Work Text:
The room was quiet as you laid peacefully, your arm around the stomach of your lover as he slept. Your chest pressed against his back as he snored, his chest and tummy rising and falling with every breath.
He fell asleep the second you both arrived home from his cardiologist visit, being woken up at 7 am to get ready, then spending almost 3 hours in that office to get questioned and felt around. Putty didn't say anything, more just pursing his lips together in shame and annoyance, especially when the doctor asked to the look at his scars. The older man grumbled and reluctantly lifted his shirt earlier, demanding he get it over with quickly.
Apparently, the whole ordel tuckered him out. Putty fell asleep the second you sat on the bed next to him. He was, however, happy to get the news that he was allowed to sleep on his side if he wanted again, instead of just his back nonstop. So, when he got under the blankets, the turned to lay on his left side and once he felt the weight of you behind him, he slowly drifted to sleep.
Your own heart ached for the poor man, your boyfriend. The past few months have been rough from him having a cardiac emergency to surgery and hospitals which he despised and feared. Then, the almost constant doctor's visits and new meds. He grumbled at how old and pathetic it made him feel, often as he rubbed his eyes and winced. You never left his side though, staying right beside it, just like now with your chest to his back.
One of Putty's snores hesitated before he continued and it made you smile. You loved this man despite all the grumpiness and his self isolation.
A few days ago as you guys got ready for bed you asked him if you could lay on his chest since he now felt that he could put some pressure on it without it disrupting his heart rhythm or causing him discomfort. He looked off, and a flush of upset came to his face. You quickly finished brushing your teeth and joined him in bed, trying to wrap your arms around him, but he tensed and pulled away. He didn't want to talk, which made sense, he was still recovering, but it stung just a tad.. or more than a tad. The next morning came where he hissed as he sat up, rubbing his chest gently. You woke up to the sound of it and asked what was wrong, but he ignored it and continued his usual morning routine. Later, you tried hugging him from behind, something he usually adores, but he tensed and looked off sadly.
You eventually corned him and ask what the hell was up. He said he didn't want you to feel his scars through his thin shirts or accidentally hurt him, feeling stupidly fragile and not wanting you to feel guilty. He also said he felt guilty over making you go through all of this with him anyway.
That moment replayed in your head as you rested it against his shoulder blades, taking in his heat. He let you touch him intimately last night.. and this morning. That was an improvement for all the previous weeks he spent hating himself and in turn, pushing away you.
You knew it wasn't on purpose, he was just repressed and doesn't know how to handle emotions.
You sighed, pressing a kiss to his shoulder. You still loved him, but goddamn did the want to shake some sense into him got strong sometimes.
A few more moments passed before Rod began to stir away, letting out a low groan as his eyes tried flickering open. You lifted your hand in anticipation in case he wanted to move, but his shoulders just shrugged instead and he sighed. A minute passed before you had to take your hand off as Rod moved to lay against the headboard. He pinched his nose and hissed.
"What's going on, love?"
"Chest pain. Feels kinda tight."
You nod and sit up to in order to match his level. Rod reaches over for his glasses, slipping them on before glancing at you.
"Did you get some sleep?"
"Eh, not really, but I enjoyed cuddling you. Missed that."
Rod looks away, his eyebrows dropping.
"I.. miss your cuddles too. I just.."
Rod paused on his words, unsure of what to say. You stepped in, though.
"Rod, you just had a major surgery and you are still in recovery. I'm okay with taking things at your pace. I have no issues with your scars and any unevenness on your chest, but it's okay to feel weird about them. I just love you, okay?"
Rod glances and nods, a smile incredibly close to shining on his face, but he lets out another hiss and places his hand over his heart. You scoot closer, staring at him.
"Did it get worse?"
"Y-Yeah.."
"Should we go to the doctor's?"
"No.. it's probably just another fit.. I don't know what caused it.. stupid old man body.."
You smiled and pressed a kiss to his head.
"Well, I think it's more your stubbornness than your body. You had coffee this morning after not having any for a month when the doctor told you not to. You said it would be fine."
Your words had a teasing tone, but your fave did care as you looked at him.
