Trist had fallen asleep with Val curled around him, spooned tight to his back. It felt perfect. He was safe, warm and sheltered, all feelings that were luxuries. Behind him, Val was practically purring in contentment. It took next to nothing to make the man happy and that made Trist smile too.

He awoke with the sun shining in and the clock by the bed announcing that it was after nine. Val wasn’t wrapped around him any longer, instead the man was on his back, sprawled out, hair all messy, lips parted in sleep. He was beautiful and Trist wanted to be able to wake to see that sight every day, even if Val somehow managed to take up more then half the bed in the process.

The drugs were wearing off. His stomach no longer felt like fluttery lead, every bruise ached and he couldn’t remember much of how he’d gotten beaten. There was a slow building sense of panic and dread and his mind was too scrambled to tell if it was coming from his sight or just from general anxiety. There was a pressing need to cry, he wanted to just sit down and weep now that he knew Gavan would be okay and Val didn’t hate him.

He pushed the need aside and brushed the tips of his fingers across Val’s face. The ghost of a touch pulled a muttered sigh from the man and put a small smile on Trist’s lips. Val was a treasure, something rare and priceless, something too perfect to belong in his own fucked up world. He wasn’t sure he could be selfish enough to keep him, knowing the misery and heartache that he brought everywhere with him.

For now there was no choice. Val was technically his keeper, the one in charge of both him and Gavan until Gavan was able to make his own choices. He hadn’t known why it had been so important to get those papers signed but Trist had demanded it. The debate had been that Val was logical, close by, and more likely to think about their desires than their grandmother would be, or even their parents. Which was only a half truth as Gavan’s folks were good people, he made a mental note to call both them and Wally today. Maybe it would be better if Val did that, he wasn’t sure he could speak to either without cursing wildly.

There was a sense that Val had showered him last night but Trist could only remember it in a hazy half aware sense. It didn’t change the pressing need to shave, brush his teeth and scrub his skin raw. Being hospitalized always left him feeling dirty, too much pain, too many dark thoughts, too much misery and it all seemed to stick to him. He was scrubbing his feet under the stinging spray of the shower when the door slid open behind him.

Trist jumped about a foot, startled. “Fuck!”

“Sorry.” Val yawned. “Want me to come back later?”

As if Trist would refuse to let a naked Val anywhere near him. “No, it’s okay, just, wear a bell or something.” His heart was pounding now. Fingers gently ghosted over a particularly bad bruise on his side and Trist straightened at the touch.

“They really worked you over, it looks worse today.”

“Feels worse then it looks, I’d imagine.”

“Who hurt you?”

He shrugged. “Some orderly I guess, I don’t remember.” Which was only partially true, but he didn’t like talking about how helpless it felt to be drugged, restrained and half crazy while being beaten.

Val shook his head as he reached for the shampoo. “I almost called the cops when I saw you’d been hurt. I wanted someone arrested.”

Trist smiled and turned, glancing almost involuntarily across Val’s naked, wet, very sexy body before leaning in and lightly kissing his lips. “That’s cause you’re the hero sort.” Val actually started at the contact, as if Trist could be naked in the shower with the man and not, at the very least, kiss him. He laughed slightly.

“Sorry.” Val muttered and felt himself blushing.

“Don’t be, it’s cute.” He stepped forward and Val stepped back, Trist kept moving forward until Val’s back was against the shower wall. “I warned you, if you’d let me, I’d take advantage.”

“Trist…” Val sighed, trying to protest but itching to grab the slender man.

“You wanted me to take advantage, that’s why you’re here with me, all naked like and wet, sexy. God, if those fucking drugs didn’t make it impossible for me to get hard I’d be fucking you senseless about now.” Trist whispered against Val’s lips, not quiet kissing him.

Trist may not be able to get hard, but Val wasn’t having any difficulties. His mind shorted out. “Wait, Trist, wait, I need to know…” It was impossible to think with Trist standing so close, with his lips brushing his neck, licking the drops of water from the shower away.

“What, baby? What do you need to know?” Just touching Val made him feel better, more clean.

“Oh, God, I, Trist, is this, oh right there.” His arms curled around Trist’s waist of their own desire, needing to touch the man that had him pinned to the wall. “Is this, oh, I didn’t want to do this, God.”

“Say it baby, I want to know what you’re thinking.” Trist started nibbling on an ear, the scent of the last bits of lather that clung to Val’s hair, strong in his nose.

“Then stop that!” He scolded and pulled Trist away from him, just a little bit. Only, having to look into those odd, open eyes, didn’t make it any easier. “Is this just physical to you?”

