[continued from here]"You're stinky by association, Chris told him with a quiet laugh, stepping closer to swipe the rest of the soap off his hand and onto Lennox's chest. "Just tryin' the help out here
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"That doesn't make any sense," Lennox informed Chris seriously, although he was fighting a smile as he continued to rub the soap over Chris's chest and then his shoulders. "And you're also making it very difficult for me to wash you, you know. You made this big deal about getting clean and now you're working against me, man. You're totally working against me."
But he was smiling the whole time, looking better than he had earlier.
"How am I working against you?" Chris asked, smoothing his hand down Lennox's side and not once looking away from his face. With every smile that Lennox gave him, some of the guilt seeped away and he could feel himself relaxing, enjoying the rapport between them. "I'm not fighting, am I? I'm letting you make me unstinky."
"You keep wiping it on me," Lennox pointed out with a snort, swatting at Chris and then trying to soap him up more, his hands sliding down Chris's arms and then under into his armpits, trying to tickle him only half on purpose. Really. "And that is working against me because I don't need to be cleaned. I'm already clean."
"It's about time you were good," Lennox answered with a smile, tickling Chris again gently before he continued to soap him up happily. "You totally owe me, baby, that's the only reason you're being good right now, isn't it? You can tell me the truth."
"I'm being good because I owe you, eh?" Chris replied, arching an eyebrow, but still grinning as he again lifted his arms a little, still watching Lennox carefully. "What do I owe you for?"
"Um..." Lennox said to think about that, using the distraction of soaping Chris's body up as a distraction as he tried to think of what Chris might owe him for. "Just stuff," he decided on eventually, feeling silly, but he was still grinning.
Chris was silent for a moment as he let his eyes fall closed again, leaning easily against the feel of Lennox's hands. He could feel some of the guilt trying to fight its way back and he swallowed a little as he opened his eyes and focused on Lennox.
"Like being a morose bastard?" he asked, his voice quiet and careful.
"No, not for that," Lennox said gently, still letting his hands roam over Chris's body carefully. "Definitely not for that. You're allowed to be a morose bastard right now, all things considered."
And he meant that, he really did. Chris was going through a rough time and he sure as hell didn't owe Lennox anything for that. It was happening, there was nothing that could be done about it.
"Not if it's hurting you," Chris replied, his voice quiet as he lifted his hands up out of the water to touch the sides of Lennox's face, making his skin wet as his thumbs brushed against him. "I don't want to hurt you."
"I'm not hurting Chris," Lennox promised him, smiling at him as he continued to run his hands over his body. "If I was really, really hurting, you think I'd be here right now in the water with you? I'd be storming away from you and hiding out in the hut or something."
His lips tugged into a very slight smile at that, but he gave a shrug, still touching his face lightly.
"You've done it before," he said, almost wincing at the truth behind it. "I've hurt you before and you've stayed with me. Right with me the whole fucking time."
"Okay, well, I promise if you start to hurt me with this stuff, I'll run away," Lennox said, although they both knew that was a lie as soon as it came out of his mouth. What Mike had said was true, Lennox would stick by Chris through anything, no matter what happened.
It was easy for Chris to see that there wasn't any real sincerity in that, but he couldn't help worrying anyway. His hands slid down the sides of Lennox's neck and around, resting there as he leaned in.
"Please don't," he whispered against him, the words slightly muffled against Lennox's lips before he pressed a slow, gentle kiss.
"I'm not going anywhere," Lennox promised softly, his hands moving over Chris's wet, soapy skin before he leaned into the kiss as well, his eyes closing. He meant that, no matter what he had teased, he wasn't going anywhere. He loved Chris way too much for that and, besides that, they were married now. A lot of people back home would've thought that that meant nothing to a guy like Lennox, but that was bullshit. It meant more to him than he knew how to say.
Chris only responded with a quiet sound, his lips parting gently as he breathed against Lennox's mouth, nudging another kiss, still slow and mostly chaste as he held Lennox's face lightly in his hands.
It sounded like a promise and Chris could only hope that's what it was. Somewhere along the line, he'd come to need Lennox, to need him like breathing and he really wasn't sure he could do anything at all anymore without him there, without his support.
But he was smiling the whole time, looking better than he had earlier.
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"Like being a morose bastard?" he asked, his voice quiet and careful.
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And he meant that, he really did. Chris was going through a rough time and he sure as hell didn't owe Lennox anything for that. It was happening, there was nothing that could be done about it.
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"You've done it before," he said, almost wincing at the truth behind it. "I've hurt you before and you've stayed with me. Right with me the whole fucking time."
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"Please don't," he whispered against him, the words slightly muffled against Lennox's lips before he pressed a slow, gentle kiss.
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It sounded like a promise and Chris could only hope that's what it was. Somewhere along the line, he'd come to need Lennox, to need him like breathing and he really wasn't sure he could do anything at all anymore without him there, without his support.
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