Author/pseudonym: MonaCK and Cathy Roberts
Email address: monaCK2@yahoo.com and huntersglenn@yahoo.com
Rating: NC-17
Status: Finished
Pairing: John Carter/Luka Kovac/Dave Malucci
Date: January 12, 2004
Archive: Please ask first
Series: 36/?
Category: "E.R."
Disclaimer: "ER" and all its characters belong to Warner Bros. No infringement of their copyright is intended. This story was written for the enjoyment of "ER" fans everywhere, and may be downloaded for your own pleasure. The title of the story was inspired by the Jimmy Buffett song of the same name, and no infringement is intended. The story can be found on the following web sites: http://www.heresmona.com/fanfic.html
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Boutique/7087/, and
http://www.errealmofslash.com
Summary: It's a slashy A/U story about how Season 8 might have been and contains no spoilers for the current season.
"Changes In Latitudes, Changes In Attitudes, Part 36"
By MonaCK and Cathy Roberts
Dave had silently left John in bed -- Dave had obviously worn him out the night before, and he was sleeping so peacefully that Dave just didn't have the heart to wake him.
Now he was in the kitchen, up to his elbows in pancake batter, getting breakfast ready for the man he had spent the night making love to. It was definitely more than sex. It was making love. And Dave wanted to do everything and anything possible to woo John over to his side...over to saying that he would leave the Croatian behind, and be with Dave only.
A little while later, the meal was ready. There were pancakes, syrup, and eggs sunny-side up. There were fresh strawberries that Dave had picked up the day before with whipped cream in a bowl. There was hot coffee fixed the way John liked it, and orange juice. He piled everything onto a tray, and wandered back up towards the bedroom, whistling a song that was on his subconscious. Then he realized it was one of those songs on that U571 movie soundtrack.
He made it up to the bedroom, leaning against the door frame as he watched John sleep. Dave didn't want to wake him, but Dave had to be at work over at the mansion soon, and he wanted to enjoy this meal with John before he left.
Dave carefully set the tray down near the door, and padded over towards the bed. He planted a kiss on John's cheek, and then on his lips. "Good morning, sleeping beauty..."
There was nothing better, John thought as he smiled, than waking up to a lover's tender kiss and inhaling his pancake scent. Pancakes? John slowly opened his eyes and looked up at Dave. The man looked delicious, there was no doubt about that, but he didn't have pancakes with him, he just stood there empty-handed. John took a deep breath -- definitely pancakes. "You made breakfast?"
"I did," Dave said, his grin growing broader. "And as soon as you sit up, we can eat."
Dave moved away from John just long enough to grab the full tray off the floor. And then he stood, waiting for John to position himself so that Dave could place the tray over his lap. "We got pancakes, strawberries, juice, eggs..."
It took a few seconds for Dave's words to register with any meaning in John's brain, and by the time they did, Dave had moved away from the bed and comeback again, a tray of food in his hands. The growling of his stomach spurred John to quick action, and he sat up, putting a pillow behind his back and pulling the covers up to his waist. "I smell coffee. You made coffee, too," John said, eager for the caffeine rush. Yes, he was hungry, but he also needed to wake up just a bit more, so he could fully enjoy the food. And the man who prepared it and his half dressed state. The only thing better than a naked Dave was a Dave dressed only in sweat pants that made it obvious that he had foregone putting on underwear when getting dressed.
"Yup, coffee. I know what a bear you are without your coffee in the morning," Dave teased, as he set the tray down across John's lap. He then scurried into bed next to John. He found that he was quite hungry himself after preparing all of the delights. "So...I figured that maybe this would curb your appetite for a while, especially if I'm the one feedin' it to ya," he said, a teasing smile on his lips. "But I'll wait for ya to finish with your coffee..."
"I am *not* a bear without my morning coffee," John protested. "I'm just a grump." He took a long first sip, savoring the flavor for a moment and then he simply chugged the rest of it down. "That was good, thank you," he told Dave, grinning. "Now, when you said that you were the one 'feeding' me, did you mean that literally?"
