Work Text:
The water in the shower is on too hot, Washington knows. His skin feels too tight, it'll be dry when he gets out. It's worth it, every second of uncomfortable itchiness is worth the way the water soothes his muscles. It's not new to him to be sore, but after today, he's honestly surprised he's still moving.
There's a bruise running from mid-thigh all the way up to his armpit on his left side. His hip aches, it took most of the hit, and standing isn't really helping. He'd lean against the wall, but the bruise on his right shoulder is so bad he can't actually move that arm. His job is so much fun.
Washington lets out a long sigh, readying himself to reach out to turn the water off. It takes more effort than it should, and he's thankful everyone else has gone to sleep already. His towel is hanging right outside the shower, and he wraps it around himself, not bothering with drying off. He brought loose, comfortable things to change into, but he doesn't think he can lift his arm enough to get a shirt on. Not without some pain meds, and those are all back in his room.
Washington glares, pushing out a deep breath as he gathers all his things in his arms. It's not a good plan, but it's what he's going to do. If he moves quick enough, he should make it to his room before anyone else sees him. He'll cross his fingers, and hope for the best.
It would be impossible to call what he's doing running, he can only put so much pressure on one side. He keeps the bruised leg as straight as he can, trying to take as much of the force of his movement on the unbruised leg as possible. It's not pretty.
Washington is rarely lucky, he's accepted that about himself. Some people have a way of making things work their way, and that's great, good for them. Washington is not one of those people. He's focused on the ground, trying not to trip as he hobbles as fast as he can to his room, so he doesn't see the person he runs into before it's too late. He should've been looking, should've known to at least glance up every now and then, but it's too late now.
He stumbles, swaying dangerously, before a pair of big warm hands steady him. Of course, they steady him by the shoulders, and Washington can't help the small whine he lets slip. He looks up to see Maine, smiling fondly.
"Don't laugh at me," Washington snaps, and it only makes Maine laugh. "What are you doing out here anyway?"
"Waiting." Maine answers him, and he holds his arm out for Washington to hold onto. Washington wants to protest, he truly does, but the help would make it so much easier, and there's no point in pretending he doesn't need it.
Maine doesn't wait for him to decide, he takes Washington's hand and puts it on his arm, still smiling. He leads them to Washington's room, only a hallway away now.
"I don't need help." Washington mumbles, trying to save face. Maine nods, but he doesn't stop helping him. They're moving slower now, and the worry that someone will see Washington mostly naked is a steady anxiety in the back of his mind. Washington is easy to tease, and he takes it well enough. Tonight, though, he's tired and he hurts and he doesn't want to deal with it. It's not worth it to tease him when Maine is around, really, but that doesn't actually stop anyone.
He's too busy focusing on his worries to notice they've stopped in front of his door. It isn't until Maine picks up his hand and puts it on the lock that he realizes. Maine ushers him in, letting Washington walk on his own now that they're in his room. Washington drops the clothes he should've changed into on the floor, not bothering with putting them away nicely. He would, normally he hates a mess, but he knows he doesn't have the energy for it. He takes the towel he has around him and throws it towards his pillow to keep it from getting wet. He'd love to toss himself on the bed with it, but instead he lays down gingerly, and buries his face in the blankets.
"Beds so nice." Washington says, voice muffled. Maine chuckles, he sounds closer than Washington expected him to be. He turns his head slightly, just enough to see, and Maine is sitting on the floor next to his bed.
"Not very comfortable," Washington says, "could get up here."
Maine shakes his head, reaches up to run his hand down Washington's back. Washington shivers, Maine's hand is warm and his skin is cold. He's mostly dry now, but air drying when it's so cold isn't a great idea. Good thing Washington is so full of not great ideas he's used to it by now.
Maine shifts, reaching over Washington to grab his blanket and pull it over him. Washington makes a soft noise of gratitude as Maine tucks the blanket around him, making sure it covers all of him.
"You could come up." Washington tries again, the blanket is nice, it's not as warm as Maine though.
"Not enough room, don't wanna hurt you." Maine answers. It's a valid point, but it's not what Washington wants. Maine runs his hand down Washington's back again, attempting to placate him. It shouldn't work, Washington doesn't want it to work, but even the small touch is more than they normally get and its nice, comforting. Maine is probably right anyway, there isn't enough room for both of them to fit on the bed without it hurting Washington.
"Sleep." Maine says, leaning forward to press a kiss to Washington's head as Washington stifles a yawn with his pillow. Washington frowns, but he's tired, and his eyes are closing without his permission.