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“Are you falling asleep on me?” Ratchet chuckled as Ironhide slipped further into the bathtub. Not that Ironhide was able to sink much deeper into the water. He was a large man in small tub and much of him was exposed to the air. But it was the portion of him that was submerged that he wanted to keep underwater…though that part of him wasn’t small either.
“Mm, sorry,” Ironhide rumbled and shimmied back up so Ratchet could resume his ministrations. Seated on a chair at the head of the tub, the medic’s focus went back to the warrior’s head where he continued to work shampoo through salt and pepper hair, massaging the scalp as he went.
It wasn’t that Ironhide was falling asleep, despite feeling more relaxed now than he ever had before. No, he was trying to keep concealed his body’s reaction to the medic’s thorough touches. Thankfully there were just enough bubbles to hide his growing stiffness.
Ratchet worked from front to back, smoothing his palms along the soldier’s scalp, rubbing little circles above his temples, massaging his ears, making sure every inch was attended to. Then Ratchet’s fingers curled and grasped at the roots, tugging with just enough force to elicit a throaty gasp from the warrior and Ironhide grasped at the edge of the copper tub. There was no way he was hiding that from the medic. He could practically feel Ratchet’s knowing smirk boring into the back of his skull.
“What happened to do no harm?” Ironhide asked when he found his voice again.
“Hm? I hardly think that reaction came from a place of pain,” Ratchet teased. “Even now, I’m learning new things about you.”
Ratchet tapped Ironhide on the shoulder, signaling for him to sit up straighter. The medic reached for a pitcher at his feet and began to slowly pour clean, lukewarm water over the soldier’s head to wash away the suds. The contrast of lukewarm water to the hot water he sat in set goosebumps to his skin.
Ratchet was right. Though they were several months into their relationship, there was still plenty they were learning about each other, from their kinks to the more domestic, like that Ratchet may be a highly skilled doctor, but he was far from a decent cook and that it was best if Ironhide handled cooking duties.
The soldier didn’t mind that at all. He considered it his way of caring for the doctor. Ratchet was always there to tend to his wounds, from the moment they met when Ratchet discovered him bleeding on the side of the road to now, where he’d spent the last few weeks recovering from being thrown from a horse.
For all Ratchet did for him, the least the old warrior could do was prepare a well-cooked meal.
Ironhide shook his head to break the rivulets of water that cascaded down his face. The motion caused him to wince and he let out a small pained grunt.
“Still hurting?” Ratchet had been there when Ironhide was thrown from the bronco’s back. He fell hard. Ratchet was sure the man had broken some bones, but to his relief Ironhide was only bruised. It was muscle soreness that continued to plague the soldier.
“Yeah, but it’s getting better.”
“I figured. That’s why I bought this.” Ratchet picked up a small box that rested at his feet. The top was latched and he opened it, bringing it around for the soldier to see. Inside were two glass bottles, their labels printed in a language Ironhide wasn’t familiar with. But he didn’t need to understand the language to know they said ‘Rose’ and ‘Lavender’.
The bottles and packaging certainly didn’t look cheap.
“What are those?”
“Massage oils. Imported.”
Ah, that’s why they look expensive.
“I saw them at the store. The clerk said he’d been waiting months for this shipment. A rare find indeed.”
“You bought these luxury oils just for me?”
“I don’t care about price, Ironhide. I care about the quality of the product. I only want to use the best on my patients. The same care and attention extends to my loved ones. Now, which scent would you like to try?”
Ironhide was silent for a moment, the medic’s words working through his brain.
“Lavender,” he said softly.
Pouring a small amount into his palm, Ratchet instructed Ironhide to sit forward and laid his hands to work. They started at the base of his skull where Ratchet pressed his thumbs into the tight neck muscles, stroking and rubbing the soreness away.
Loved ones.
Ironhide mulled over those words. Sure, they had expressed their love for one another many times over, but it was the softness and reverence in how Ratchet expressed his love that never failed to amaze Ironhide. It was in every utterance of “I love you”, every dressing of a wound or cold compress to an ache, each caress in the dark, and the lengths Ratchet would go to give Ironhide an experience of the finer things in life.
Ratchet loved him so completely it made the warrior’s heart ache.
Ratchet’s touch was deep and sure as his hands wandered over tired shoulders and thick arms. Down the taught expense of his back Ratchet worked his fingers deep to get the muscle to release. It took some time, but eventually the doctor could see Ironhide’s shoulders relax, and the soldier slumped forward. Ratchet worked down his spine some more before slowly coming back up and over to his chest.
There he continued to massage, but Ironhide got the feeling Ratchet’s touch here was more exploratory. Expert fingers followed the dip of his collar bone and drew down, tracing the swell of the soldier’s pecs. One hand stilled over the soldier’s heart while the other travelled farther south along the dark trail of hair that adorned the warrior’s abdomen.
Ironhide’s breath hitched and no doubt Ratchet could feel his heartbeat quicken. He wondered just how far Ratchet intended to go, shifting in the tub in anticipation, but Ratchet’s hand came back up just as slowly as it had descended.
The doctor leaned forward and crossed his arm over the soldier’s chest in a hug. He brought his lips to the corner of Ironhide’s mouth and placed a quick kiss.
“The water’s beginning to cool. Why don’t we get you out of here and I can continue working your soreness out in the bedroom?”
Ironhide made a pleased rumble in his chest, and he turned his head to meet Ratchet’s lips properly.
“Sounds wonderful. And after you’ve finished me off, I can return the favor.”