"Hush.. it'll pass.. Hate that you're probably right though.."
You chuckle and pause, thinking about sliding your hand over his to hold it before a thought pops into your head. You quickly slide off the bed and open the closest, rummaging through an old box of yours. You locate the item you were looking for and stand up, turning your head to Revs as the item laid on your hands.
"Just checking one more time, do we need to see a doctor?"
"No! Just.. give me a moment.."
"Okay. Just making sure."
Rod nods with his eyes squeezed shut and he rests against the headboard, his head laid back. His hand was not grasping at his chest, but it laid over it and his thumb rubbed it slowly. Rod couldn't see what you were holding.
You crawled back into the bed with him with the rediscovered item in your hand, a stethoscope from your teen years. You got it as a gift because it looked cool and you had a bit of a medical interest. It was more cheap, less than $100, but it got the job done.
You sat on your knees next to Rod and pressed a gently kiss to his forehead, making him smile in appreciation.
"Your kisses could cure all of me, darling.."
He then sucked in a breath.
"Minus this problem."
You chuckled and relaxed your position, setting the stethoscope on the blankets before placing your hand over the one on his chest. His breathing was still deep, but it was more laboured now. Not to a concerning point, but still something.
He felt warmer to the touch, but just from how he was acting and how he only described it as 'chest pains' and not absolutely horrific, it wasn't a big ordeal. That made your anxiety relax a bit as you rubbed his hand with your thumb.
"May I touch your chest? I'll be gentle, I promise."
Rod opens his eyes at you and sucks in a breath, staring at your hand. He takes a moment before removing his own and grasping the bedsheets instead, letting you touch his chest through a thin shirt.
"Thank you."
You didn't feel much just from touching gently like that, but it felt sweet and intimate to touch him again. You rubbed his chest with your thumb and got closer, focusing on the feeling.
"What makes my chest so interesting?"
Rod questioned, staring at you. You half heartedly smiled and moved it an inch down to feel that area.
"Because it's yours. I miss laying on it and I miss cuddling with you. Your chest has your life it in and I love you and your life. You're my man."
Rod's eyes widened a bit at your words and he bit his lip, looking away again as blush statted rising on his cheeks. He wasn't as directly reactive to your words and actions as before, but he still was in less direct ways. It made you smile a bit more.
"Rod, may I take off your shirt? I want to feel your skin. Please?"
You pleaded a little with the 'Please', looking at him where you knew it would make him coil in. He exhaled, his breath feeling almsot wet against your arm and stared into your eyes, looking for more.
"I want to feel my man and love on him. Also, your shirt gets in the way. I promise to be gentle. I always have, haven't I? Well.. unless you ask otherwise."
Rod smiles and nods at that, feeling more at ease.
"Indeed you have.."
He takes a moment, his chest giving another tight squeeze and making him scrunch his nose. He shifts and quickly pulls his shirt over his head though, tossing it on the blanket next to your stethoscope, which he just now noticed.
You smile and kiss his cheek as you place your hand on his bare chest, his healing scars making it a bit uneven and bumpy. It's still his, though.
"Why is there.. that doctor tool?"
You made a noise in questioning before looking behind you and chuckling, forgetting it was there.
"I got it out of the closest as you were still waking up. I've had it for years, still works. I was wondering if I could listen to your heart? Maybe? I didn't want to push though."
Rod rolled his eyes and puffed his chest out a bit.
"Sure.."
"I really didn't! I'm incredibly happy just getting to touch you again.."
Rod's eyes flickered back and forth across your saddened face, feeling a bit of guilt for depriving you of affection. He loved you so much, he never wanted that or this fucking medical emergency. He wasted so many years being alone and now that he had someone, of course his body fails on him. Its pathetic..
Rod furrows his eyebrows and lifts his head a bit, his eyes looking at you from above the glasses.
"If you want.."
"You sure?"
Rod nods, giving a reassuring smile before looking at your hand on his.. ugly chest. He hated those scars and they made his skin crawl. He hated so much about his body to the point he felt you were lying whenever you said they didn't bother him. Such a sad sack of shit he is..
