30 Lemons Challenge #24: An Apple A Day. Al/Danny, NC-17
Finally, finally, finally I finished a story! It's been nearly a month since I was able to finish something I started, what with the stress of school and medical problems getting in my way. This story has been a long time in coming, and honestly I'm not disappointed in the route it took, once it showed up.
This is my response to the 30_lemons prompt #24: The Doctor Is In, and if you didn't already know how I feel about going to the doctor, this'll tell you clearly. I'd rather sit through Weiss Kreuz than go to the doctor, honestly. It's NC-17 for lemon, and dedicated to sailormac and goathens, who have been there through all this stuff and kept me sane, and to chrstphrl, the toughest sonuvabitch I've ever met. ^_~
An Apple A Day
by Mistr3ss Quickly
It was Danny's bladder that woke him, before sunrise, on Wednesday morning, but it was the empty space on the mattress beside him, the sheets cool where his lover usually lay, that kept him awake, rubbing his eyes as he padded down the hall after relieving himself, towards the dim light of a lamp in the living room.
Al was curled up on the sofa, a blanket wrapped around him, reading a book, his long hair tied back in a ponytail, not a braid as it had been when they'd gone to bed, just a few hours before. He looked up when Danny greeted him, patted the cushion beside him in invitation.
"You're up early," he said, watching Danny yawn.
"So're you," said Danny. "You okay?"
Al nodded. "Just couldn't sleep," he said. "Wanted to finish my book, anyway, don't usually have the energy to read when I get home from work."
"Ah."
Danny yawned again, then reached out for Al's book, whining when Al held it out of reach. "Come on back to bed, sweetheart, this is an ungodly hour for any living thing to be awake," he said. "I'll rub your back 'til you fall asleep."
Al sighed. "Let me finish this chapter?" he said.
"Fair enough," said Danny. He wobbled a little, rubbed one of his eyes. "How many pages left to go?"
"Not many," said Al. He patted his hip. "Lie down, Danny, you look like you're going to fall over."
Danny grunted, but did as he was told, nuzzling Al's blanket-soft hip and sighing, content.
Within seconds, he was asleep.
~+~♥~+~
The next time Danny woke, Al was gone, his book resting on the desk and his blanket wadded up, pillowing Danny's head. Danny sat up and scratched his belly, blinking blearily around the room.
"Over here," said Al, from the kitchen. "I made eggs and coffee, do you want toast?"
Danny yawned. "Eggs?"
"Eggs," said Al. "Like the breakfast food?" He reached over the back of the sofa and ruffled Danny's hair, the same sort of thing he did to Fletcher, just to make the boy mad. "I tried to wake you awhile ago, but you wouldn't budge. Figured food might be in order. You're on shift in forty-five minutes, you know."
"Crap, I forgot about that," said Danny. He slid off the sofa and stretched, making his way slowly to the kitchen, drawn more by the smell of coffee than anything else. Al handed him his cup, kissed him on the lips.
"You look like a zombie," he said. "I swear, you're acting just like Brother this morning."
Danny shuddered. "Don't ever compare me to your older brother, Al, please," he said, settling in his chair. "That's just cruel."
Al laughed and shook his head, clucking his tongue softly as he carried a plate of eggs over and set it down in front of his lover. "Toast," he said. "Yes or no?"
"Yes, please," said Danny, "and where's your plate? You're not skipping breakfast again, are you?"
Al shrugged. "Not hungry," he said. "I had some tea when I started cooking, and I can always eat after you leave. I don't have to be in until ten, today."
Danny narrowed his eyes, watching Al through the steam rising off of his coffee. "Promise you'll eat?" he said.
"If I feel up to it," said Al. "No need to eat if I don't feel hungry."
Danny set down his cup and crossed his arms over his chest. "Every once in awhile, that's true," he said, "but you've been skipping meals for two months, Al, haven't been sleeping well ... something's not right. I think you might be sick."
"I feel fine," said Al, "don't worry so much."
"I'm a nurse, sweetheart," said Danny, reaching for him, pulling him close. "It's my job to worry about stuff like this. Why don't you let me make you an appointment at the hospital, just go in for a well-Alchemist check-up?"
Al frowned. "A well-what check-up?"
"Well-Alchemist," said Danny. "They call it a 'well-baby' check-up for little kids, so I figured the adult version would be 'well-Alchemist.' In your case anyway."
Al chuckled. "Cute," he said. "But I don't need to go to the doctor, Danny, they'll just poke me with needles and charge me a lot of money, just to tell me there's nothing wrong with me."
Danny sighed. "Knew you'd say that," he said. "Go anyway? Just for my peace of mind?"
"No, Danny, it's not necessary," said Al. "Just because I’m not eating my weight in food or sleeping like a hibernating bear is not good cause to go to the doctor."
Danny slid his hand under Al's t-shirt, ran his fingertips down the man's side. "No, but the fact that your ribs are easy to find and you have dark circles under your eyes is good cause for you to see a doctor." He cocked his head. "Don't make me call Edward and tell him to drag you to the doctor. I will, you know."
Al scowled and smacked his lover's hand away from his side. "That's cheating," he said.
"All's fair in love and war, sweetheart," said Danny.
"Don't call me that when you're being condescending, eat your breakfast, and no, I'm not going to the doctor," said Al.
"Please?"
Al crossed his arms over his chest. "No."
"Why not?"
Al sighed. "Because ... okay. Fine. A compromise. If I'm still having trouble sleeping in a week, I'll go, but it's up to me to decide if I'm 'having trouble' or not."
Danny frowned. "Fewer than six and a half hours counts as 'having trouble,' then," he said, "and you're too thin already. You lose any more weight and I'll call off the deal and drag you to the doctor immediately."
"All right," said Al. "It's a deal, then. Now be quiet and eat or you'll be late."
Danny didn't argue.
~+~♥~+~
One week later, Al was sulking in one of the hospital's waiting rooms, reading a book, one he'd read most of the night before when sleep had, yet again, evaded him.
His only consolation was that Danny had known better than to gloat, hadn't even acted like he'd been tempted to say I told you so, a response Al expected after so many years of living with his older brother.
"Mr. Elric?"
