand- An unabashed grin spread across his face as he turned his back expectantly to Tien- The feeling of hands against his scalp had Yamcha breathing another deep, contented breath as Tien’s strong hands lightly massaged the shampoo into his dark locks.
For such a big man, with such power contained within those hands- Yamcha could never quite get over how gentle Tien could be. His fingers lightly trailed over Yamcha’s head, working the shampoo carefully into his hair before his hands became firmer, massaging small circles into his scalp- exactly how he liked it. Tien’s thumbs pressed harder against the base of his skull for a moment before he lightly pulled some shampoo through the end lengths of his hair, hands on his shoulders motioned for Yamcha to move backwards- The water hitting the crown of his head as the shampoo suds slowly slipped from his hair, swirling down the drain. Tien's fingers continued kneading small circles into Yamcha’s shoulders as the shampoo washed out, working away at knots of his muscles as Yamcha leaned his head back- in complete heaven.
The hands at his shoulders disappeared, the sound of another bottle being picked up and the cap being popped followed. Not a moment later Tien’s hands were back, the smell of cocoa floating in the steamy air- Once more strong hands found his scalp, rubbing in the conditioner just as they had the shampoo. Tien followed the same motions, massaging his scalp a little bit before raking his fingers through Yamcha’s hair, diffusing some of the tangles of sleep. For someone who had seemingly never had hair, Yamcha was pretty impressed how quickly Tien had picked up on how to take care of his hair. It made Yamcha’s heart light up every time Tien idly brushed a strand from his face, how he’d quietly de-tangle a knot from his hair without a word- Such small gestures but they meant the world to Yamcha.
Tien’s hands angled his head back under the showerhead again, lightly pulling his fingers through Yamcha's hair as the conditioner washed out- After a moment Tien’s hands stilled, running over Yamcha’s shoulders and down his arms
“Alright, there you go.” His voice rumbled. Yamcha couldn't help the disappointed noise that slipped from his lips, not wanting it to be over yet.
"Okay." He breathed quietly before turning on his heel. He placed his hands against Tien’s shoulders, smiling up into his handsome face- “Your turn.”
He couldn’t help but to giggle at how Tien’s eyes seemed to be resting steadily on his face, giving nothing away... Almost- We’re it not for his traitorous third eye peeking down at Yamcha’s bare body, clearly wondering what he might have meant by the statement. Tien obviously didn’t have hair to wash, mostly, but still-
Yamcha reached for the sweet smelling shampoo, squeezing some into his hands before reaching up to Tien’s head- He worked the shampoo against Tien’s scalp, laughing lightly as the soap suds turned into a makeshift hairdo on top of Tien’s otherwise bald head, massaging away as Tien stared down at him, a less than impressed look on his face.
“Hey, just because you don’t have hair doesn’t mean you shouldn't wash your head, Tien.” He gave a self-satisfied giggle as he shaped the soap suds into a mohawk-esque style- Tien simply rolled his eyes and shook his head lightly, though the corner of his mouth was pulling up ever so slightly into lopsided smile.
“Are you done?” Tien asked raising his eyebrows-
“Hm. One last thing-” Yamcha swiped some of the soap suds from Tien’s head before dabbing them against the end of Tien’s nose- Resting his hands on his hips, Yamcha surveyed his handiwork- “There we go. All done.” he beamed.
Tien only rolled his eyes again- “You’re ridiculous.” With that statement out of the way he ducked his head under the shower stream, the white suds running down over his shoulders in seconds.
“You love me-” Was all Yamcha replied as he leaned in, pressing a kiss to the deep red scar that sat over Tien’s chest- Warm moist flesh and soap met his lips, pulling back he made a face, realizing his mistake.
Noting his expression, Tien squinted his eyes- “You got shampoo in your mouth, didn’t you?”
Try as he might to school his disgusted expression, Yamcha couldn’t help but to grimace- A hearty laugh broke from Tien, his head tipping back in genuine humour as he laughed at Yamcha. Stepping forward Yamcha opened his mouth, leaning his head back to let the water fill his cheeks, getting rid of the bitter taste-
“You’re ridiculous.” Tien repeated again as he pushed past Yamcha, climbing out of the shower- “And we’re going to be late if we don’t start getting ready now.”
Yamcha watched as Tien started roughly drying himself with one of the teal bath towels Panchy had given them as housewarming gifts. He waved a hand as if to say "Yeah, yeah." as he ducked back under the warm water again, letting it wash over his face one final time before he reached for the brass taps, turning the shower off, dreading the cold air he knew awaited him.
Turning to step out of the shower, he was once again face to face with Tien, the bath giving him a height advantage for once- “Here-” Tien was holding his fluffy robe out for him, a neutral expression on his face, the teal towel was tied around his waist-
Another act that was so small, yet it made Yamcha melt inside- “Thank you.” He stepped out of the bath, slipping his arms into the soft robe before turning back to Tien who quickly tied the belt around his waist before snatching another towel off the rail, handing it to Yamcha for his hair- Gingerly Yamcha took the towel, tucking his chin as he gave Tien a bashful smile- He still wasn't quite used to having someone else do things for him completely of their own accord.
Flipping his head upside down, Yamcha twisted his hair up in the towel as Tien looked at the clothes he’d picked for the day- “You’re going to want your gi-”
“Oh. Right.” was all Yamcha said as he sat down against the edge of the bath, reaching for his body lotion. In all honesty he had forgotten he was meant to help teach at the dojo but the notion of spending the whole day with Tien had him humming with joy.
“Don’t worry, I’ll get it for you-” Yamcha turned his face up to watch Tien as he made his way toward the old timber door, before he reached it Yamcha called out- "Tien-"
Tien paused at the door, turning to Yamcha- “Yes?”
“I love you.” He smiled.
Tien watched him, a serious look on his face- His mouth opening for a moment before closing again. He stepped toward Yamcha, reaching his hand out he tilted Yamcha’s chin high in the air, leaning down Tien pressed their lips together for one long moment- The kiss stealing the air from Yamcha's lungs before he trailed a smaller kiss to Yamcha's scarred cheek.
Straightening back up, Tien's thumb still rested against Yamcha's chin as they looked into each others faces for a moment longer- Letting go, he promptly disappeared out of the bathroom door- Leaving Yamcha to smile at his own reflection in the mirror.