Continuing to smile, Dave picked up his fork, and cut off a bite size piece of pancake with a liberal amount of syrup. "I don't know, John," he said, as he lifted the fork towards John's lips. "You tell me." He let the fork hover, wait for John to allow the fork entry to his mouth.
"I'd have to say that it looks that way to me," John cheerfully replied before moving his head to take the fork into his mouth. He began to chew, nodding over how good such a simple pancake could taste, not really noticing the thin trickle of syrup that remained on his lips and dribbled onto his chin.
"Hmm...you know, you really should be more careful," Dave teased as he wiped a bit of the syrup off of John's skin with his thumb. He brought his thumb to his mouth and licked off the mess, and then an almost devilish smile took over. "Hmmm...so sloppy."
"I usually do better when I'm the one controlling the fork, you know. So, since you made the mess, I think you should be the one to clean it," John replied, knowing that Dave wouldn't be able to resist that particular challenge.
Leaning in a bit closer, Dave brought his mouth onto John's chin, and licked it clean as he worked his lips up towards John's.
John had to force himself to remain still as Dave's mouth touched his chin -- John wanted too much to just kiss Dave right then, but he didn't want to interrupt Dave's intentions, and he knew that Dave would eventually find his lips. At least John hoped Dave would find his lips.
After thoroughly cleaning the skin below John's lips, Dave's mouth finally found them, and he planted a light, but passionate kiss, on the other man's lips. Moaning softly, he let his tongue intermingle with John's as Dave brought his free hand to the side of John's neck. As the kiss ended, Dave's eyes were wild with desire, but he turned his attention back to the food.
"Ya gotta eat, keep your strength up," he teased, as he picked up the fork off of the tray once more. "After all, I don't wanna wear you completely out..."
"And do I have a reason to need my strength today? I thought I was supposed to stay off of my feet and just take it easy all day, or do you have plans for me while I'm off my feet?" John asked right before taking another bite, his eyes dancing with good humor and a bit of desire as he looked at Dave.
"Oh...I don't know," Dave said, as he cut off a bite of egg for John to eat. "I might be persuaded to supervise some...intense physical therapy sessions durin' my breaks from the main house," Dave teased, as he brought the fork to John's lips once more. John was still thinking of *only* him, and Dave couldn't help it -- his heart did a flip flop that things seemed to be going down those lines. And Dave refused to think of it as being anything else.
John slowed chewed as he thought of his response. He really should at least call to the house, to let his grandmother know he was going to be stuck at Dave's for most of the day. And Luka, too, although John wasn't too sure how Luka would take that particular news. And it would be nice to have clean clothing for when Dave finally did get around to letting him out of bed. He swallowed. "I'm an old veteran of intense physical therapy sessions, you know. They usually end with a long soak in the whirlpool and a massage. Do your sessions also end that way?"
Dave raised a brow. "If I had a whirlpool here, I'd be happy to let you soak in it. But a massage can definitely be arranged, unless you want me to get you over to the main house, somehow. There's a whirlpool over there, right?" Dave was almost sure of it -- there was an indoor pool, there had to be a whirlpool along with it. Not that Dave wanted to flaunt anything in front of Luka...ah, Hell. The guy needed to be humbled anyway, Dave thought to himself.
"Gamma's got a whirlpool. Two in fact. There's one inside and one out by the pool." John frowned. "I think I'll hold off on those plans until I get around to trying to walk today. If my feet hurt too much, then I might be better off staying out, but the massage sounds great...especially if it ends up like my last one." John smiled as he reached out and grabbed a strawberry. Keeping his eyes locked on Dave's, John scooped some of the whipped cream onto the berry, then held it up in front of Dave's lips. "I notice that you haven't eaten much, at least of the pancakes and eggs. Maybe this will tempt your appetite?"
"Anything you feed me, tempts my appetite, John," Dave said, unable to resist the sweet fruit in front of him. He took a bite, the whipped cream mixing with the strawberry in his mouth. A bit of juice dribbled onto his lips, and Dave licked them clean, the entire time keeping his eyes locked on his lover's. At that point, his world narrowed to just the two of them. It was like they were in their own private oasis, and nothing else existed. "You serve up a fine strawberry," he commented, as he brought his lips down to take another bite.