He closed the book and stood, draping his coat over his arm as he followed the pretty young nurse who'd called his name down the long corridor of examination rooms. He smiled to himself, thinking of the irony of coming to the hospital countless times over the past few years, but never once visiting as a patient.
His smile dimmed at the thought of his perfect record being shattered, all because Danny was worried about him.
"We'll need to weigh you first," the nurse said, over her shoulder, "and measure your height, since it's been so long since you were last in for a check-up." She led Al into a small room and motioned to a scale, waiting for him to set his book and coat down and step up onto the scale before bustling about, adjusting the weights. "One hundred thirty-two pounds," she announced, "and looks like ... five foot five inches."
Four inches taller than Brother, thought Al with a smirk as he gathered his book and coat and followed the nurse out of the room. She led him to an examination room, nodding in greeting when they met another nurse in the corridor. Al felt his face heat like a teenager's, extending his hand just enough that the other nurse could squeeze it as they passed each other.
Danny winked at him, then went on his way.
"I'll need to take your temperature and blood pressure, Mr. Elric," said the nurse, oblivious. "Please come in and have a s-are you all right? You seem flushed."
Al laughed softly and sat in the chair the woman had gestured to. "I'm fine," he said. "Please don't worry."
~+~♥~+~
By the time the doctor arrived, frowning at Al's chart as he entered the room, Al had finished another chapter of his book, his eyes beginning to burn from reading in the over-bright lights of the examination room (not because I'm tired, that's just Danny's paranoia getting to me). The doctor grunted something that sounded vaguely like "hello" and motioned to the hospital bed.
"Says you're having trouble sleeping, experiencing headaches," he said, as Al obediently climbed up onto the bed. "Low-grade fever, loss of appetite ... feeling of fluttering in your chest?"
Al nodded. "Yes, sir."
The doctor grunted. "Let's listen to your heart, then. Sit up straight, take deep breaths."
He pressed the stethoscope to Al's chest and frowned, then moved it lower, listening for a moment before pulling away and making a mark on Al's chart. Then he pressed the stethoscope to Al's back and listened again, grumbling to himself as he made more notes on Al's chart.
"You're not on any medications ... don't smoke ... drink occasionally, it says here. How about caffeine? Drink coffee, tea?"
Al nodded. "Tea," he said. "One cup, every morning."
"Hmm." The doctor took of his glasses and squinted at Al. "What's your occupation? It says 'clerk' here."
"I work for the Parliament," said Al. "Legal researcher."
"Stressful?"
Al shrugged. "It can be," he said.
"What about home life? Live alone? Family? Children?"
"I live with my partner," said Al. "No children. My older brother lives just outside the City, I see him pretty often."
The doctor grunted and put his glasses back on, scribbled something onto Al's chart. "Any other activities? Exercise, social affiliations?"
Al thought about it. "Alchemy," he said. "My brother and I studied Alchemy together as children. I don't need it for work, but I use it sometimes, for other things."
"I see." The doctor took his glasses off, once again, and fixed Al with a stern look. "You've got the classic symptoms of simply being stressed out, Mr. Elric," he said, "although it doesn't sound like you lead an especially stressful lifestyle. I recommend drinking plenty of water. Lay off any caffeinated tea for a few days, see if your condition improves. And it never hurts to take a multivitamin, make sure your body gets what it needs on a daily basis."
Al nodded. "All right," he said.
"Other than that," said the doctor, "I think we'll order a blood sample, just to be safe. Look for anything that could be causing physical strain on your body."
Al swallowed a sigh. "Okay," he said.
"I'll send a nurse down to take a blood sample," said the doctor. "If you don't have any other questions ..."
"No, sir," said Al.
"Very well," said the doctor. "Be well."
"Thank you," said Al. He watched the man leave, then rolled his eyes. "Sincerity to rival a politician's," he muttered under his breath, opening his book, once again.
He'd barely read half a page when the door opened again, revealing another nurse, this one bearing a tray of needles and test tubes and rubbing alcohol, the sight of which sent shivers down Al's spine.
"Hello," said the nurse, pleasantly, setting the tray down on the table by the hospital bed. "How are you today?"
"Fine, thank you," said Al, grinning.
The nurse frowned. "If you were fine," he said, "you wouldn't be sitting here with an order for blood-work clipped to your chart."
"I suppose that's true," said Al. "But then again, if I didn't live with an over-protective nurse, I wouldn't be here, either." He winked at his lover. "I'm impressed. You're very good at acting like you don't know me at all."
Danny blushed. "I'm sorry," he said. "Nurses aren't supposed to work with family members, but since we're not technically related to each other ..."
"I don't mind," said Al. "It's kind of nice, having blood-work done by someone I know. If it bothers you, though, you can request another nurse to take my blood. I won't be offended."
"I'm fine with it," said Danny, pulling a pair of rubber gloves out of a drawer and setting them on the tray of needles. "Patient's comfort and safety, valued above all else."
Al stood and padded over to his lover, reached up to touch the man's cheek. "I like having you here," he said, quietly. "Eye candy and moral support, all at once."
Danny blushed and made a squeaking sort of noise, then cleared his throat, slipping back into professional mode. "Go ahead and sit on the bed," he said. "Do you want to lie down or sit up for this?"
"Probably lie down," said Al. "They insisted I sit up when they did tests on me, right after I ... well you were there, you remember how it was after Brother disappeared. I felt sick for a week, afterwards, remember? Couldn't get my head straight."
"Mmm-hmm," said Danny, adjusting the bed so that it reclined, halfway up from full horizontal. He helped Al lie down, brushed a stray bit of hair away from Al's eyes. "Roll your sleeve up for me, please."
Al did as he was told, unbuttoning the cuff of his sleeve and rolling it, watching Danny pull on the rubber gloves and prepare the needle, pouring rubbing alcohol onto a gauze pad. He tried to smile when the man wheeled the tray over beside the bed, gently lifting his arm to tie a tourniquet around it, just above the elbow.
"Is that okay?" he said. "Did I tie it too tightly?"
"No, it's fine," said Al. "I'm just being a wimp. Not a big fan of needles."
Danny nodded, gently swabbing the crook of his lover's arm. "Seems ironic that the doctor ordered blood-work on you," he said. "Your chart says you have symptoms of stress, yet he's ordering tests that stress you out even more."
Al laughed softly. "That's pretty counterintuitive, now that you mention it," he said.
