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Leonard felt like he hadn't seen his boyfriend in a thousand years.
Okay, well it was only like a week, but that seemed to drag on into eternity. They had been swept up into their jobs, but especially poor Montgomery who was stuck in Engineering for several days straight working on repairs after a particularly scrappy mission.
Like always, it was a miracle they had gotten out alive, but it left the ship in need of a fix-up. Montgomery slept when he could, which usually involved coming into their quarters exhausted and collapsing on the bed, snuggling into Leonard's chest. And Leonard would wake up and card a hand through his beloved's disheveled hair, whispering soft words, but when he actually woke up, either Montgomery was still asleep or back to work.
Finally the ship was in a place where Montgomery could leave for more than a couple of hours and the ship wouldn't explode.
Leonard was looking for him, carrying a somewhat expensive bottle of wine(he'd thought about something stronger, but it was about time they widened their alcoholic variety, plus this was a special occasion).
"Monty, darling?" Leonard walked through the door of their quarters, searching for his beloved. He wasn't on the bed or in their little nook kitchen, nor in their little living area reading a book or going through PADD entries. "Sweetheart?"
He saw the light in the bathroom on and knocked gently. They had only been dating for a few months, and the last thing in the world Leonard wanted to do was freak Montgomery out by overstepping boundaries. It was hard, what with his southern childhood. But he really liked Montgomery, and he hadn't felt these feelings in a long time.
When there was no response, worried spiked in Leonard's system.
"Monty, I'm coming in, okay?"
He pressed the padd next to the door to command the door open.
And there in the bathtub was his beloved, with an arm draped over the side of the nearly full tub. The bubbles floated along the water and fizzed against Montgomery's skin. Wow, Montgomery was beautiful.
But passed out.
Leonard immediately rushed to the side of the tub and felt for a pulse. It was normal, if not restive. He gently shook the engineer awake.
"Montgomery. Hey, can you hear me? Darlin'?" Leonard's hands cupped warm cheeks and he let out a sigh of relief when Montgomery's eyes fluttered open. He squinted at the doctor, apparently confused.
"Len?"
"Are you okay? You were passed out in the tub."
Montgomery chuckled, his voice still deep from sleep. "Ah'm fine, jus' tired."
"I know, babe, I know," Leonard soothed softly. "But please don't take a bath when you're exhausted. You could hurt yourself or-"
"Ah won't."
Leonard drew in a deep breath, smiling softly. "Good."
Then his smile faltered.
"You've got some grease in your hair," Leonard touched it lightly.
"Oh..." Montgomery sighed. "Must've forgotten to wash it."
"Well I could-" Leonard bit his lip. He didn't want to overstep. "I could wash your hair, if you wanted-"
"Please."
Leonard nodded, gently grabbing the shampoo from the shelf.
First, he cupped some of the bathwater in his hands and gently let it pour over Montgomery's head. His dark hair slipped over his eyes and Leonard couldn't help but think how cute he looked. And then, Leonard began his tenderest affection, gently rubbing the shampoo between his fingers before massaging Montgomery's scalp.
Montgomery seemed to melt into his touch, closing his eyes blissfully. He hummed softly as Leonard continued to massage his scalp, and the doctor chuckled softly. His love was so beautiful, so handsome.
He cupped more water in his hands to rinse out the shampoo, tilting Montgomery's head back slightly so the shampoo wouldn't get in his eyes.
"Alright," Leonard said after a moment. "You're done."
Montgomery's eyes remained closed for a few seconds as if he didn't want to lose the dream.
"Darlin'," Leonard gently coaxed his boyfriend to reality. "How about we go to bed?"
"Mm."
"Okay, I'm going to go so you can get dressed-" Leonard was already starting to stand up. He didn't want to cross those boundaries if Montgomery wasn't ready. And seeing someone naked for the first time was quite a big step. But a gentle hand on his stopped him.
"Don't go. Ah might fall over," Montgomery chuckled.
"You sure?"
"Aye."
Montgomery pulled the tub plug and stood up, and Leonard helped him towel off, paying extra attention to his hair, which curled slightly when wet, something Leonard didn't know about until now.
They finally made it to bed, and both were tired at this point. The bed was so soft and they slithered under the sheets together, being quick to slip into each other's arms. Leonard's fingers were gently carding through Monty's when they both dozed off, together.
And Leonard dreamed of only this, being with Monty in eternal bliss.