"Oh, I'm just getting warmed up," John said as he pulled the strawberry slowly away from Dave's lips. With a wicked grin on his face, John popped the fruit into his own mouth, then reached for another one, also liberally dousing the large berry with whipped cream. "Do you want this one, too?" he asked, holding the berry just out of reach of Dave's mouth.
Dave's eyes were still on John's, his expression turning from teasing to being much more serious as John held the fruit out in front of him. It was just teasing games they were playing, but Dave was already hard because of the double entendres behind the words and actions. He nodded as John spoke, and then finally found his voice. "Yeah...I want that one too..."
John had noticed the subtle change in Dave's demeanor, and it spurred him onward. "Then come and get it." And with that said, John placed the strawberry in his mouth, making sure that his teeth were holding only half of it in place so that Dave had a decent portion to bite off. The whipped cream was cool against John's lips, but he knew they'd soon be warmed up by Dave's lips as that strawberry was claimed.
Dave's eyes moved down briefly, long enough to see what John was doing, and then a brief smile crossed his lips, before he claimed what was his -- the strawberry, and John's lips. In the style of "Lady and the Tramp", after Dave had bit off his half of the strawberry, their lips met once more -- and it invoked sparks of electricity once more. The food was almost forgotten as Dave brushed his hand against John's cheek. Dave simply could not get enough of John, that much was certain.
As the kiss ended, John took the opportunity to make sure that Dave's lips were completely devoid of the whipped cream. So what that it took a couple of swipes of his tongue as well as a few more kisses -- John needed to make sure that Dave didn't show up over at the house with whipped cream and strawberry juice on his face. And if the kisses just happened to be all the more sweeter, well, no one could fault John for lingering just a little bit longer over Dave's lips, now could they?
Their lips finally parted, but Dave kept his face close to John's. "I...whoa...John, if you keep that up, I"m gonna forget about the rest of this breakfast. Ya...ya think that you might have built up enough of your strength?"
Dave had to get to work, but he still had a little bit of time. At least, it was enough time for Dave to mark John as his once again.
"Oh, I've had more than enough food, thank you, and am quite ready for my dessert. Can I assume that you've got something delicious in store for me in that department, too?" John asked as he leaned against his pillow, giving Dave more than enough room to remove the tray -- and to see the way that John's hard cock had tented the covers under the tray. He would always have enough strength for making love with Dave.
"Oh, I don't know," Dave teased, as he reached his arm out for the tray. "I thought that the strawberries were your dessert...but if you were thinkin' of something other than that, that can be arranged too..."
Dave got out of bed only long enough to put the tray onto the floor. Then, he crawled back onto bed, and nestled himself close to John once more. "I hope this was what you had in mind," Dave said, as he brushed his fingers against John's stubbly chin.
John dipped his head and caught Dave's fingers in his mouth, sucking on them for a brief moment. "Close. I think we need that bowl of whipped cream back up here. Can you reach it without getting out of bed?" And before Dave could reply, John returned to his suckling, content with knowing that Dave would figure out some way to get the bowl of whipped cream without needing those fingers.
Dave thought for a moment, and then smiled. "I...uh, yeah...I can, uh, just reach...yeah...God, John, those lips! Yeah, I can..." Somehow, he managed to twist his body so that his free hand could reach down the side of the bed. First his fingers dipped into the whipped cream -- at least he knew he had the right bowl. And then, he carefully lifted the bowl up, only spilling a little of it as he brought it up towards John. "Now. What exactly were uh...you planning...ah...on doing...oooh...with the whipped cream?"
John reached out and took the bowl from Dave, then set it between them so he could reach for Dave's free hand -- and it's cream dipped fingers. "I hadn't thought that far ahead," he admitted as he let go of Dave's one hand only to bring the other up to his mouth so he could lick the topping from each digit. "Do you have any ideas?"