"Mmm-hmm," said Danny. "Okay, I'm going to start. Just a little stick now ..."
Al hissed softly, wincing. "Hurts," he said.
"It shouldn't," said Danny, frowning. "Try not to think about it, I'll be done soon. Think about something else ... tell me about your book. What are you reading?"
"Um ... history of books," said Al, closing his eyes. "It's a series I found, last time I was killing time in the Library, waiting for you. The author's tracing the development of the printing press, history of how the technology moved from East City, where it was first developed-well it wasn't East City, back then, but that's what it is now-to other parts of Amestris."
"Sounds interesting," said Danny.
Al nodded, swallowing hard. "The volume I'm reading now is talking about how the notion of superiority, gotten through the technology of printing books, contributed to the anti-Ishbalan propaganda that circulated before the War. Interesting that the handbills supporting the eradication of the culture were hand-written, not typed and-are you almost done?"
Danny frowned. "Just about," he said. "You holding up okay?"
Al shook his head, trembling. "Dizzy," he said.
"Try not to think about it, sweetheart," said Danny. "There, I'm done. Tell me more about your book, concentrate on that."
"Okay," whispered Al, wincing when Danny pulled the needle out and pressed a piece of gauze over the wound. "Um ... when I first started ... started reading the ... the ..."
"Al?"
Al drew a shaky breath, eyes glassy. "Danny, I think I'm going to ..."
Then his eyes rolled back in his head, body going rigid for half a second before relaxing, totally limp, breath coming fast and chopping, his lips slightly parted. Danny set the syringe on the tray and cupped his hand against Al's face, turning it towards him.
"Al?" he said. "Wake up, Al, come on." He patted Al's cheek twice, watching for movement beneath the younger man's eyelids.
Nothing.
"Come on, sweetheart," he said, tugging his gloves off and stroking his lover's cheek. "Come on, wake up, open your eyes."
Al's eyes fluttered. Danny sighed, relieved.
"Alphonse," he said, firmly, "can you hear me? Open your eyes, let me know you can hear me."
Slowly, Al's eyes opened, glassy and unfocused. He made a low, whimpering sound, and closed his eyes again, rolling away from his lover, his body curling up in a ball, balanced precariously on the edge of the bed. Danny reached out and steadied him, pulled him back into the middle of the bed.
"Careful," he said, when Al moaned softly in protest of being moved. "Talk to me, sweetheart. How do you feel? Do you think you're going to faint again?"
"Hnh-nnh," said Al, shaking his head. "'M too hot ... ugh."
Danny frowned. "Let me get a cold towel for your forehead, okay?"
"M'kay," said Al, shivering. "I'm so sorry, Danny."
"For what?" said Danny, hurrying over to the basin at the back of the room, wetting a cloth and wringing it out. He returned to Al's side, gently swabbing the man's forehead and cheeks with the cool terrycloth. "Nothing wrong with reacting to blood-work. This happens all the time."
Al shuddered, curling into a tighter ball, breathing raggedly. "I didn't think I'd ... react like this," he whispered, closing his eyes as Danny lifted his long ponytail and rubbed the back of his neck with the cool towel. "'M so sorry."
"Shh," said Danny, "don't apologize, sweetheart. Try to breathe deeply, concentrate on that, for now. Would you like some cold water to drink?"
"No," said Al. "Actually ... yes. Please." He shivered and scrubbed his hand over his face, wincing a little, the bandage wrapped around his arm tugging at his skin. "Stomach hurts."
Danny brought him a cup of water, helped him sit up to drink it. "Let me know if you get dizzy again and need to lie down," he said.
Al sniffled. "Need to, now," he whispered, handing his cup back to Danny. He curled up on the bed, trembling, his bandaged arm resting safely on his hip. "'M so sorry, I don't know why I'm freaking out like this."
"This is perfectly normal, sweetheart," said Danny, stroking his lover's arm, a touch far more familiar than he was used to giving his patients. "Fainting does weird things to your system. This is your body's way of purging, trying to go back to normal. Try to relax, try to breathe. Let your body do what it needs to do."
"Okay," said Al, voice muffled in the crook of his un-bandaged arm. "Wish it would hurry up."
Danny laughed, then bent and kissed the top of his lover's head. "No need to rush it," he said. "My shift's over in twenty minutes. I want you to lie here and rest until I'm off, then let me walk you home. I don't want you to get sick and faint on the way home, or something."
Al shook his head, uncurling his body a little. "That isn't necessary, Danny," he said. "It's just my body overreacting, you said, so I should be okay once I walk around a little, right?"
"You look like death warmed over, sweetheart," said Danny. "Walking around isn't something you should be doing right now. You'll pass out if you rush and stress your body out too much." He brushed Al's tears away with the pad of his thumb, frowning. "I know I'm not acting much like a nurse right now, but please, trust me that you should wait and let me take you home? Please?"
Al sighed. "If you really think I need to," he said, "not just overreacting, like my stupid body."
"Better to be safe than sorry, sweetheart," said Danny. "And don't call your body stupid. It's a wonderful body."
"I'm mad at it," said Al.
Danny chuckled. "I'm sure you are," he said. "It's not your body's fault though. If anything, it's my fault, because I'm the one who did your test."
"Duly noted," grumbled Al. He winced when Danny touched his arm, turning it to inspect the bandage. "I’m not bleeding or something, am I?"
"It looks fine to me," said Danny. "Rest here until I’m off shift, okay? I'll see if they'll let me bring your paperwork to you so you don't have to stand up more than necessary when we're ready to leave."
"I'm sure I'll be fine by then, Danny," said Al, "please don't worry so much."
Danny glanced at the door, then bent and quickly nipped a kiss onto Al's lips. "My turf, Al," he said. "Be a good patient for me?"
Al's eyes narrowed. "Is this revenge for the time you had your appendix out?" he said.
"No," said Danny. "Revenge would be intentional on my part. I had no idea I'd be the one doing your blood-work today, so it's karma, if anything."
"Hmph," said Al. He sighed and motioned towards the door. "Go do your nurse thing. I'll be a good boy and wait here, just like you told me to, until you come back for me."
"Good," said Danny. "Love you, Al."
Al smiled. "I love you too," he said.
