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"Jeff," said Eric helplessly. He hated when Jeff looked like this, it made his gut twist up and his throat ache, and he could feel a headache coming on just from the knowledge that he couldn't do anything to fix it, and the way he kept trying to think of something anyway.
Jeff let out a long, stuttering breath, and looked up at Eric with a smile that was all false cheer and bravado. "Guess you won't be fucking me anytime soon now, huh?" he said.
"I will," said Eric, wrapping his hands around Jeff's wrists, "Because you'll be better soon."
Jeff's smile faltered.
"You will," said Eric.
"Yeah," said Jeff, sighing and looking down. The smile disappeared completely, which was good, but then he just looked so fucking tired and sad, Eric kind of wanted to hit something.
Instead he carded a soft hand through Jeff's hair and said, sweeping a thumb over his temple when Jeff tipped his head back to look at him again, "Come on, let's get you home."
Jeff nodded and stood up, leaning into Eric a bit before he started walking towards the exit.
He drove Jeff home, which was probably more for his benefit than Jeff's.
He just rolled his eyes and said, "I'm not a-- an invalid, Jesus."
Eric said, "I know, Jeff, come on," and Jeff muttered, "Fine."
Eric leaned across the gearstick to steal a quick, wet kiss; Jeff blinked at him, surprised, when he pulled back, but his face had gone gratifyingly slack, and his mouth even curled up a bit.
"That's not fair," he said, as Eric got them onto the road, "You can't keep doing that and not following through, I'm gonna go crazy, man. It's bad enough not knowing when I can play."
"What did the doctors say?" said Eric, choosing mostly to ignore it.
"About being fucked by my captain hard enough to make it worse? Surprisingly little," said Jeff.
Eric choked and gripped the steering wheel. "Jeff," he said.
"The usual, you know that," said Jeff, sighing. "No practice, nothing aggravating, blah blah."
"Well, there you go," said Eric, nodding.
"Sex isn't aggravating, it's relaxing," said Jeff.
Eric raised an eyebrow.
Jeff flushed a little. "That was different, shut up," he said. "It doesn't have to be-- you know. That intense. All the time. Fuck, I'm still gonna jerk off. You could help me out."
"Fuck," said Eric. "Can we not have this conversation while I'm driving?"
"Sure," said Jeff, smirking.
Eric couldn't even begrudge him, if being a persistent shit about the sex thing got him to look like that, mischievous and determined and a little bit happy instead of...everything else.
He was so pathetically gone on this kid, Jesus.
Jeff gave him a break when they got back to his apartment, not saying anything, dropping onto the couch with a tired sigh and tipping his head back.
Eric sat down next to him and touched a hand to the inside of his elbow.
"Wanna watch a movie or something?" he said.
"Sure," said Jeff.
"Okay. What's your pleasure?" said Eric.
Jeff just blinked at him. Eric thought back over what he'd said and flushed.
"Don't even," he said, and Jeff got that tiny smirk in the corners of his mouth again.
"Too easy, anyway," he said.
"Yeah," agreed Eric, thumbing through Jeff's DVDs.
He hovered over the Disney titles Jeff had before deciding against it-- the fact that Jeff owned more than one was already making him feel old and guilty, he wasn't sure he could handle actually watching anything-- and going for Twilight instead.
"Really?" said Jeff, raising an eyebrow. "You know Cam got me that as a joke."
"I know," said Eric.
"It makes me fall asleep," said Jeff.
"I know that too," said Eric, settling on the couch and hitting play.
"Oh," said Jeff quietly. He hesitated visibly for a moment, then scooted over to mold himself to Eric's side, slinging a leg over his and ducking under his arm when Eric lifted it to drape over his shoulders. "You're always so warm," he mumbled into Eric's shirt.
Eric pressed a kiss to his temple and said, "Go to sleep, Jeff."
"Yeah," said Jeff.
He dropped off pretty quickly, breathing slow and steady against Eric.
Eric stayed awake, mostly, drifting out occasionally but blinking himself out before he got too far under, keeping Jeff tucked up against his side until the movie was finished.
Jeff stirred when Eric lifted the remote to switch off the TV, blinking his eyes open slowly.
"Hey," said Eric quietly. "Okay?"
"Yeah," said Jeff, sleep-hoarse. "Are you-- did you watch the whole thing?"
"Yeah," said Eric. "You hungry?"
"No," said Jeff.
"Okay," said Eric. "You gotta eat anyway."
Jeff rolled his eyes, then dropped them to Eric's mouth. "Kiss me first," he said.
"Jeff," said Eric.
"Please," said Jeff quietly.
Fuck, Eric was so easy, and Jeff knew it, too. He leaned in to fit their mouths together carefully, nudging in til it was all soft, slow warmth and the slick inside of Jeff's lips.
Jeff hummed lazily and twined his arms around Eric's neck, opening his mouth a little wider.
Eric groaned, tightening his hands around Jeff's hips, and let him go for a while, let him lick in and press and make it faster, a bit sloppy, so fucking good.
"Okay," he said eventually, when Jeff's hips were starting to push forward against his hold.
"Eric," whined Jeff.
Eric smiled. "Food, come on," he said.
"I don't want food," said Jeff. "I wanna fuck."
Eric closed his eyes. "Such a menace," he said. "I'm not-- not til you're better, okay?"
Jeff made a disgusted noise and climbed to his feet.
"I'm jerking off after," he said over his shoulder as he headed into the kitchen. "Just so you know."
Eric groaned, leaning back into the couch and pressing the heel of his hand into his dick. He should go. Jeff could feed himself, go to bed for a proper nap. By himself.
Right. Eric followed him into the kitchen instead, hating himself a bit for how weak he was.
Jeff looked stupidly satisfied when he saw Eric.
"I am not participating," said Eric firmly.
Jeff just shrugged, folding over his sandwich and taking a bite.
Eric leaned his elbows on the counter, dropping his head into his hands and scrubbing tiredly at his face. "Fuck, Jeff," he said. "I just-- I can't-- I just want you to get better, you know?"
Jeff swallowed and sighed. "I know," he said quietly.
"We need you," said Eric. "And you-- you just need to be okay. Period."
"I know," said Jeff. "It's just-- it's like, fuck, not being able to play and not being able to have you, it fucking sucks, Eric. I thought I was done with it. All of it. And it's-- you're right here."
Eric shook his head. "You do have me," he said. "I'm not-- I'm not saying no. I'm just saying not right now."
"I know that," said Jeff. "I know I'm being dumb, okay. I just." He shrugged, scowling.
"Hey," said Eric, skirting around the counter to stroke over his jaw, tipping his head up.
"Sorry," said Jeff quietly.
Eric ducked in to kiss him, soft and lingering. "It's okay," he said. "You're concussed, you're not responsible for your actions." He bit back a grin.
"Fuck you, I'm fine," said Jeff.
"If I come take a nap with you, do you think you can resist jerking off?" said Eric.
Jeff bit down on his lip. "Are you just worried about me," he said, "Or don't you trust yourself?"
"Both," said Eric honestly.
"Oh," said Jeff. He looked pleased, and Eric felt unreasonably proud that for once he appeared to have said the right thing. "Can we make out some?" added Jeff, eyes wide.
Eric figured he deserved that compromise even if he could've said no, which was actually a kind of laughable idea, with Jeff's eyes all huge and hopeful, his pink mouth and flushed cheeks.
"Sure," he said, and Jeff's answering smile made his heart stutter painfully.