"I...I think you're...on the right track." Dave licked his lips as he watched John's mouth go to work on his fingers. Dave's cock was ready for action -- as if they hadn't spent the entire night making love. Dave couldn't get enough of this man by his side, and that was evident by the way Dave's body was reacting to him. "I think usin' the whipped cream can be *really* fun. It'll make a Hell of a treat...for certain areas..."
"Really?" John managed to ask between fingers. "And just what areas would that be a treat on? Or am I supposed to guess?"
"Hmmm...I think you should guess," Dave said, his head cocked sideways as a lopsided grin crossed his lips. He was thinking that this could be a hell of a lot of fun, nothing like starting the day with a morning romp in the hay...
John slowly licked the last of the whipped cream from Dave's hand and then dipped his own fingers into the bowl, scooping up a decent amount of the sweet concoction. "Well, if it were up to me, I'd put some right here..." he dabbed his fingers against Dave's right nipple, then ran his fingers over to the other nipple, "and here...for starters." John looked up into Dave's eyes and smiled. "Now what? Or am I supposed to guess at *that*, too?"
"Well...you did such a good job guessin' where it goes, I'd be curious to see if you got the second part right, too," Dave said as he kept his gaze locked on the man before him. "Though...I can also think of some more...creative uses for the cream, but we'll leave that to explore later." God, but Dave wanted John so much -- he thought he was going to explode, as if he had never had sex before. And it still amazed him that it was like this nearly every time he was with John.
John chuckled. "I think I can let you have a turn at this in a bit." He then gently pushed Dave onto his back and then lowered his mouth to the closest nipple, sucking the cream from the small nub before licking and nibbling his way to the other nipple. The sounds coming from Dave's throat gave John a tremendous thrill -- Dave was having a good time being pleasured, and that was enabling John to have a much greater enjoyment about pleasuring the man. Sure, making love was always enjoyable, but for John, it was even more so when the person he was making love to seemed to take such great pleasure in it.
It seemed like all of Dave's body was on fire, so intense were the feelings that John was pulling out of him. Every time John moved his mouth, it was like the synapses of pleasure on Dave's skin shifted ever so slightly, shooting feelings of nearly pure ecstasy through his skin. "Yes," he managed to utter, unable to say much else, because mere words escaped him as Dave brought his hand up to John's hair, as he gripped the strands between his fingers.
It took quite a while to clean Dave's chest, not because there had been a lot of whipped cream placed there, but because John simple enjoyed what he was doing. Finally, though, he had to admit to himself that there was no more whipped topping to be had -- not on Dave, anyway. With a small sigh and a smile, John pulled away from his lover. "Your turn to be creative, Dr. Dave."
Dave was left speechless by John's actions, and it took a while for John's words to register in his brain, but once they did, a mischievous grin spread over the younger man's lips. "Yeah? I think I might be able to think of *something* to do with this cream here..."
Dave pushed what was left of the blanket off of John, and lifted himself up on his knees. He then dipped both hands in the bowl of whipped cream. With one hand, he traced a line down the center of John's body, leading right to a pot of gold. And onto that pot of gold, Dave put his other hand, fully coating John's cock with the white, fluffy, sugary substance.
"Mmmm...you know, I think I was hungrier than I thought," Dave commented as he straddled John's body. And then Dave brought his mouth down to John's skin, and began to lick a trail that followed the sweet path...
"Oh, God..." John gasped as he felt Dave's tongue lapping against his skin. It felt good, but John also wanted Dave to feel good. Reaching out to run his fingers through Dave's hair, John decided that they should start the morning off equally. "Turn around so I can reach you," he commanded, his cock twitching from the very idea of what it would be like to lick whipped cream from Dave's cock and balls while Dave was busy with him.
It took a minute for Dave to grasp what John was referring to, but as soon as he did, he eagerly turned around, so that his cock was close to John's mouth. By this time, Dave was in his full, hard glory, and he was eagerly anticipating how John's mouth was going to feel on his dick.