~+~♥~+~
Three hours later, Al's color had returned to his cheeks, faint bruise in the crook of his arm the only indication that he'd had any kind of medical test, earlier that day.
That, and his lover. He was driving Al crazy.
"Danny, you're hovering again," said Al, glancing at Danny over the top of his book, the older man lurking in the doorway to the bedroom. "I'm fine, you don't need to freak out."
Danny hesitated, lower lip caught in his teeth. "I thought I heard you say something, sweetheart," he said. "Wanted to come check on you, make sure you're okay."
"I didn't say anything, and yes, I'm fine," said Al. "I've been fine, Danny." He frowned. "Have you ever had a patient pass out before, or was I your first?"
"You weren't my first, no," said Danny. "My first day after I got my nursing license, I had a patient faint, then throw up when she came around. I told you about that, remember?"
"Yes, I remember, and that's not the point," said Al. "The point is that I'm fine and you're acting like I'm not. Calm down, I'm completely recovered."
Danny shook his head, slipping into the room and settling on the edge of the bed, resting one hand on Al's thigh. "You know," he said, "when I first started my training to become a nurse, I wondered what it would be like if you ever got hurt or sick. Thought it might be a little weird, and it is, it really is." He gave Al's thigh a squeeze. "On the one hand, you're my lover, my sweetheart, and I worry about you, want to magically snap my fingers and 'make it all better.' On the other hand, you're my patient and I'm your nurse, and ..."
Al cocked his head. "And?"
"And ..." Danny sighed. "For example, you may tell me that you're fine, tell me to go away and stop hovering, but I can see that you're pale, that your hands are still shaking a little. Sign that your blood pressure is still low, which will lead to dizziness if you stand too quickly, or walk around too much. I can see that your eyes are glassy, sign that you're having trouble focusing them, and from the way-"
"Danny?"
"Yeah?"
Al set his book aside and crossed his arms over his chest. "I love you, and I'm lucky you're taking such good care of me, and I know that you're probably right about my blood pressure and all that other stuff, but ... Nurse Danny drives me to distraction, did you know that?"
Danny made a face. "Nurse Danny and regular me-Danny are the same person," he said. "Force of habit that I go into nurse-mode when you're hurt or sick, I can't help it."
"Nurse-mode, huh?" said Al, cocking his head. He looked at his lover, long and hard, then grinned. "Then tell me, Nurse Danny," he said, "have you ever kissed a patient, before?"
Danny wrinkled his nose. "Of course not! Well except today. I kissed you before I left to finish my shift."
Al nodded. "I see," he said. "So ... Nurse Danny doesn't kiss people, right?"
"I guess, not, no," said Danny. "Why?"
"No reason. Have you ever given a patient a hand job, or sucked a patient's cock?" said Al all innocence and curiosity, batting his eyes when his lover gaped at him. "Ever let a patient undress you and have sex with you?"
Danny made a strangled noise. "Alphonse, what in the name of-"
"Just makes sense, is all," said Al, his smile morphing from innocent to wicked, "that if I want Nurse Danny to go away and stop pestering me, all I have to do is do things to you that you wouldn't let a patient do. Like ... this."
Then he slid his hand up the inside of Danny's thigh, squeezing gently at the juncture of leg and body. Danny jumped.
"Sweetheart," he said, calmly, "we shouldn't do this. You were sick today, you should-"
"This is coming from the guy who tore his stitches because he was so desperate to get a blow job the day he got home from the hospital after having his appendix removed," said Al. "Spare me the lecture, I won't listen to it."
"That was different," said Danny. "And stupid, and I've learned my lesson from it."
Al glared at him. "Double standard," he growled. "Say goodbye to Nurse Danny, I want my Danny back."
He grabbed the front of his lover's sweater and tugged him close, shoving his tongue into the man's mouth straight away, before Danny had a chance to argue. Ignoring Danny's mumbled noises of protest, he threaded his fingers through the short hairs at the back of the man's neck and held on tightly, his other hand arguing open the top button of Danny's jeans. Danny's cock was half-hard already when Al's fingertips brushed against it. Al growled and kissed him harder.
No more Nurse Danny tonight, he thought, triumphantly.
After struggling with his lover's jeans and underwear for a moment, he realized that it wouldn't be possible to strip the man naked without the kiss ending and their positions changing, so with a whimper of protest, he flopped back against his pillow, which was still propped up between his back and the wall, and grabbed Danny's hips. "Get up here," he growled, "I'm not done with you yet."
Danny frowned. "Can I undress first?" he said.
Al licked his lips. "Oh yes," he said.
He pushed the covers back, once Danny had slid off the bed, and pulled his t-shirt over his head, flopping back to wiggle out of his underwear. Naked, he knelt at the edge of the bed, watching Danny stumble, trying to step out of his jeans, a blush forming on the older man's cheeks, and stretched out his arms.
"Come here, you," he said, softly.
Danny took a step forward, then hesitated, eyes darting to the faint bruise where he'd drawn Al's blood, earlier. "Sweetheart," he said, "are you sure this is a good-"
"Positive," said Al. "Come on, Danny, try not to think about it, please?"
"Sorry," said Danny, stepping into his lover's arms and kissing him, grunting a little when Al kissed back hard, pulling their bodies flush together. Carefully, he pushed the younger man back onto the bed and lay down beside him, stroking his hand up and down Al's side. "You'll tell me if you start to feel dizzy, won't you?"
"Only if you'll stop worrying about it," breathed Al, arching into Danny's touch. "Please? Just kiss me, don't treat me like I’m going to break."
Danny hmm'd softly. "I'm the one who likes to be handled roughly in bed, sweetheart," he teased. "I'm always gentle with you."
He saw the mischievous glint in Al's eye just a heartbeat before the younger man grabbed him by the wrists and flipped him over, straddling him. "So Nurse Danny'll go away if I rough you up a bit?" said Al, licking his lips. "Because I can do that, no problem."
"You're cute, sweetheart," said Danny, bucking his hips a little under Al's weight. "Why don't you lie down and let me ride you instead, hmm?"
Al grinned. "Mmm, that sounds good," he said, obediently climbing off of his lover and stretching out. "Want me to stretch you, or do you want to do it?"
Danny straddled him, stroking Al's cock a few times, lightly. "I'll do it, let you watch me?"
