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Ellie stood in the kitchen, brewing a tea when she heard the sound of a key in the deadbolt. His visit wasn’t unexpected—he’d sent her a text nearly an hour ago, asking if she was home. What was unexpected was his appearance as she stepped into the foyer to greet him.
She gasped. “Chris—”
“Hey.”
A beat passed between them as Ellie worked her jaw. She almost asked him what happened, but then she remembered—he had told her there was a title fight coming up. This must have been the aftermath of that, she decided. He gave her a crooked smile, and she shook her head.
“Come inside,” she said, inserting herself into the affair of helping him take off his jacket.
“Thanks,” he put in, slipping out of his shoes. There was a long moment while they stood quietly regarding one another in her entryway. Chris wondered where all that worry in her expression was coming from. Surely not all of it was for him?
“Did you win?” She asked, taking his hands to examine them.
He grinned smugly. “Yeah.”
She breathed a tolerant laugh through her nose. “Come on,” she said, guiding him further in. “I’ll run us a bath. You look like you could use a good soak.”
He didn’t miss the specific wording she had used, and neither did he protest as she led him towards her master bathroom. She sat him down on a small chair and helped him take off his shirt. The movement was purposeful and deliberate, and she treated him with a kind of gentleness that made his chest feel warm. She folded the garment neatly and set it aside.
When she turned back to take proper stock of his injuries, she sucked in a breath. “Oh, dear…”
She knew it was to be expected—it was part of his job—but that didn’t make it any easier to stomach. Ellie carefully turned him this way and that, finding all of the visible damage that needed attention. Her fingers brushed over a mottled bruise on his side, and he winced.
“Sorry.” She pulled her hand away, and he shook his head.
“It’s fine. Cracked rib, I think,” he said, grimacing as he took a deep breath and instantly regretted it. “I may also be mildly concussed,” he added, and she paused to give him an emphatic stare. “Maybe.”
That meant he definitely was. She sighed, tipping his face to get a better look at the contusions and small lacerations. When she was satisfied that she had found everything that would need attention, she patted his thigh, looking at him inquisitively. He shook his head—there wasn’t anything there to worry about, at least. She nodded as she took a step back, turning to search through a small medicine cabinet. She shook out two tabs from a bottle and offered them to him with a small glass of water.
“For the pain,” she said matter-of-factly. He took it and tossed them back in one go.
“Alright. I’ll let you finish getting undressed,” she said, and he nodded his agreement. “I’ll get the bath on.”
A tense silence hung in the space between them as she pulled a few things down from a cabinet. As she sprinkled them into the tub while it filled, a sweet, earthy scent permeated the room. He couldn’t place what it was, but it was comforting.
Ellie stripped down and stepped into the tub ahead of him, sitting down on the low ledge inside. He watched with some interest as she swirled the water around.
“Your bathtub has seats?”
“You’ve been in here before,” she laughed. “Did you never notice?”
He hummed. “I never really looked. Your bathroom is pretty big.”
She glanced around, as if she’d never considered that. “Hm. I suppose it is. And yes, there are seats. Anyway, you should get in—the water’s nice,” she said, beckoning to him.
The water was pleasantly warm—as promised—when he stepped in, settling between her knees in the tub.
“Okay, that is nice,” he agreed. She placed her hands on his shoulders, and eased him backwards. He took the hint, and let out a long sigh as he deflated back into her.
She nuzzled his temple, soft hands drifting slowly along the slope of his shoulders and the sides of his neck. Chris tipped his head back into her chest, eyes closed as a pleasant warmth settled into his core. Okay, this was really nice.
At the gentle brush of her lips along his jaw, he stiffened. The touch drew along his throat, and he peeked an eye open.
“Careful,” he murmured.
“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to tease,” she sighed, a delicate fingertip travelling along his pulse, over the dip of his clavicle. “I’m just glad you’re here.”
Her voice and touch were too gentle to really be considered suggestive, but there was a sensual quality to it that made a pleasant tingling settle in his chest. The silence lingered as she rested her hands on his shoulders, palms working careful circles in the tense muscles.
Chris draped his arms over her knees as he settled further back against her breasts. “Hm, soft,” he mumbled.
Ellie laughed as she leaned forward, cupping his jaw and leaving a soft kiss on his forehead. “You’re ridiculous,” she sighed.
“Never denied it,” he murmured.
They sat together like that for some long minutes. Ellie’s gentle touch drifted along his shoulders and chest, slowly easing the tension out of his limbs.