Dave brought his own mouth down on John's cock, lapping up the taste of the sweet whipped cream along with John's own tastes. It was absolutely intoxicating, and it made for a very delicious breakfast...
Slightly imitating Dave, John stuck his entire hand in the bowl of whipped cream, then began to apply it to Dave. He started with Dave's cock, then moved to his balls and then smeared it to, and around, Dave's opening. And that's where John started his 'clean-up' procedure, using his tongue to make sure that Dave was free of the sweet cream both inside and out.
The room was quiet except for the moans, groans and whimpers coming from the two men on the bed as they pleasured each other. An occasional slurp and "Oh, God" punctuated the air, but those sounds seemed to be the only language skills that John and Dave possessed, which was fine with John. He had much better uses for his mouth than talking -- right then, anyway, and he put his lips and tongue to good work on Dave's balls, suckling each in turn and devouring not only the whipped cream but his lover as well.
The feeling of John's cock in his mouth, twitching with every suckle that he made, would have been enough for Dave. But that, combined with the assault that John was making on his body made a combination that Dave knew was almost certain to make him fly over the edge. He was so close, so on edge, and because he was concentrating too hard on making sure every part of John's body was clean, he wasn't able to keep quite the same control that he usually did when he came. John must have licked him just right, because it sent Dave flying to the point of no return. Lifting his mouth off of John just long enough to warn him with a guttural moan, he once again began to suck on his lover -- even harder as the waves of pleasure took over his body.
John had been so intent on sucking Dave clean that it was a surprise to him when Dave's cock erupted in his mouth -- still, John drank eagerly of his lover, knowing he could never get enough of Dave or the way the man tasted. He was so busy swallowing that he didn't have a chance to even warn Dave of his own quickly approaching orgasm and it took all his willpower to swallow and not scream or choke as Dave's mouth sent him over the edge and into the sweet oblivion of release.
Dave anticipated John's climax -- craved it even. And as John's cock grew flaccid in his mouth, Dave continued to suckle and lick, taking in each and every drop of both John's sweet juices and the remains of the whipped cream that had occupied the space only moments before. Finally, and only because his legs were about to collapse on him, he pulled his own dick out of John's mouth, and released John's. Dave fell onto his side, but he quickly moved up towards his lover, wrapping his arms around his neck so he could kiss John fully and totally on the lips, letting both of their juices mix together.
Breathless, the kiss finally ended, and Dave found that he completely ignored the fact that there was a bowl of whipped cream between them -- he so craved being closet o John, that he laid down anyway, and wrapped his legs around John so that he had him in a full embrace. "God...that was wonderful, John...simply amazin'..."
John grinned as he rested his head against Dave's body, doing his best to ignore the bowl of whipped cream -- which was now on it's side, and spilling its contents against John's chest. "I agree. But I think we're both going to need a shower before you head over to the house," he observed.
"Yeah, I can't say that I'm gonna complain about that," Dave said, as he planted a soft kiss on top of John's head. Dave could remember a time when John would think that simple act meant that his partner wanted to have sex. And Dave was glad that they had gotten past that point -- though he was fully aware that they had a *long* road yet to go. And regardless of John's final decision, Dave knew that John had a lot that he still had to work through on his own. And Dave wished that he could convince John to start to work through some of it, instead of always pretending that everything was okay, and that nothing was bothering him.
John couldn't reach the top of Dave's head, so he settled for placing a quick kiss on Dave's chest instead. "I guess now is about as good a time as ever to see how my feet are going to feel when I put weight on them. Although, I'd be perfectly happy and content to stay here like this for the rest of the day," John said, pulling away so he could look up at Dave's face. "But, I know you have a job to do, and it wouldn't be right for me to tempt you to dodge it. Not that you'd get too far trying to avoid my grandmother now that you're living here." And that made John wonder what would happen to Dave's job if he chose to be with Dave and Dave only. It wouldn't be ethically correct for Dave to continue on as Millicent's physician in any capacity if the two of them were a couple. John had already cost Dave one job -- was he fated to cost the man yet another one?