Cool air hits the spot on his chest as you take off your hand to grab the stethoscope. He shivers and wants to whine at the loss of contact, having forgot how nice a simple touch felt. He doesn't have time though, as you look back at him with it in your hands.
You swing a leg over his hips and hover above him a bit.
"I wanna be comfy as I do this.."
You admit nervously, giggling.
Rod smiles and wraps an arm around your waist, pulling you in.
"Go ahead. Don't be shocked when I get excited from you touching me so much though. I'm a deprived old man."
He joked and you giggle again, straddling his thighs. It felt strangely intimate.
You unfolded the stethoscope, opening the earbud section as you looked at him. You slipped the buds in your ears and grasped the actual stething part between your index and middle finger, hovering it over his chest.
"I'm going to put this on you and listen, okay? Maybe this will help next time we have issues like this, could save us a doctor's visit."
He nods, but it is cut short but him jumping a bit as you place it over his heart.
"Holy hell, warm that up next time! That alone could give me a heart attack."
You giggle and hold it there, apologizing as you suddenly hear his heartbeat thrum through your ears. It echoed fast, but was consistent, not in arrhythmia. It sounded like a heart should with quick BA-DUM sounds. From your little knowledge over the heart, you could at least tell that it didn't sound like he had a leak or anything of major concern.
You could feel his heartbeat throb onto your fingers as you held the steth to his bare chest, but only faintly. His chest moved just the tiniest bit with each beat of his heart and it expanded as he sucked in a breath, making that sound fill your ears as well.
You relaxed over his thighs, sitting a bit more. You rested your other hand on his shoulder as you shut your eyes to focus completely on the sound.
You heard Rod exhale and felt his chest decompress as he did. You also felt his look on you, but it was far from insufferable, almost nice even. He felt warm and the constant beat of his heart was a weird ground sensation.
When Rod breathed in again, and you counted each beat of his heart, knowing when relaxed it takes about 5 seconds for him to breathe in and out. It went fast but you counted it, then did the quick math in your head to find his bpm. It was around 125 beats per minute if you were right, a bit faster than usual, but that was already expected.
Rod squirmed a bit as you switched the placement of the steth to the left, pressinf it in deeper. Your eyes were closed and you seemed almost peaceful just listening to his old heart beat frantically. It surprised him, but he felt happy that you seemed to enjoy it. It had a different feel to him than having the doctors do it, more intimate and gently, less clincal.
You switched it to be the slightest bit more down and felt he smirked, thinking you were checking all around out of your own curiosity. It made him feel a bit fuzzy to know he was a good little thing to be curious about for you and it made him happy that you were despite his dull chest aches. That seemed to go away though as you continued stething him, the pain decreasing as minutes passed. His heart still pushed hard against his ribs though, but the pace started to slow as you listened.
"Enjoying yourself?"
He asked and the sound of his voice echoed through his chest, then up through your stethoscope. You smiled and nodded, finally opening your eyes and taking the steth off. You take the earbuds out and hang the stethoscope loosely around your neck, leaning in to give him a kiss on the lips.
"Your heart is slowing down. It was probably just the caffeine. Thank you for letting me listen."
Rod smiled and tugged you closer by the waist, kissing you hard. You gave in and smiled into the kiss, matching his smile.
You pulled away and moved to get off his lap, but he quickly grabbed your thighs, holding you down. You looked at him, waiting for an answer and he sighed, looking ashamed.
"I'm sorry for ignoring you. I love you so much. So, so much. Your touch is so nice, but I'm so stupid and stubborn and-"
You rolled your eyes, returning the favor from earlier and grasped his chin gently to press another kiss to his lips.
"You had a life threatening experience, love. People react differently. I do appreciate you actually letting me touch you again though. This is strangrly very intimate. I like doing this to you. And kissing you, lots of that."
Rod chuckled and hugged you against his chest.
"I like it too. You can do it again sometime if you want. Just.. keep touching me.. I'm so deprived still.. even if I get grumpy.."
You turned and pressed a kiss to his neck, feeling his pulse against your lips as you had kissed the artery.
"You're always going to be my grumpy old man."