“I always forget how different you look without your piercings,” she mused. “It’s like you’re really naked.”
“Yeah, it definitely feels like that,” he muttered, reaching for his cheek.
She caught his hand and tutted, lifting it to kiss the back of his palm. “No touching. You’ll aggravate the wound.”
Chris breathed a low chuckle, and they lapsed into another brief silence. She rested her chin on his crown, arms wrapped around his neck.
“I don’t think you’ll need my help putting them back in, but I do have some antiseptic if you wanted to clean them beforehand.”
Chris hummed as he considered the cloudy water. “Maybe after the swelling goes down,” he said, covering her hands where they rested on his chest. “Thanks.”
Ellie smiled as she put a kiss on his hair. “Don’t mention it.” A beat. “We should probably get out soon and rinse off. Come on,” she said, tapping his shoulders gently.
He was already boneless, and the water was still nice. “Five more minutes?” He tried.
Ellie laughed, shaking her head. “You’ll feel better when you’re clean. And I want to get you patched up, at the very least.”
Rising carefully out of her seat, she helped shuffle him out of the tub and into the large shower stall. It was smaller than he remembered it being, though that probably had to do with her being in there with him.
“Here,” she said, tapping on a deep ledge not too far off the ground. Oh.
He lowered himself down, and she tipped his head back. Chris remained still while she worked water through his hair, and then came the shampoo. He watched her from the corner of his eye—he still wasn’t used to doing this, but he found himself liking it the more they did.
Her fingers were slow and meticulous as she worked him over, and he couldn’t help the low groan he let out, pressing his face into her chest. Her soft giggle made him turn his gaze up on her, and she smiled as she leaned down to press a gentle kiss against his forehead.
“Close your eyes—time to rinse,” she said. He did as he was told, letting out a low sigh as she worked the lather out. A pleasant tingling ran down his scalp as her fingers massaged over him, and heat crept up his spine. He waited as she worked in conditioner next, combing it through before rinsing him again.
The heat creeping up his spine grew more insistent, and his mouth felt dry. She returned to him with a fresh wash cloth, working a lather of his soap. His soap. It felt strange to think about having space in her life. He liked it, even if he didn’t quite know what to do with the feeling.
Her touch, like before, was careful and deliberate, and even though his ribs ached, whatever she had given him had already begun to dull it. Or maybe he was just more relaxed.
He didn’t dwell on it.
She worked her way around his body, and he swatted at her when she tried to get behind his ears—now she was just teasing him. Her cheeky giggle confirmed that, and he squinted at her. She gave him a warm smile in return that he couldn’t stay mad at, and left a soft kiss on his cheek.
He muttered something to himself and remained as still as he could manage, letting her finish off her work. She steered clear of his private areas as she carried on, but still made it down his legs, all the way to his feet before she stood back up and handed him the cloth.
“I thought I should let you finish yourself up,” she said, stepping out to grab a fresh cloth. He stood to do as directed, watching her as she quickly lathered herself up with the sweet-smelling body wash he’d become familiar with. They shared space under the shower head, rinsing themselves off before they stepped out.
Ellie grabbed a thick towel and wrapped it around his waist.
“I can do that.”
“I know,” she said, not actually stopping to let him. After she’d wrapped herself up, she sat him down in the same seat as before and began to dry him off.
He felt a little awkward with how gently she seemed to be handling him, even now with the soft-and-fluffy towel. That unfamiliar—though not entirely unpleasant—sensation coiled tightly in his chest.
“You don’t have to treat me like I’m made of glass, you know,” he joked, trying to ease the strange tension in his limbs. She smiled, though it was a little strained as her expression softened.
“I know,” she agreed, continuing to dry him off. “I know you’re stronger than that. And I know you’re used to dealing with this kind of thing all on your own, and that’s made you who you are…” There was a fecund silence that lingered for a moment, and then she sighed.
“But you shouldn’t have to do everything alone, Chris. I want to help you, so… please let me.”
What else could he do but agree?
“Okay…”
She smiled warmly, the expression easy and gentle as she carried on. “I have some clean sweats and unders in my room,” she said softly. “Think you’ll probably want those more than what you came here in.”
He gave a shallow nod, but didn’t speak. His mouth was dry again. He wasn’t sure if it was from whatever she’d given him for pain, or something else. Once she’d finished drying him off, she led him back out into her bedroom and sat him on the edge of her bed, digging for the requisite sweats and underwear that she’d mentioned.
