More than a Couple - Bath
Aug. 26th, 2006 05:09 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bending_sickleA/N: Tharr be 
.
Steve started at the sound of the bathroom door opening. It was Jay, peeking in through the vapour. Steve sat up in the bathtub and motioned the man in. “Ruth finally pry the guitar from your hands?”
“Pretty much,” said Jay as he closed the door softly behind him. He rubbed his fingertips together then leaned against the door with a sigh.
Steve watched him for a moment then lay back down in the hot water. He splashed some water onto his flushed face and waited.
“What’s all this?” said Jay in a soft tone. He waved a hand about in front of him, making the vapour swirl. “Sauna or bath?”
“Bath,” replied Steve with a shrug. “Hot bath. One that takes ages to cool.” He swirled a few surviving bubbled across his chest.
“Sounds fun.”
Steve frowned at Jay’s quite tone and shifted in the water to keep from sliding down. He glanced over at Jay who’d moved over by the tub and was now leaning on the sink. He’d rubbed out a neat square in the middle of the fogged mirror, but wasn’t looking at it.
“Hey,” said Steve, hoping Jay would look up. The younger man made a questioning noise but kept his head down, playing with the faucet taps. “Hey, you alright?”
Jay sighed and stepped away from the mirror. “Yeah, fine.” He looked at Steve and gave a weak shrug. “Tired.”
“Stressed,” suggested Steve.
Jay walked over and sat on the side of the tub. “That too.”
Steve smiled and rested his head against the edge. Jay dipped a hand into the water and wiggled his fingers and Steve closed his eyes, feeling the small waves tickled across his chest. When he felt the waves stop, he took a peek at Jay, who seemed lost in thought. Steve scratched his collarbone, his hand cooling a bit out of the water.
Jay caught the motion and glanced at Steve before unbuttoning his shirt. When he stood up to undo his belt, Steve put his elbows up on the edge of the tub. Weak steam rose from his reddening skin.
Leaning on the edge of the bathtub, Jay stepped into the water, managing to knee Steve in the thigh and elbow him in the stomach before settling between his legs.
“Damnit, couldn’t you have gotten in facing that way from the start?” huffed Steve.
Jay tried to stretch his cramped legs a bit more. “Sorry.” He wiggled himself onto Steve’s chest causing some water to splash out onto the floor. “Wasn’t thinking.”
“Yeah, well,” muttered Steve as he pulled Jay further up onto his chest, “you tend to do that a lot.” He kept one arm wrapped around the younger man, bracing himself with the other against the bathtub wall. “You’re mopping that up later.” Jay just sighed and lay his head back onto Steve, closing his eyes.
“You really think it’ll work?”
“Wha-?” Steve dropped his left arm back into the water. “What’ll?”
“This thing we’ve got,” said Jay sleepily. “Think it’ll last?”
Steve looked down at Jay, seeing what little he could with the man lying on his chest. He glanced across his shoulder, up his collarbone and up his neck, loving how his hair stuck in black curls onto them both. He could see that Jay’s cheeks were flushed from the heat, but didn’t know whether his eyes were open or not.
“Blessings,” he answered. “Noun, plural. Things man shall not count.” Steve tightened his grip around Jay, who grunted in agreement.
Occasionally, when it was just the two of them, Steve was reminded of how young Jay actually was, at least in relation to him. Between the four of them, Jay was the youngest, Steve, the oldest. Steve had been the first one to start up with Ruth, whilst Jay had been the last. These two facts hardly ever came up between them.
Steve believed that Jay hardly ever thought about it, never considered he treated him different from Mattie or Ruth. And the man didn’t, usually, except there were things Steve knew for certain Jay would never ask the others that he asked Steve. Like Steve knew everything, could fix anything.
Trying to distract himself from his thoughts, Steve focused on Jay’s presence rather than his question. He tried to feel the weight of Jay’s body on his with every inch of his skin, despite the buoyancy of the bath. He liked the feel of the man on his chest, liked how he rose and fell moved with each breath Steve took. It gave the illusion that they were breathing in unison. Steve looked down at Jay’s chest again, smiling at the light flush that had crept over his skin and loving the way the water eased up his skin and then back with each of their breaths.
“Jay, man.” He lowered his head and whispered into his ear. “Still stressed?”
Jay started to mumble something but stopped when Steve licked behind his earlobe.
“Think you’ll need some help with that?”
