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Matt hasn’t come out of the bathroom for the last 10 minutes.
Usually, Alex would be perfectly fine with this. Matt’s always been one of those guys that just takes a really long time to do anything. The bathroom, getting up in the morning, breathing - he’s basically used to Matt just taking a really long time to love his life.
But something’s up here and Alex, drawing off of his last entire effort to try and go to school and learn something (i.e. his kinesiology degree) It’s pretty sure he knows what’s up, and he knows Matt’s being stubborn about it.
Sighing from his position in the hallway where they had taken off their shoes for the night after coming back from an after party for some award show that neither him or Matt attended (honestly it could’ve been for something like the Actor’s Guild, but even Alex didn’t pay attention to that shit), Alex quickly peels off his blazer and takes off his belt before he slowly makes his way down to the hallway bathroom door, knocking gently. “You okay in there?”
“M’fine.” There's a note of pain in Matt’s voice that Alex knows all too well that says everything is definitely not fine. A small wince from deep in Matt’s chest where Matt has swallowed it down also follows it, cementing that Alex’s thoughts were on the right track.
Alex leans against the door, speaking softly. “Is it your leg again?”
He could practically feel the moment Matt pauses from wherever he is, most likely sitting on the toilet, before Matt’s chest rumbles again, this time with a sigh. “Maybe…”
“I’m coming in.” Alex doesn’t give him two seconds to even register the words before he’s already through the door, taking in the scene before him.
Matt’s six foot eight figure is hunched over as he fiddles with his right pant leg, blonde hair having fallen out of its man bun that he tied into that night and sweat dripping off of his forehead. Alex can see his hands where he’s got his jeans bunched up, they’re twitching, meaning that Matt’s been dealing with whatever has been going on for a while and hasn’t informed Alex.
God, he loves and hates this man. “How long have you been in pain for?”
“It’s not that bad.”
Alex knows a deflection when he sees one. “Matt.”
Matt crumbles, looking up at him from his position with guilty blue eyes. “Couple hours.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?” Alex pushes off the wall and bends down so he’s level with Matt’s hands, pushing the leg up himself gently to just over Matt’s knee. He can already see red lines peeking their way out of Matt’s sock up his thigh and winces. “Matt, that’s really bad, you should’ve said something. You know I don’t like parties. We could’ve gone home earlier.”
“I know, but I didn’t wanna leave. I was just having fun and I didn’t even realise until I- ow, fuck!” Matt cuts himself off when Alex pushes on one of the lines gently and Alex palms his thigh as an apology. “-didn’t realise how bad it was until we called the Uber.”
Alex can’t help but once again when he sees the damage Matt’s done to himself underneath the goddamn sock.
His stump still isn’t the prettiest thing to look at, despite being years old and way before Alex met the guy, but given how intimate they become in the last couple of years, Alex has seen it all too often.
Matt got the damn thing via a hockey shot that went completely wrong in high school. He was at a playoff game, 16 years old, just having lost his Dad a few months before and one of the rivals was chasing the puck along with him. One wrong move and their sticks tangled, the puck went flying and hit a wall before hitting Matt square in the knee on an angle - giving him a concussion from his head hitting the ice forehead first (his helmet doing jack shit) and a compound fracture that was so destructive that Matt lost his whole lower leg for it.
Usually it’s just a lump of scar tissue with a few different bits and pieces crisis crossing it Matt sometimes gets embarrassed by a a reminder of what was lost and how that year was really bad for him. Today, however, it’s red and angry and clearly having been in pain the entire time Matt’s been wearing his prosthetic. Typical Matt in action, no matter how many warnings he gets not to buss it down on the dance floor or social butterfly his way into breaking his other leg, he still ends up paying for it in the end.
“So how far away from death am I, Doctor?” Matt sighs.
“You've irritated it pretty good.” Alex can’t help but smirk up at him. “No more prosthetic leg for you tonight or tomorrow. You’re a one foot boy for the next couple of days, I think.”
“Aw, man.” Matt’s face screws up at that and Alex can’t help but sigh again. “You know you’re only doing this to yourself, right?”
“Naw, I know. Just…hate it.” Matt’s shoulders sag at that and Alex can’t help but to push himself up to kiss his forehead, hand resting on Matt’s hip. “I know you do. C’mon. Painkillers and bed for the giant dance monster.”
Matt groans, but plants a hand on Alex’s shoulder, Alex’s arm going straight underneath it to curl around Matt’s torso to help him up and get his balance. The slow walk of shame to Matt’s bedroom is one they’ve taken before, so Alex knows where to grab everything, the painkillers in Matt’s medicine drawer to the glass of water that he leaves in the fridge for when this exact scenario happens when Matt’s drunk too much or having a really bad day.
Tonight is a little different, however. While Matt gets comfortable on the bed, Alex ducks into the on suite (depositing the long chrome plated prosthetic leg by the sink where Matt normally puts it along with the sock so he can put it on in the morning after his shower) and grabs the massage cream that he knows is in the second drawer of Matt’s vanity, starting to spread it on his fingers as he comes back to find Matt’s shirt unbuttoned, exposing the expanse of body hair underneath and his jeans stripped away, boxers being the only thing he’s kept on as Alex nudges his way over them on the floor.
“Pressure or no pressure?”
“Pressure up top, just…go easy on the bottom.” Matt shuffles himself back a little more to allow Alex access and whimpers from the movement, lips pressed together.
Alex gets to work, glasses slipping a little down his nose as he smoothes the gel over the stump and begins to press in, the mild coldness leaving and slowly heating up as Alex’s hands work at the bright red skin, the inflammation starting to go down as he carefully rubs out the sharpness of the pain until it’s mostly a residual ache, little throbs popping up here and there that the painkillers will take care of in a few minutes.
Matt just watches sleepily, only hissing when Alex’s thumbs press a little too hard into the overtaxed soft tissue where his knee used to be, causing Alex to look up again, a sympathetic smile on his face.
“Want me to stop?”
“No.” Matt breathes, looking more relaxed than he has all evening since Alex got here a week ago, hand sliding onto one of Alex’s tingling ones. “Please keep going.”
Alex just pushes up again and kisses Matt’s jaw, beard hair tickling his lips as Matt’s eyes flutter closed before going back to the task at hand. “I got you.”
“I know you do.” Matt replied softly, watching as Alex’s fingers traced his skin again, heart beating wildly as they went higher, leaving the now more mottled looking bottom and smoothing upwards across the scars and more normal skin of his thigh, disappearing under the hem of his boxers to gently massage near his groin and hip. “Thankyou, Alex.”
“You don’t have to thank me for wanting to take care of my extremely stubborn, extremely stupid best friend who also happens to be my boyfriend.” Alex rolls his eyes, but Matt can see him soften at the words.
“No, seriously. Thankyou.” Matt’s hand finds its way to Alex’s again, fingers intertwining this time. “For doing that. Taking care of me.”
“Well, someone has to stop your from your self destroying tendencies.” Alex’s tone is gentle, not sarcastic for once, squeezing Matt’s hand back.
“Don’t I have meds for that?”
“Watch it.” Alex swats his hip this time instead of holding it and Matt smirks, but the edges are a little unsteady, not full of swagger like usual and Alex mirrors it. “Love you.”
“Love you too.” Matt echoed, head falling back. “So much.”