She hastily dressed herself as he did the same, then disappeared into the bathroom to gather supplies. She came back with a small first aid kit, then left again, towards the common area, this time.
He cracked into the first aid kid while he waited, and laughed when she came back into the room with an armful of gel packs.
“How many of those do you have?”
“A few,” she said with a grin, rounding the bed to stand in front of him. His posture was slouched, and she brushed her fingers along his side, a little above where the mottled bruise sat.
“How’s your pain?” She asked. He took a deep breath, still wincing.
“Better. Still hurts, but what can you do?”
She nodded sagely, fingers drifting down his cheek. “It won’t help your ribs, but I’ve got some arnica I can put on to help your bruising, at least.”
“Sure.”
She smiled as she left a quick peck on his cheek, digging into the first aid kit to get to work. She settled his hands in his lap, covering them with a thin cloth before placing a large chilled gel pack on top of them.
“I know it’s hard, but try to stay still a little bit. The cold can’t help the swelling if you’re fidgeting too much,” she said, though she was certain he already knew that.
He smiled wryly. “No promises.”
She laughed good-naturedly as she kissed his temple. “I wouldn’t have you any other way, Mister Knight. Now, let’s see…”
She began then with the cuts on his face, gently cleaning them with antiseptic wipes before moving on to the bruising on his torso.
Chris watched her as she moved around his body, applying the arnica tincture with a touch so delicate, he was almost unsure if it was even there. He still felt it on his ribs, but she moved quickly—no sense dragging that out. When she paused to check her work, she seemed to notice him staring for the first time.
“Oh. Is something the matter?”
He shook his head. Even if he’d been able to put into words precisely how he felt—that strange feeling of butterflies in his chest—he wouldn’t have. She cupped his cheeks for a moment, searching his face for something.
“Look up,” she said, and he complied. Delicate fingers carefully dabbed the tincture around his blackened eye. “The pressure’s alright?”
Chris gave an affirmative hum. “I can’t believe you have this many cold packs,” he commented, fingers fidgeting beneath the thin cloth.
She smiled blithely as she tutted him. “I’m forgetful about putting them away sometimes,” she admitted. “I just put these away last week. They’d been sitting all over my apartment for weeks before that.”
He laughed, and briefly regretted it, the pain in his ribs flaring. Her brow furrowed and she fell silent, moving on to apply some ointment and composite bandages on his cheekbone and temple.
“You okay?” He asked, finally breaking the strained silence.
She paused and looked at him, those stormy green eyes speaking volumes where her words didn’t. She let out a soft sigh, rubbing at her cheek briefly before she nodded.
“Yes,” she said emphatically, taking a deep breath. “It’s just difficult to see you like this. I’m not foolish enough to think you can always walk away from your matches unscathed, but that doesn’t make it any easier to see it, you know?”
Chris watched her for a moment, the coil in his chest tightening. “Yeah, I get that,” he said with a nod.
No more words passed between them as she finished her work, doing a final pass to make sure she hadn’t missed anything. A long minute went by as she regarded him with that same open affection that made his chest feel full.
“Do you want to stay the night?” She asked, glancing at him as she stood back. “You can have the bed to yourself, if you need the space,” she said, gesturing towards the door. “Or, if you’d rather not stay, that’s alright, too—I can drive you home.”
His expression softened as he considered her. He wasn’t really sure how she planned on driving him home, unless she was going to take a taxi back, though he supposed it was the thought that mattered. More than that, though—
“I’d like to stay, if it’s not too much trouble,” he admitted. “I’d appreciate the company.” He almost winced at that—it wasn’t that he was too proud to admit it, though it was a near thing.
Ellie smiled warmly as she took his hand and kissed the back of his palm. “Alright. I’ll get us some supper,” she said, not letting go of his hand right away—but neither did he release his hold on her.
She regarded him with an open affection that made his heart stutter, and as much as he wanted to look away, found he couldn’t. She took his face in her hands and pressed a lingering kiss against his forehead as he gripped her wrists gently.
“Thank you for coming to me.”
There was a great deal of meaning behind those words that went unsaid, and Chris thought he could feel heat creeping into his cheeks. He cleared his throat.
“Thanks for your help with… everything. I appreciate it.”
Ellie gave him an affirmative hum as she stood back, brushing a thumb over his brow. “I think I still have one of your hoodies around here somewhere,” she said, looking thoughtful. “Don’t want you getting cold, but it’ll smell like me—I’ve been wearing it.”