Al shivered. "Oh yes," he said, reaching for Danny's erection. "Let me suck you a little, while you do it? Please?"
"I won't say no to that," said Danny, his cock twitching in Al's hand, eyes darting to the crook of the younger man's arm.
The hand on his cock stilled and tightened. "I saw that," said Al.
"Saw what?" said Danny.
"You looked at my arm," said Al. He glared up at his lover, eyes narrowing at the guilty flush creeping across Danny's cheeks. "You didn't suggest this position for reasons other than those rooted in carnal urges, did you?"
Danny blinked at him. "Carnal urges?" he said.
"Yeah, those things a nurse isn't supposed to have towards his patients," said Al, bucking his hips hard enough to unbalance his lover, sending him flopping onto the mattress in a graceless heap. He pushed Danny's thighs apart and knelt between them, rubbing the length of his erection just to the side of Danny's balls, watching the man watch him. "Any objections to this position?"
"None, if you're sure you're up to it," said Danny, his calm tone belying the rapid thump of his heart, the precome leaking steadily from the head of his cock at the sight and feel of his lover.
Al groaned. "Of course I'm 'up to it,'" he said, bending to lick the length of Danny's erection. "You think you're up to it? I'm not going to be gentle."
Danny hesitated, glancing again at Al's arm. "Sweetheart ..."
"Danny," said Al. "Stop looking at my arm like you expect it to start spurting blood at any moment. Good grief, it was just a little blood test, and-you know what? Let's just remove temptation altogether, shall we?"
"Remove ...?"
Al twisted, grabbing his discarded pajama pants. "Temptation, yes," he said. "Lift your head."
He waited for his lover to obey, then spread the pants out on the man's pillow, the crotch directly beneath Danny's head. "Okay, relax," he said, pushing on Danny's forehead with the tips of his fingers. "And close your eyes."
"Sweetheart, what are you-"
Al cocked his head. "Trust me?" he said.
Danny sighed, closing his eyes. "Yes," he said. "I do."
He jumped at the touch of Al's lips against his own, the boy's breathed thank you muffled only a little by the sound of shifting cotton as Al folded the legs of his pajamas over Danny's eyes, tucking the cuffs under the pillow.
"You can take it off it you want to," he said, quietly, "but only if Nurse Danny promises to behave himself."
Danny chuckled. "Kinky," he said. "You will stop if you start feeling dizzy though, right sweetheart?"
He yelped, reaching down to rub his hip, which was smarting where Al had smacked him.
"Don't make me gag you, too," Al growled , rubbing the tip of his index finger over Danny's entrance, teasing the tight, dry pucker just enough to make Danny squirm. "Bad enough I've got to blindfold you, just to make you behave."
Danny swallowed hard. "If I misbehave," he gasped, "will you do that more?"
Al snorted. "No," he said, "I'll stop, un-blindfold you, tie you up, then jerk off in front of you and leave you unsatisfied. How's that sound?"
Danny moaned. "Oh God," he said.
"That wasn't supposed to ... nevermind." Al stretched up his lover's body, kissing the man as he reached into the pillow for their bottle of lube, nipping at Danny's chin when Danny whined and tried to take the kiss long. "I can't stretch you without lube, Danny," he said, patiently slicking his fingers, "and I can't suck you until I'm stretching you, so don't whine."
Danny whined anyway, the sound turning into a gasp as Al pushed one finger into him, thrusting in and out straight away, just barely fast enough to burn.
"If I suck you," Al said, quietly, "will you come, Danny? Are you close enough for that yet?"
"N-yes?" said Danny, fingers scrabbling against the sheets. "Will you do it if I am?"
Al laughed and pulled his index finger out, carefully working his middle finger in alongside it, stretching his lover's body. "I might," he said. "Do you want me to?"
Danny's cock twitched, precome dripping out, pooling just beneath his belly button. "Yes," he whispered. "Please?"
"And you won't tell me to 'be careful,' or 'take it easy,' or any of that?"
Danny sighed. "I'd almost forgotten." He lifted one of the pants-legs covering his eyes and peeked at his lover. "Don't act tough just to prove a point and hurt yourself, sweetheart."
Al glared at him. "I liked it better when you were blind and moaning and begging," he said. "Go back to that."
Danny laughed and replaced the pants-leg. "Yes sir," he said.
"Misbehave again and I won't suck you," said Al, pushing his fingers into Danny's body, stroking the man's cock in the same rhythm with his other hand. "I might not, anyway," he purred. "I like to make you come when I'm inside you."
Danny made a strangled sort of sound and tightened around Al's fingers, reaching blindly for the younger man. "Al ..."
Al scissored his fingers apart, hard, just to make Danny wail. "Yes?"
"Your nipples," Danny panted, feeling blindly up Al's arms, carefully skirting the crook of the younger man's left arm. "Want to touch them."
Al batted his hands away. "Oh no you don't," he said. "Hands to yourself."
Danny sighed, but obeyed, his lips curling into a lopsided smile as he slid his hands up his own chest instead, pinching his nipples in time with the thrust of Al's fingers inside his body. "Hands to myself isn't bad," he said.
"Cheater," said Al. He pulled his fingers free of Danny's body. "I want you, Danny ... think you're ready?"
"Mmm, yes," said Danny. "Stretched enough to ride you, if you'd like to do that inste-"
"Danny."
Danny rocked his hips up in surrender, holding his legs against his chest, hands gripping tightly behind his knees. "All yours, sweetheart," he said.
He'd barely spoken when he felt the blunt, warm pressure of Al's erection pushing against his entrance, the slick length sliding slowly inside, his lover pausing only a second each time his body spasmed and tightened. His imagination fed him visions of Al, brow furrowed and nipples peaked, the younger man's muscles tense and trembling as he held back, waiting for his lover to adjust to the feel of him, deep inside.
His imagination was good.
"Al, do it," he whispered, ignoring the little voice in the back of his mind, warning him that his lover should be resting, should be taking it easy. Al's cock felt hot and hard inside him, the stretch of him sliding just barely in and out making him feel even bigger than usual to Danny. "You feel so good."
Al made a soft noise, something between a chuckle and a moan-Danny couldn't quite tell which through the flannel resting over his ears-and rocked his hips back, the motion sharp and fast, then sank back in, slow and teasing. Then he did it again, the burn of withdrawal soothed each time by the dull ache of being filled, reducing Danny to panting, whimpering his lover's name.