"Yeah, I don't want your grandmother to be on my bad side," he said, with a light chuckle. "Yeah, okay...ya wanna catch that shower? Let me see how you're doin' on your feet. I'm gonna make sure to come and check on you a little later today as well. Is...is Luka workin' today?" Dave hoped so. The last thing he really wanted to do was deal with bumping into the man during the normal course of his job.
"I don't know. When I found out I had today off, I don't remember him saying anything about also being home, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything. He could have arranged for the day off as a surprise for me, Luka's creative that way." John slowly sat up, reluctant to leave Dave's arms. "There's one thing for certain, Weaver will kill me if I call in tomorrow and am out three days in a row, even if today was already scheduled. No matter how I feel tomorrow, I'll have to go in."
Dave nodded, slowly swinging his legs over the side of the bed so he could stand. "Yeah, callin' out tomorrow would not be a good thing. We know that Weaver can be an ass at times, no reason to add fuel to her fire, ya know? Just try your best to stay offa your feet as much as possible. Do you want to call over to your grandmother, or do you want me to say something to her when I go over there?"
Dave made his way around the bed so that he could be nearby when John tried to get up, just in case he had the same problems he had had the previous evening.
"Well, before we go that far, let's see just what this is going to feel like." And with that, John swung his legs over the side of the bed and placed his feet on the floor, prepared for them to hurt. "So far so good," he murmured as he didn't feel anything more than the floor under his feet.
Taking a deep breath, John stood, and at first, that wasn't painful, either. And then he took a step forward and found himself gasping out loud and then quickly cursing under his breath as he reached out for Dave. Funny how it wasn't as difficult asking Dave for help then as it had been the night before. Either it hurt worse or asking for help was something he was getting used to, John thought.
Dave was immediately at John's side, taking him in his arms so that John could lean on him fully. "Man...your feet are a mess. Before I head over to the main house, I want to rewrap them, okay?"
Dave's voice was soft and gentle as he spoke, a mix of care and concern, a mix of worry and love. Dave *hated* the fact that John was in this much pain, but he also couldn't help but feel a bit of happiness that it was he that John was reaching for while this was happening. Of course, on some level Dave knew that if Luka were in the room with him, John would be as likely to reach for the other man as he was to Dave. But Dave refused to dwell on that. At that moment, Dave was the happiest man in the world.
"You'd have to do that anyway, since we're showering, remember?" John asked, half afraid that Dave was going to try to talk him out of taking the shower. But John knew he needed one and he wasn't going to let a little bit of pain stop that from happening. Okay, it was a LOT of pain, but he still wasn't going to give up on the idea of being clean just because of it.
"I think that you should take a bath, instead of a shower," Dave said, his voice full of sincerity. "I just don't want you bein' on your feet for that long today. I...I also don't know if it's a good idea for you to stay here by yourself. If it hurts this much just gettin' to the bathroom, are ya going to be able to get yourself here durin' the day? I know how hard it is for you to ask for help, but..." Dave shook his head. He was genuinely concerned over John's well being, and afraid if John pushed it too hard, he was going to have trouble when he really needed to be on his feet the next day.
"The bathroom downstairs isn't all that far from your couch," John pointed out. "And I guess I can settle for a bath right now. God knows the tub is large enough for both of us, unless you want to shower while I bathe? When did you want to head over to the house?" The main bathroom in the cottage had a shower enclosure separate from the tub, which also had a shower attachment, so getting clean was never a problem. John decided that standing there and talking about things wasn't going too far toward keeping him off his feet and he took another step away from the bed, knowing Dave would walk with him as he headed for the bathroom.
"I think I'd prefer it if you just told Gamma that I'm going to be a couch potato over here all day, if you don't mind? And if you could bring me back some clean clothes, that would be really great, too," John said.
Dave followed closely behind John, keeping a hand on his shoulder so that the man knew that he was there in case he needed to lean. "Okay. One question at a time. I'd like to be at the house by 9, and seein' as it's only 8, I don't see that bein' a big deal. I would much prefer to bathe with you than shower alone. And you're right, the downstairs bathroom isn't too far for you to get to, and I don't think your gonna wanna lie in my bed anyway until I change the sheets, they are kinda a mess," Dave said, with a half smile. He wasn't complaining. Not by a long shot.