Chris swallowed. “I don’t mind.”
She smiled. “Okay. I’ll go get it, and then make us something to eat. Any requests?”
He shook his head. “Whatever you make is fine. I like all of your cooking.”
“Flatterer,” she muttered fondly, leaving a quick peck on his cheek before she tugged his hoodie off the back of the chair in her room. It was buried under a few more pieces from her wardrobe, and she didn’t wait to help him start pulling it on.
It smelled faintly of lilac and jasmine, and that made a feeling of warm contentment settle through his core.
“Come on, I’ll get you set up on the couch with a couple more cold compresses, and then we can eat,” she said, leading him back out to the living room.
Chris lay tucked in beneath Ellie’s chin on the couch, strewn out across its length. He knew he’d probably regret it, soon—the painkillers were starting to wear off.
But she was warm and soft, and he was comfortable enough, for now. And her breasts made a great cushion. Still, it had been a few hours since they’d eaten, and he was starting to get sleepy.
“Bed, soon,” he mumbled, nestling his head back against those soft mounds.
“Should you be sleeping right away if you’re concussed?” She wondered, brushing a few strands of hair away from his face. He scratched his cheek as he looked up, considering her.
“It’s been a few hours, and I’m not getting worse,” he said. “Probably be fine.”
She scowled slightly. “I don’t like probably.”
He gave her a sardonic smile. “That’s all you’ll get,” he told her. She looked wounded, and he winced as he sat up, rubbing the back of his neck.
“It should be fine, Ellie—this isn’t the first time I’ve been concussed, and it’s definitely not the worst. And I lived through all of that.” He bit back the urge to add unfortunately, knowing she wouldn’t like it. She sighed deeply as she took his hands, her thumbs brushing gently over his dusted knuckles.
“Alright,” she agreed, looking up at him with some gentle longing.
Chris cleared his throat, easing up off the couch. “Could I have some more pain meds? Think the old ones are wearing off…”
She nodded as she ushered him in the direction of her bedroom, flicking off lights as they went. “We can brush our teeth and I’ll get you some more.”
“What, you mean you don’t like my garlic breath?” He teased, breathing on her.
She laughed as she flicked his shoulder. “I won’t like it tomorrow morning, and neither will you,” she said, stepping into the bathroom again.
After they’d finished brushing their teeth, Ellie got him two more tabs of medicine, and some water before he let her guide him to the bed. She helped him with the hoodie—he’d gotten strangely used to that insistence on her part—and let him strip off his sweats before he crawled under the covers.
She quickly changed into a cropped tank and discarded her shorts before sliding in next to him. More tense silence and space hung between them as they regarded one another. She looked like she wanted to say something, but looked away instead.
He took her chin and pulled her closer. The kiss wasn’t quite sumptuous, but definitely toed the line. Ellie scooted closer, cradling his face as she brushed her thumb along the shape of his cheekbone. Warm affection coiled tightly in her chest as she kissed him again.
“Thanks for putting up with all of my fussing,” she finally said with a quiet snort.
Chris breathed a tired laugh, eyes fluttering shut as she peppered him with more of those soft kisses.
“Thanks for fussing over me. Not used to it,” he admitted, voice uncharacteristically small as his fingers drifted along her sides. “Kind of nice…”
She laughed as she helped him settle back into the bedding, fluffing pillows and shifting things around until he was as comfortable as he was going to be. Her fingers carded through his hair, a frisson of pleasure trickling down his spine as he sighed, deflating into the mattress.
“Get some rest,” she said gently, sitting alongside him. She kept enough distance so she didn’t put any pressure on his side. “I’ll be here if you need anything.”
He reached for one of her hands, not quite willing to let her disappear just yet. She’d already done so much, and he questioned whether it would be too much to ask for more. He bit his tongue. Will you sing for me?
The lights dulled, and he relaxed further, but still the thought nagged at him. Her delicate fingers tracing over the shape of his brow and the bridge of his nose soothed his nerves, if only briefly. Then, there it was.
It was a subtle thing at first, a low, rhythmic humming that was wonderfully familiar. Her hand on his chest drew delicate patterns over his skin—it was methodical, and he wondered if she was writing something. He didn’t have time to really consider it as the gentle sound of her voice lulled him. He picked up her hand and lifted it to kiss her palm, her fingers, the delicate skin of her wrist—
He thought he might have said thank you in his dazed fatigue, but he was already drifting.