"You're tight," said Al, moving faster, "feels good."
Danny groaned. "Yeah," he said. "Please touch me, make me come?"
He could almost see the grin on his lover's face, wicked and adorable and erotic. "Not yet," said Al. "I’m not close enough, yet."
Danny whined and reached for his erection, jumped when he felt Al's hand close around his wrist. His body tensed, Al's cock rubbing almost-painfully inside him, forcing him to relax.
"I said not yet," said Al, his voice ragged, hips thrusting harder. "If you come before me, I can't suck you off."
Arousal shot through Danny's body like electricity, sudden and hot and overwhelming. "Oh God, Al," he breathed, pulling his legs up and apart, baring himself completely to his lover. "I can't ... you ... just ... ngh."
"That good, hmm?" said Al. "You want to come?"
Danny nodded, dislodging the pants-legs draped over his eyes. "Going to," he said, "soon."
"Mmm, thanks for the warning," said Al. He thrust into Danny twice, hard, then pulled out, swooping down to suck the man's cock into his throat before Danny could voice his protests, fingers thrusting into Danny's body before the man could call out his name.
"Al! Oh God, Al, I'm ... I'm ..."
Then he was coming, feet pressed into the mattress, toes curling, his hands grabbing wildly at Al's long hair, tugging hard as the younger man swallowed him down and licked him clean. He yelped softly at the feel of Al's fingers slipping out of him, his body hypersensitive after his orgasm, cock twitching against his thigh when Al sat back and licked his lips, looking pleased with himself.
The pants-legs had fallen away, resting on Danny's throat and chest.
"Don't," said Al, when Danny moved to cover his eyes, once again. He crawled up his lover's body, kissed him softly. "I want you up on top, to finish me. Is that okay?"
Danny hmm'd and nodded, scrubbing his hair against the wrinkled cotton of Al's pants. "That sounds really good to me, sweetheart," he said. "Lie down, let me take care of you."
For the first time all day, Al didn't argue, didn't resist his lover's hands, gently arranging him against the pillows, holding his cock steady as Danny lowered himself onto it. He sucked in a deep breath and closed his eyes, blindly slid his hands up Danny's thighs, holding them tightly as Danny settled on him, warm and tight.
"Good," he breathed.
"Mmm," said Danny.
He raised himself carefully, Al's erection sliding halfway out of his body, then relaxed back, humming softly when his body didn't protest at all. Beneath him, Al was moaned and squirmed, cheeks flushed as Danny ran his hands down Al's arms, riding him faster, harder.
When his fingers brushed over the bruise where he'd drawn Al's blood, he hesitated.
"Danny," said Al, more a pleading whimper than a warning.
Danny smiled and curled his body down, kissed just below the bruise. "I love you."
Al bucked his hips. "I know," he said.
For a few long moments, he held perfectly still, allowing Danny to ride him how he pleased, steady and even. He gripped Danny's hips when the urge to thrust became too strong to deny and bucked hard, holding Danny aloft as he moved, fucking him, chasing the pleasure. When it came, he arched his back and groaned, trembling as he took his pleasure, his muscles giving out with the last pulses of semen flooded Danny's body, leaving them panting in a tangle of sweaty limbs.
"That," Danny breathed, turning to kiss Al's shoulder, "was really good."
He pushed himself up, resting his weight on one hand, brushing some of Al's sweat-damp hair away from the younger man's face with the other. "How are you feeling?"
Al laughed wearily. "Right now, pretty good," he said. "Little dizzy, but before you freak out, it's just from coming." He winked at his lover. "I'm always dizzy after sex with you, Danny."
Danny rolled his eyes. "Smartass." He shifted, Al's cock slipping out of his body, then flopped onto his side, pulling Al close. "Sex with you makes my head spin too, sweetheart," he said. "You're just that good."
"Mmm-hmm, I am," said Al, pressing a kiss to Danny's collar bone, warm breath ghosting over the man's chest. "But just for the record, you are too."
Danny chuckled and gave his lover a gentle squeeze, then slid out of the bed, quieting Al's protests with a kiss. "I'm going to get cleaned up, then I'll come back," he said. "Promise."
Al scowled, but let him go.
By the time Danny returned, his lover was fast asleep, snoring softly into his pillow, a quiet sigh his only reaction to the touch of the damp cloth Danny used to clean him of semen and lube. When Danny slid into bed beside him, tugging the blankets up, Al cuddled close, nuzzling him a little before going still.
"Love you too, sweetheart," whispered Danny, closing his eyes.
~+~♥~+~
For the first time in two months, Al had no trouble sleeping through the night.
He woke to the sound of Danny moving about, returning to bed from the bathroom. Opened his arms when the man snuggled close, shivering in the morning chill.
"Sleep well, sweetheart?"
"Mmm? Mmm-hmm."
"Good. You needed it, after yesterday."
Al yawned. "Yeah I did," he said. "It's exhausting, getting rid of Nurse Danny, although his prescription of sex therapy worked really well, don't you think?"
He couldn't see his lover's face, but he could imagine the man's eye-roll well enough.
"You should still do as the doctor said, lay off caffeine and take a multivitamin, try to relax your mind before you go to sleep at night," said Danny. "I don't think it's healthy for you to need physical exhaustion in order to get enough sleep or to have an appetite."
Al sighed. "Danny?"
"Yeah?"
"That was a joke."
Danny looked down at him, blushing a little. "Oh. Sorry."
"It's okay," said Al. "Just means Nurse Danny's back again, needs to be chased away." He tugged his lover down and kissed him. "Which I don't mind at all."
~+~♥~+~
Nurse Danny never showed up in their bed again.
This is my response to the 30_lemons prompt #24: The Doctor Is In, and if you didn't already know how I feel about going to the doctor, this'll tell you clearly. I'd rather sit through Weiss Kreuz than go to the doctor, honestly. It's NC-17 for lemon, and dedicated to sailormac and goathens, who have been there through all this stuff and kept me sane, and to chrstphrl, the toughest sonuvabitch I've ever met. ^_~
An Apple A Day
by Mistr3ss Quickly
It was Danny's bladder that woke him, before sunrise, on Wednesday morning, but it was the empty space on the mattress beside him, the sheets cool where his lover usually lay, that kept him awake, rubbing his eyes as he padded down the hall after relieving himself, towards the dim light of a lamp in the living room.