They made their way into the bathroom, and Dave motioned towards the toilet. "Why dontcha sit on there while I get the bath drawn, okay?"
"Sure," John smoothly replied, but it was with a great feeling of relief as he eased his body down. The pain in his feet was so distracting that he didn't even register the coldness of the toilet lid against his bare bottom. "I'll just take off the bandages." John crossed his legs and began to remove them so he'd be ready for the bath by the time the water was ready for him. As he looked down, his eyes grazed over the bare skin of his groin. "I don't suppose I need a shave already, do I?" he asked Dave, not bothering to suppress his grin as he spoke.
Dave straightened from where he had been adjusting the water spigots, regarding John's crotch area carefully. "Oh...I think that can wait until later tonight, that is, if ya want me to give it the same special treatment that I gave it last night," he quipped, hoping that John would glaze over the fact that it was technically Luka's night. If John couldn't make it back to the house, that certainly wasn't Dave's fault. "Since I gotta be at work soon, why don't we just enjoy the bath?"
Dave turned the faucets off, satisfied that the water temperature was of a nice, hot strength. "Ya ready to go in?"
John tossed the last of the bandages into the trash can, then got to his feet and began to slowly and carefully walk over toward Dave. "More than ready. I think that maybe I should go in first so I can wash my hair. Your hair is perfect, as usual, but I don't need the mirror to know that mine is a mess," John replied. But his mind was already rushing ahead to the evening when he and Dave would be either on the bed or back in the bathroom so Dave could give him that special treatment. Asking Maggie to shave him had been a spur of the moment thing but John had never regretted asking her to do that for him, especially since both Luka and Dave had liked the result.
Dave nodded. "Yeah, okay. Why don't I help you in?" He reached for John, and put his arm around the other man's waist -- not wanting him to put any more pressure than necessary on his feet.
John grinned. "What? Are you going to offer to pick me up and put me in the bath, too?" he joked as he put his arm around Dave's shoulders for the extra support.
"Hmmm...you know..it *can* be arranged.. I do bench press more than you weigh," Dave teased as they approached the edge of the tub. "You know...I've always wondered what it would be like to have you *completely* in my arms..." And before the older man could protest, Dave whisked him off of his feet, literally, and set him carefully into the tub.
John had been about to let Dave know that he most likely weighed more than Dave thought, but he couldn't help but laugh as he found himself in Dave's arms for a few moments before being gently lowered into the water. "Show off," John teased, flicking some water in Dave's direction. "And if I jokingly ask if you're going to wash my hair and bathe me, are you going to do *that*, too?" The question was asked as a joke, but deep down John found himself hoping that Dave's answer was going to be yes. It felt kind of nice to be pampered for a change.
"Hmm...well, you know, stranger things have definitely happened," Dave teased, as he reached across John for the washcloth and soap. Dave knew he needed to bathe himself as well, but he could always grab a quick shower at the house if he needed to, or a quick shower after he was sure that John was settled on the couch. His desire to take care of John was nearly overwhelming him.
Despite his desire to have Dave pamper him, John still didn't think that Dave was serious, so he chuckled and then eased down in the water until his head was under. He held his breath as he shook his head back and forth to make sure his hair was completely wet and then he sat back up, pushing the water away from his eyes with his hands until he could easily look at Dave. "I guess I need to borrow your shampoo. Good thing I like the way you smell," John teased.
Dave eyed around the bathroom, and frowned as he realized that the shampoo hadn't been unpacked yet. Leaning down to kiss John briefly, he excused himself and headed out into the hallway where the "bathroom" box still was. He rooted around in it for a moment, and picked out the shampoo. With it in his hands, he headed back into the bathroom. He was going to hand it to John, when he had a second thought. With a devilish glint in his eyes, he opened the cap and poured a liberal amount in his hand. And then, before the man could protest, he began to massage the liquid into John's hair.