It wasn’t what he’d expected. “It would be easier if it was.” He leaned in and kissed Val again. “You’re going to break my heart.”

Val frowned. “Vision?”

Trist shook his head. “No, just my fears.”

“Odd, I’m frightened of the same thing.” Val whispered, having to close his eyes to admit such a bald truth.

“So, are we done talking now? I’d like to blow you.”

Val was pretty sure that every drop of his blood instantly pooled into his groin. He didn’t even have the sense to moan, he knew his mouth fell open in shock but he couldn’t seem to get it to go shut. A problem easily solved because Trist took advantage again and kissed him.

The kisses went lower, tormenting neck and chest but Trist was single minded. It wasn’t like Val needed the foreplay, he was already fully aroused, panting, clinging to the smooth shower wall. It was what he’d wanted on during their night together, so unwind Val with his mouth. There was something powerful about kneeling in front of a man and licking his cock.

Trist was old fashioned. He liked being on his knees, there was something sexier about having to kneel and Val was the perfect height. His cock bobbed right in front of Trist’s face, just begging to be tormented. As the hot water pelted his back, he slowly began kissing the tense flesh before him.

“Stop.” Val whispered, almost too softly to be heard over the shower. The sight of Trist, kneeling, his eyes shut in delight, was too much. He let his head fall back against the cooler wall, his hands sliding along the damp surface looking for a purchase to either pull away or drive deeper into the mind blowing pleasure. “I can’t, Trist, don’t…” he sighed out but the slender man ignored his protests.

Even with how long it had been since he’d had a lover, Trist still knew how to take most of Val’s length into his mouth. He bobbed his head, swirled his tongue, did all the little tricks he knew to drive a man crazy and delighted in the absolute and total silence inside his own mind. It made him feel almost normal, allowed him to focus on the moment, the sheer total perfection that was a lustful Val.

Trist held Val steady with one hand to his hip and let his other hand tease. Fingers stroked from base to head in the wake of long licks from his tongue. He tickled thighs as he sucked just the tip of the weeping flesh into his mouth. And, when he swallowed the length whole, one soap slick finger pushed tightly into Val’s ass with no warning.

Val nearly came, a shuddering cry escaped him, his knees trembled. He didn’t know what to do, the finger felt tight but perfect, he wanted, needed it deeper but to push back against it pulled his throbbing cock from Trist’s extremely skilled mouth. He leaned here, shuddering, making hissing, gasping sounds of confused pleasure and without thinking he reached a hand out.

Trist had expected that, he pushed his finger in deeper and waited for Val’s hands to claw at his hair. His head wasn’t what Val was fumbling for, there was no rough desire to control the pleasure Trist was offering. Instead, Val’s seeking hands pried at the hand Trist had on the curve of a hipbone. Confused, Trist released his grip and instantly Val’s hand curled around his own.

It was so tender, so perfect, that Trist almost got hard. He felt the stirrings of desire deeper then he’d ever felt but his body was too drugged still, too battered to sustain an erection. No one had held his hand while he blew them. Men simply didn’t do that, and yet, Val did. His fingers interwove around Trist’s, connected them and with each tense flex or twitch Trist knew just how close Val was to finding release.

He forced a second finger into the too tight ass, knowing that it had to hurt and knowing that Val liked it to hurt a little. He sighed in happy contentment around the flesh in his mouth. His hand griped Val’s as tightly as it was being gripped. They could have stayed that way forever, but Trist finally found that hidden spot. His fingers struck it forcefully and Val gasped. His body grew rigid, his eyes rolled up and his hips snapped forward as he tumbled without protest over the edge and into release.

Trist sighed as Val trembled against him, the taller man was barely clinging to the wall, still holding Trist’s hand. He was putting even odds on Val not being able to stand on his own if he let go of his hand, so did what was fair and right and didn’t let go. Instead, he stood and pressed a quick kiss to Val’s lips before gathering him into his arms.

“Well, I think I know what I’ll be craving first thing in the morning from now on.” Trist sighed as Val actually snuggled against him.

It was too much, it felt too good. Val just fell against the battered, slender body when he was tugged away from the wall and curled up inside the circle of Trist’s arms. His entire body was shaking like some brittle leaf and it took slow moments for it to dawn on him that here, hand in hand with Trist, locked inside his arms, he felt really safe for the first time in his life.

He tucked himself as close to the slender body as he could and didn’t whine too much when Trist finally released his hand. It was a forgivable offense since Trist gathered up the soapy washcloth and washed them both off. Val let him, let the other man bath him, shampoo his hair, fuss over him and he just closed his eyes and let himself feel protected.