Al was curled up on the sofa, a blanket wrapped around him, reading a book, his long hair tied back in a ponytail, not a braid as it had been when they'd gone to bed, just a few hours before. He looked up when Danny greeted him, patted the cushion beside him in invitation.
"You're up early," he said, watching Danny yawn.
"So're you," said Danny. "You okay?"
Al nodded. "Just couldn't sleep," he said. "Wanted to finish my book, anyway, don't usually have the energy to read when I get home from work."
"Ah."
Danny yawned again, then reached out for Al's book, whining when Al held it out of reach. "Come on back to bed, sweetheart, this is an ungodly hour for any living thing to be awake," he said. "I'll rub your back 'til you fall asleep."
Al sighed. "Let me finish this chapter?" he said.
"Fair enough," said Danny. He wobbled a little, rubbed one of his eyes. "How many pages left to go?"
"Not many," said Al. He patted his hip. "Lie down, Danny, you look like you're going to fall over."
Danny grunted, but did as he was told, nuzzling Al's blanket-soft hip and sighing, content.
Within seconds, he was asleep.
~+~♥~+~
The next time Danny woke, Al was gone, his book resting on the desk and his blanket wadded up, pillowing Danny's head. Danny sat up and scratched his belly, blinking blearily around the room.
"Over here," said Al, from the kitchen. "I made eggs and coffee, do you want toast?"
Danny yawned. "Eggs?"
"Eggs," said Al. "Like the breakfast food?" He reached over the back of the sofa and ruffled Danny's hair, the same sort of thing he did to Fletcher, just to make the boy mad. "I tried to wake you awhile ago, but you wouldn't budge. Figured food might be in order. You're on shift in forty-five minutes, you know."
"Crap, I forgot about that," said Danny. He slid off the sofa and stretched, making his way slowly to the kitchen, drawn more by the smell of coffee than anything else. Al handed him his cup, kissed him on the lips.
"You look like a zombie," he said. "I swear, you're acting just like Brother this morning."
Danny shuddered. "Don't ever compare me to your older brother, Al, please," he said, settling in his chair. "That's just cruel."
Al laughed and shook his head, clucking his tongue softly as he carried a plate of eggs over and set it down in front of his lover. "Toast," he said. "Yes or no?"
"Yes, please," said Danny, "and where's your plate? You're not skipping breakfast again, are you?"
Al shrugged. "Not hungry," he said. "I had some tea when I started cooking, and I can always eat after you leave. I don't have to be in until ten, today."
Danny narrowed his eyes, watching Al through the steam rising off of his coffee. "Promise you'll eat?" he said.
"If I feel up to it," said Al. "No need to eat if I don't feel hungry."
Danny set down his cup and crossed his arms over his chest. "Every once in awhile, that's true," he said, "but you've been skipping meals for two months, Al, haven't been sleeping well ... something's not right. I think you might be sick."
"I feel fine," said Al, "don't worry so much."
"I'm a nurse, sweetheart," said Danny, reaching for him, pulling him close. "It's my job to worry about stuff like this. Why don't you let me make you an appointment at the hospital, just go in for a well-Alchemist check-up?"
Al frowned. "A well-what check-up?"
"Well-Alchemist," said Danny. "They call it a 'well-baby' check-up for little kids, so I figured the adult version would be 'well-Alchemist.' In your case anyway."
Al chuckled. "Cute," he said. "But I don't need to go to the doctor, Danny, they'll just poke me with needles and charge me a lot of money, just to tell me there's nothing wrong with me."
Danny sighed. "Knew you'd say that," he said. "Go anyway? Just for my peace of mind?"
"No, Danny, it's not necessary," said Al. "Just because I’m not eating my weight in food or sleeping like a hibernating bear is not good cause to go to the doctor."
Danny slid his hand under Al's t-shirt, ran his fingertips down the man's side. "No, but the fact that your ribs are easy to find and you have dark circles under your eyes is good cause for you to see a doctor." He cocked his head. "Don't make me call Edward and tell him to drag you to the doctor. I will, you know."
Al scowled and smacked his lover's hand away from his side. "That's cheating," he said.
"All's fair in love and war, sweetheart," said Danny.
"Don't call me that when you're being condescending, eat your breakfast, and no, I'm not going to the doctor," said Al.
"Please?"
Al crossed his arms over his chest. "No."
"Why not?"
Al sighed. "Because ... okay. Fine. A compromise. If I'm still having trouble sleeping in a week, I'll go, but it's up to me to decide if I'm 'having trouble' or not."
Danny frowned. "Fewer than six and a half hours counts as 'having trouble,' then," he said, "and you're too thin already. You lose any more weight and I'll call off the deal and drag you to the doctor immediately."
"All right," said Al. "It's a deal, then. Now be quiet and eat or you'll be late."
Danny didn't argue.
~+~♥~+~
One week later, Al was sulking in one of the hospital's waiting rooms, reading a book, one he'd read most of the night before when sleep had, yet again, evaded him.
His only consolation was that Danny had known better than to gloat, hadn't even acted like he'd been tempted to say I told you so, a response Al expected after so many years of living with his older brother.
"Mr. Elric?"
He closed the book and stood, draping his coat over his arm as he followed the pretty young nurse who'd called his name down the long corridor of examination rooms. He smiled to himself, thinking of the irony of coming to the hospital countless times over the past few years, but never once visiting as a patient.
His smile dimmed at the thought of his perfect record being shattered, all because Danny was worried about him.
"We'll need to weigh you first," the nurse said, over her shoulder, "and measure your height, since it's been so long since you were last in for a check-up." She led Al into a small room and motioned to a scale, waiting for him to set his book and coat down and step up onto the scale before bustling about, adjusting the weights. "One hundred thirty-two pounds," she announced, "and looks like ... five foot five inches."
Four inches taller than Brother, thought Al with a smirk as he gathered his book and coat and followed the nurse out of the room. She led him to an examination room, nodding in greeting when they met another nurse in the corridor. Al felt his face heat like a teenager's, extending his hand just enough that the other nurse could squeeze it as they passed each other.
