Filled: Taking Care of You (2/?)laughter_nowMay 24 2010, 22:43:32 UTC
"Sorry, Jim. I hate to say it, but you're still wearing half that swamp, and you smell like it, too. Besides, your body temperature was a little too low when we beamed you back aboard, so you're going to take a hot shower and I don't want to hear another word."
Jim's face pulled into a frown, but he seemed too tired to even protest as Leonard led him into the bathroom. Once there, he simply stopped, blinking tiredly at his lover. Leonard smiled and gently ran his hand along Jim's dirty cheek.
"Come on, I've got you Jim. Let me take care of you, then you'll be in bed in no time."
Jim nodded and stood still as Leonard pulled the blue scrubs shirt over his head. He tried to lift his arms, but stopped halfway through the movement, leaving Leonard to peel the shirt off the rest of the way. The pants were easier to remove since they had been riding low on Jim's slim hips anyway, and after he had made sure that Jim wasn't going to topple over if he was left to stand on his own for a few moments, he turned on the water in the shower and quickly shrugged out of his own clothes.
Seeing Jim like this tore at something inside of Leonard. He was covered from head to toe in the remains of greenish-brown swamp mud, and the only places where his pale skin shone through were the round splotches around the bite-marks which Leonard had cleaned and disinfected earlier in Medical.
Because of course there had been leeches. Big, slimy leeches which Leonard had plucked from Jim's skin one by one. Twenty-nine all in all, and M'Benga had even plucked thirty-three from poor Chekov's skin. But twenty-nine was more than enough. Most of them had been on Jim's bare arms and his legs, access made easier by the fact that Jim had kicked off his boots in a desperate attempt to reduce the weight that was pulling him down. But there had been one leech on his neck, too close to Jim's jugular for Leonard's comfort, and one of the little buggers had somehow managed to get up Jim's pants and attach itself to his perineum.
Removing that one had been painful, and Leonard freely admitted that he had winced in sympathy as he had pulled the leech off.
Jim was unusually pliant as Leonard grabbed a clean washcloth and then led him around the partition and under the spray of warm water. Jim's shoulders sagged a little, and as Leonard stepped up behind him so that his chest was pressed against Jim's back, a small sigh escaped his lips and he leaned back against the other man.
"Bones…"
"Just relax, darlin'. Just let me take care of you."
Jim nodded tiredly, and Leonard put the washcloth away and reached for the bottle of shampoo. Directing Jim so that he kept his head out of the spray of water, Leonard poured some shampoo into his palm and started to spread it through Jim's hair.
The short strands were hard and caked with mud, but as Leonard started working in the shampoo the dirt began to soften and dissolve. The water in the drain had turned brown the moment Jim had stepped under the spray, and now it started mingling with the remains of dirty soap as Leonard rinsed out the first lather of shampoo and applied a second.
As Jim's hair started to return to its normal soft texture, Leonard's fingers began to gently massage Jim's scalp, from his forehead over his temples to the back of his head. Jim uttered an incoherent appreciative moan as Leonard's fingers gently applied a gentle pressure all over his head.
"Close your eyes," Leonard whispered, and as Jim followed that request he directed him under the spray of water again to rinse out the shampoo. Picking up the washcloth, he worked up a lather and turned towards Jim again.
"Keep them closed for a second."
Jim did, and Leonard started to gently run the washcloth over his face, rubbing small circles over his forehead and cheeks, and - tenderly, carefully, over his closed eyelids - to remove the dirt that was caked to Jim's skin, and the stubble on his cheeks and jaw. The skin that emerged was clean and tinged slightly pink from the rubbing washcloth, and Leonard kept up a constant rhythm of lathering, cleaning and rinsing to reveal more and more of Jim's skin underneath all the dirt and mud.
Jim's face pulled into a frown, but he seemed too tired to even protest as Leonard led him into the bathroom. Once there, he simply stopped, blinking tiredly at his lover. Leonard smiled and gently ran his hand along Jim's dirty cheek.
"Come on, I've got you Jim. Let me take care of you, then you'll be in bed in no time."
Jim nodded and stood still as Leonard pulled the blue scrubs shirt over his head. He tried to lift his arms, but stopped halfway through the movement, leaving Leonard to peel the shirt off the rest of the way. The pants were easier to remove since they had been riding low on Jim's slim hips anyway, and after he had made sure that Jim wasn't going to topple over if he was left to stand on his own for a few moments, he turned on the water in the shower and quickly shrugged out of his own clothes.
Seeing Jim like this tore at something inside of Leonard. He was covered from head to toe in the remains of greenish-brown swamp mud, and the only places where his pale skin shone through were the round splotches around the bite-marks which Leonard had cleaned and disinfected earlier in Medical.
Because of course there had been leeches. Big, slimy leeches which Leonard had plucked from Jim's skin one by one. Twenty-nine all in all, and M'Benga had even plucked thirty-three from poor Chekov's skin. But twenty-nine was more than enough. Most of them had been on Jim's bare arms and his legs, access made easier by the fact that Jim had kicked off his boots in a desperate attempt to reduce the weight that was pulling him down. But there had been one leech on his neck, too close to Jim's jugular for Leonard's comfort, and one of the little buggers had somehow managed to get up Jim's pants and attach itself to his perineum.
Removing that one had been painful, and Leonard freely admitted that he had winced in sympathy as he had pulled the leech off.
Jim was unusually pliant as Leonard grabbed a clean washcloth and then led him around the partition and under the spray of warm water. Jim's shoulders sagged a little, and as Leonard stepped up behind him so that his chest was pressed against Jim's back, a small sigh escaped his lips and he leaned back against the other man.
"Bones…"
"Just relax, darlin'. Just let me take care of you."
Jim nodded tiredly, and Leonard put the washcloth away and reached for the bottle of shampoo. Directing Jim so that he kept his head out of the spray of water, Leonard poured some shampoo into his palm and started to spread it through Jim's hair.
The short strands were hard and caked with mud, but as Leonard started working in the shampoo the dirt began to soften and dissolve. The water in the drain had turned brown the moment Jim had stepped under the spray, and now it started mingling with the remains of dirty soap as Leonard rinsed out the first lather of shampoo and applied a second.
As Jim's hair started to return to its normal soft texture, Leonard's fingers began to gently massage Jim's scalp, from his forehead over his temples to the back of his head. Jim uttered an incoherent appreciative moan as Leonard's fingers gently applied a gentle pressure all over his head.
"Close your eyes," Leonard whispered, and as Jim followed that request he directed him under the spray of water again to rinse out the shampoo. Picking up the washcloth, he worked up a lather and turned towards Jim again.
"Keep them closed for a second."
Jim did, and Leonard started to gently run the washcloth over his face, rubbing small circles over his forehead and cheeks, and - tenderly, carefully, over his closed eyelids - to remove the dirt that was caked to Jim's skin, and the stubble on his cheeks and jaw. The skin that emerged was clean and tinged slightly pink from the rubbing washcloth, and Leonard kept up a constant rhythm of lathering, cleaning and rinsing to reveal more and more of Jim's skin underneath all the dirt and mud.
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