“Hell yeah,” said Jay groggily, stretching his neck back as Steve ran his hand down to Jay’s hip.
.Steve started at the sound of the bathroom door opening. It was Jay, peeking in through the vapour. Steve sat up in the bathtub and motioned the man in. “Ruth finally pry the guitar from your hands?”
“Pretty much,” said Jay as he closed the door softly behind him. He rubbed his fingertips together then leaned against the door with a sigh.
Steve watched him for a moment then lay back down in the hot water. He splashed some water onto his flushed face and waited.
“What’s all this?” said Jay in a soft tone. He waved a hand about in front of him, making the vapour swirl. “Sauna or bath?”
“Bath,” replied Steve with a shrug. “Hot bath. One that takes ages to cool.” He swirled a few surviving bubbled across his chest.
“Sounds fun.”
Steve frowned at Jay’s quite tone and shifted in the water to keep from sliding down. He glanced over at Jay who’d moved over by the tub and was now leaning on the sink. He’d rubbed out a neat square in the middle of the fogged mirror, but wasn’t looking at it.
“Hey,” said Steve, hoping Jay would look up. The younger man made a questioning noise but kept his head down, playing with the faucet taps. “Hey, you alright?”
Jay sighed and stepped away from the mirror. “Yeah, fine.” He looked at Steve and gave a weak shrug. “Tired.”
“Stressed,” suggested Steve.
Jay walked over and sat on the side of the tub. “That too.”
Steve smiled and rested his head against the edge. Jay dipped a hand into the water and wiggled his fingers and Steve closed his eyes, feeling the small waves tickled across his chest. When he felt the waves stop, he took a peek at Jay, who seemed lost in thought. Steve scratched his collarbone, his hand cooling a bit out of the water.
Jay caught the motion and glanced at Steve before unbuttoning his shirt. When he stood up to undo his belt, Steve put his elbows up on the edge of the tub. Weak steam rose from his reddening skin.
Leaning on the edge of the bathtub, Jay stepped into the water, managing to knee Steve in the thigh and elbow him in the stomach before settling between his legs.
“Damnit, couldn’t you have gotten in facing that way from the start?” huffed Steve.
Jay tried to stretch his cramped legs a bit more. “Sorry.” He wiggled himself onto Steve’s chest causing some water to splash out onto the floor. “Wasn’t thinking.”
“Yeah, well,” muttered Steve as he pulled Jay further up onto his chest, “you tend to do that a lot.” He kept one arm wrapped around the younger man, bracing himself with the other against the bathtub wall. “You’re mopping that up later.” Jay just sighed and lay his head back onto Steve, closing his eyes.
“You really think it’ll work?”
“Wha-?” Steve dropped his left arm back into the water. “What’ll?”
“This thing we’ve got,” said Jay sleepily. “Think it’ll last?”
Steve looked down at Jay, seeing what little he could with the man lying on his chest. He glanced across his shoulder, up his collarbone and up his neck, loving how his hair stuck in black curls onto them both. He could see that Jay’s cheeks were flushed from the heat, but didn’t know whether his eyes were open or not.
“Blessings,” he answered. “Noun, plural. Things man shall not count.” Steve tightened his grip around Jay, who grunted in agreement.
Occasionally, when it was just the two of them, Steve was reminded of how young Jay actually was, at least in relation to him. Between the four of them, Jay was the youngest, Steve, the oldest. Steve had been the first one to start up with Ruth, whilst Jay had been the last. These two facts hardly ever came up between them.
Steve believed that Jay hardly ever thought about it, never considered he treated him different from Mattie or Ruth. And the man didn’t, usually, except there were things Steve knew for certain Jay would never ask the others that he asked Steve. Like Steve knew everything, could fix anything.
Trying to distract himself from his thoughts, Steve focused on Jay’s presence rather than his question. He tried to feel the weight of Jay’s body on his with every inch of his skin, despite the buoyancy of the bath. He liked the feel of the man on his chest, liked how he rose and fell moved with each breath Steve took. It gave the illusion that they were breathing in unison. Steve looked down at Jay’s chest again, smiling at the light flush that had crept over his skin and loving the way the water eased up his skin and then back with each of their breaths.
“Jay, man.” He lowered his head and whispered into his ear. “Still stressed?”
Jay started to mumble something but stopped when Steve licked behind his earlobe.
“Think you’ll need some help with that?”
“Hell yeah,” said Jay groggily, stretching his neck back as Steve ran his hand down to Jay’s hip.