The second that Dave disappeared from view, John grimaced. His feet still hurt, and putting them into the hot water had stung -- but there was no way John was going to let Dave see that he had been in any kind of discomfort. And, truthfully, the longer he sat there in the tub, the better his feet were feeling, John observed.
Looking up when Dave came back into the room, John smiled and reached out for the shampoo -- and then Dave's demeanor changed slightly and the next thing John knew, Dave was washing his hair -- and doing a great job of giving John a scalp massage. "Oooh, that feels good," John commented. "You keep spoiling me like this and I'll never let you out of my sight."
Dave rose a brow. "Well, that's part of the plan," Dave muttered, a bit under his breath, but probably loud enough for John to hear. "I...I like making ya feel good," he said, as he continued to massage the soap into his scalp. "It's...part of the whole loving ya thing..."
John had heard Dave's muttered words, but he chose to ignore them. Because if he didn't ignore them, then he'd have to remind Dave that Luka was entitled to an equal chance to make him feel the same way, and John really didn't want to spoil the mood by talking about *that* again. Instead, John focused on what Dave said out loud.
"Really? Then I guess that I've been loved more than I realize because I've had more than a few people who spoiled me this way," John commented as he used his finger to wipe away a bit of suds that was threatening to run into his eye.
"Yeah? Gee, and I thought I was special for doin' this for you," Dave lightly teased. Though he had to say, it was a bit of an ego deflation to hear that he wasn't the only one to take care of John like this. Ah well. He wasn't going to dwell on it.
He finished massaging, and Dave thought for a moment. He looked around the bathroom, and saw a cup sitting on the sink. He grabbed it, and then made his way back over to the tub. "Why don't you lean your head back, and I'll help you rinse your hair."
John sighed as Dave's fingers continued to work magic. One of the things John liked best about going to get his hair cut was having someone massage his scalp while washing his hair. The sensation relaxed him and he closed his eyes, recalling other times when someone had been so attentive to him in the bath. But it wasn't until Dave was ready to rinse his hair that John's mind formed a response to the man's previous comment. "You're special because you're the only man who's ever done this for me. Out of two or three people total, I think that's still quite an honor," John said as he closed his eyes and leaned his head back so Dave could rinse his hair clean of the shampoo.
These words registered in Dave's mind as he was rinsing the soapy suds out of John's hair. And the thing that struck him was that John had said that no other *man* had done this to him before. As in Luka. Luka hadn't done this for him. All of a sudden, Dave's day looked much brighter. Dave was the only one that John was currently "with", that did this for him. "Well, for the record," Dave said, as he gave John's hair a final rinse. "You do an awfully good job makin' me feel special..."
John opened his eyes and looked up at Dave, puzzled. "How? By letting you wash my hair?"
Dave almost laughed, but didn't. Instead, he smiled more broadly as his eyes met John's. "Not just that, just...by the things you do. By the way you say you love me, by the way you look at me with pure love and lust in your eyes. There are just so many things, John...I can't even put them into words. Even...even the way that your body seems to conform to mine when we hold each other. It's like, I dunno...you were meant to be there or somethin'..."
Dave paused for a moment, and in a need to get off the subject, he reached across John for the soap. "And now...for the rest of it...you asked to be washed, so I'm gonna wash you..."
John slowly smiled at Dave, then wriggled his hand in the water. "Wouldn't you be able to do a better job if you were in here with me?" Dave's words had made John feel strange inside -- how could mere words or looks make someone feel that special? Didn't you need to have physical contact together with a look or words to make that work? Now, the part about his body conforming to Dave's, THAT John could understand -- but the rest? Words were generally hollow, or so he had found, although he meant what he said when he spoke of his feelings. Others often didn't. Still, John believed Dave and Luka when they said they loved him. But he had believed other people, too, and they had left him.
John looked down at the water, hoping that the substance would give him some type of miraculous inspiration about what to do with regard to love and life and who to spend the rest of his life with -- Luka or Dave. But all he found was the underwater distorted images of his own body. Answers and inspirations would have to wait.
To be continued.