Work Text:
Zeno was home late again.
This was normal considering the caliber of work he was doing. Everything for the goal, even sleep could be sacrificed.
Even men like Zeno had a breaking point though.
Tonight was that point.
He'd trudged slowly through the door, glasses already off, barely paying attention to where his coat and his shoes fell.
That was so unlike him that it had you moving from your spot on the couch to check on him.
What you saw had your brow furrowing with worry, he looked absolutely and utterly exhausted.
His clothes were rumpled, and his eyes looked raw, like he'd rubbed them excessively. Under his eyes was puffy, and looked swollen, and his eyelids were pink, stark against his pale skin. He looked even paler than normal, looking almost gray in the dim light.
You knew he usually ate before he showered, preferring to be clean and then fall into bed, but you were sure that if he sat down he wouldn't be getting up again.
You made the decision to take his hand, and tug him into the bathroom with you. He made a confused noise at first, but you shushed him gently. After that he made no further protests, just allowing you to do what you wanted.
You gently began undressing him. Beginning with his gloves, his tie, and jacket which you sat on the counter, next the lapel pins in their specific container. You moved on to his vest, unbuttoning it and pushing it off his shoulders, it landed on the floor with a soft sound, but neither of you paid attention to it. Then came his belt, unbuckled quickly, and pulled from the loops that held it, and it joined the other items on the counter. Next his shirt, untucked and unbuttoned, and you helped him pull his arms out of it before it joined the vest on the floor. His pants were next, you undid the button and pushed them off his hips, letting them pool at his feet. He stepped out of them, kicking them towards the pile of his other clothes.
You put your hands on his hips, “do you want me to help with these, or do you have it?” You were referring to his boxers, not wanting to presume if that was something he needed to do himself this time.
He shook his head, “I'd appreciate the help this time,” he mumbled, voice raspy. He sounded almost as exhausted as he looked.
You nodded, hooking your thumbs in the waistband and pushing them down. You trusted him to be able to step out of them, so you moved away from him for a moment to turn the shower on.
When you turned back around, he'd managed to get his socks off, and was standing with his eyes closed waiting for you to let him know the water was ready. You took that time to quickly take off your own clothes, so you could join him in the shower.
You didn't trust that he wouldn't fall, and you definitely didn't want to try to get him to the hospital because of it.
Sticking your arm under the spray, it was definitely hot, so you adjusted it to the proper temperature before gently getting Zeno's attention.
Getting him into the shower was relatively easy, and now he was standing under the spray, head bowed just letting the water run over him.
You didn't say a word, simply grabbing his washcloth from the hook it was on, and putting his bodywash on it. Neither of you had the energy for his usual multi step shower routine, this was just about making sure he could go to bed clean.
After you'd washed his body, you switched rags to yours. You were quick, and methodical about your own cleaning process, wanting to fully focus on him.
You were clean, hair washed and everything before you picked up his shampoo. He was usually very particular about his hair, wanting to do it himself during most shared showers.
You hesitated for just a moment before squeezing out a generous amount into your palm, you rubbed your hands together until it foamed, and then sank your fingers into his hair. It was easy to reach him with the way he was standing.
The first thing you noticed as you began scrubbing was just how stiff his hair was. You knew he used a good amount of product to get it to stay the way he wanted it to all day, but you hadn't really thought about how it would feel. As you scrubbed you could feel the products loosening their hold, and his hair felt more familiar to you. You nodded to yourself, letting it rinse before grabbing his conditioner and repeating the process.
You gave him a few more minutes to stand under the still warm water just to make sure you got all the soap and shampoo off of him.
When you got him out of the shower, you glanced at the bathroom counter and the skincare products that littered Zeno's side. You knew just how meticulous he was about his skincare, but you couldn't remember the order of the products for the life of you. Not wanting to do something wrong, you made the executive decision that he could skip a night. He might protest in the morning, but that was a problem for you in the future.
The only thing you made him do at the sink was brush his teeth, and that went about as well as you'd expected it to. You smiled to yourself as you wiped off his face, and put his toothbrush away.
Getting a clean pair of underwear and sleeping pants on him was a bit of a fiasco, but you couldn't be upset with him. He was nearly falling asleep standing up.
His eyes stayed closed as you turned the covers on the bed down, taking the extra moment to fluff his and your pillows. You didn't need to, but it felt necessary in the moment.
You got him into bed with no protest, he sat down heavily, swinging his legs under the covers, and laying back with little fanfare.
Once you made sure he was comfortable, you crawled into bed beside him. Pulling the covers up over both of you, you pressed a kiss to his forehead, which caused the barest hint of a smile to grace his features.
“Thank you for taking care of me,” his voice barely a whisper.
“Always,” you replied easily, settling your head on his chest.
His arm wrapped around your shoulders, keeping you close, “it's not worth the effort,” he sighed.
“Never, not if it's you,” you countered easily.
“You love me too easily,” this was probably the most he had spoken all evening, and you weren't sure where the self depreciation had come from.
You were going to nip it in the bud though, “loving you is probably the easiest thing I've ever done.”
He made a small noise under his breath, before he replied, “you win, you win, I love you too.”
You pressed a kiss to the skin before you as your victory, before you settled back down. You breathed in the smell of him, his body wash, and something uniquely him beneath it, and you felt his heartbeat steadying. All of it was enough to have your eyes pulling closed. There was no way you could fight it, and no reason to.
You'd have a large breakfast tomorrow to make up for the lack of dinner you promised yourself. Maybe you could convince Zeno to stay home with you, and you could try the place you found on one of your walks together.
You smiled at the thought as you finally succumbed to sleep.
The morning would bring with it the feeling of restfulness and a contentment for Zeno, knowing that the person he loved most was so willing to be there for him.
Maybe he would take the day to spend it with you. You deserved the same care you'd given him the night before.