Danny winked at him, then went on his way.
"I'll need to take your temperature and blood pressure, Mr. Elric," said the nurse, oblivious. "Please come in and have a s-are you all right? You seem flushed."
Al laughed softly and sat in the chair the woman had gestured to. "I'm fine," he said. "Please don't worry."
~+~♥~+~
By the time the doctor arrived, frowning at Al's chart as he entered the room, Al had finished another chapter of his book, his eyes beginning to burn from reading in the over-bright lights of the examination room (not because I'm tired, that's just Danny's paranoia getting to me). The doctor grunted something that sounded vaguely like "hello" and motioned to the hospital bed.
"Says you're having trouble sleeping, experiencing headaches," he said, as Al obediently climbed up onto the bed. "Low-grade fever, loss of appetite ... feeling of fluttering in your chest?"
Al nodded. "Yes, sir."
The doctor grunted. "Let's listen to your heart, then. Sit up straight, take deep breaths."
He pressed the stethoscope to Al's chest and frowned, then moved it lower, listening for a moment before pulling away and making a mark on Al's chart. Then he pressed the stethoscope to Al's back and listened again, grumbling to himself as he made more notes on Al's chart.
"You're not on any medications ... don't smoke ... drink occasionally, it says here. How about caffeine? Drink coffee, tea?"
Al nodded. "Tea," he said. "One cup, every morning."
"Hmm." The doctor took of his glasses and squinted at Al. "What's your occupation? It says 'clerk' here."
"I work for the Parliament," said Al. "Legal researcher."
"Stressful?"
Al shrugged. "It can be," he said.
"What about home life? Live alone? Family? Children?"
"I live with my partner," said Al. "No children. My older brother lives just outside the City, I see him pretty often."
The doctor grunted and put his glasses back on, scribbled something onto Al's chart. "Any other activities? Exercise, social affiliations?"
Al thought about it. "Alchemy," he said. "My brother and I studied Alchemy together as children. I don't need it for work, but I use it sometimes, for other things."
"I see." The doctor took his glasses off, once again, and fixed Al with a stern look. "You've got the classic symptoms of simply being stressed out, Mr. Elric," he said, "although it doesn't sound like you lead an especially stressful lifestyle. I recommend drinking plenty of water. Lay off any caffeinated tea for a few days, see if your condition improves. And it never hurts to take a multivitamin, make sure your body gets what it needs on a daily basis."
Al nodded. "All right," he said.
"Other than that," said the doctor, "I think we'll order a blood sample, just to be safe. Look for anything that could be causing physical strain on your body."
Al swallowed a sigh. "Okay," he said.
"I'll send a nurse down to take a blood sample," said the doctor. "If you don't have any other questions ..."
"No, sir," said Al.
"Very well," said the doctor. "Be well."
"Thank you," said Al. He watched the man leave, then rolled his eyes. "Sincerity to rival a politician's," he muttered under his breath, opening his book, once again.
He'd barely read half a page when the door opened again, revealing another nurse, this one bearing a tray of needles and test tubes and rubbing alcohol, the sight of which sent shivers down Al's spine.
"Hello," said the nurse, pleasantly, setting the tray down on the table by the hospital bed. "How are you today?"
"Fine, thank you," said Al, grinning.
The nurse frowned. "If you were fine," he said, "you wouldn't be sitting here with an order for blood-work clipped to your chart."
"I suppose that's true," said Al. "But then again, if I didn't live with an over-protective nurse, I wouldn't be here, either." He winked at his lover. "I'm impressed. You're very good at acting like you don't know me at all."
Danny blushed. "I'm sorry," he said. "Nurses aren't supposed to work with family members, but since we're not technically related to each other ..."
"I don't mind," said Al. "It's kind of nice, having blood-work done by someone I know. If it bothers you, though, you can request another nurse to take my blood. I won't be offended."
"I'm fine with it," said Danny, pulling a pair of rubber gloves out of a drawer and setting them on the tray of needles. "Patient's comfort and safety, valued above all else."
Al stood and padded over to his lover, reached up to touch the man's cheek. "I like having you here," he said, quietly. "Eye candy and moral support, all at once."
Danny blushed and made a squeaking sort of noise, then cleared his throat, slipping back into professional mode. "Go ahead and sit on the bed," he said. "Do you want to lie down or sit up for this?"
"Probably lie down," said Al. "They insisted I sit up when they did tests on me, right after I ... well you were there, you remember how it was after Brother disappeared. I felt sick for a week, afterwards, remember? Couldn't get my head straight."
"Mmm-hmm," said Danny, adjusting the bed so that it reclined, halfway up from full horizontal. He helped Al lie down, brushed a stray bit of hair away from Al's eyes. "Roll your sleeve up for me, please."
Al did as he was told, unbuttoning the cuff of his sleeve and rolling it, watching Danny pull on the rubber gloves and prepare the needle, pouring rubbing alcohol onto a gauze pad. He tried to smile when the man wheeled the tray over beside the bed, gently lifting his arm to tie a tourniquet around it, just above the elbow.
"Is that okay?" he said. "Did I tie it too tightly?"
"No, it's fine," said Al. "I'm just being a wimp. Not a big fan of needles."
Danny nodded, gently swabbing the crook of his lover's arm. "Seems ironic that the doctor ordered blood-work on you," he said. "Your chart says you have symptoms of stress, yet he's ordering tests that stress you out even more."
Al laughed softly. "That's pretty counterintuitive, now that you mention it," he said.
"Mmm-hmm," said Danny. "Okay, I'm going to start. Just a little stick now ..."
Al hissed softly, wincing. "Hurts," he said.
"It shouldn't," said Danny, frowning. "Try not to think about it, I'll be done soon. Think about something else ... tell me about your book. What are you reading?"
"Um ... history of books," said Al, closing his eyes. "It's a series I found, last time I was killing time in the Library, waiting for you. The author's tracing the development of the printing press, history of how the technology moved from East City, where it was first developed-well it wasn't East City, back then, but that's what it is now-to other parts of Amestris."
"Sounds interesting," said Danny.
Al nodded, swallowing hard. "The volume I'm reading now is talking about how the notion of superiority, gotten through the technology of printing books, contributed to the anti-Ishbalan propaganda that circulated before the War. Interesting that the handbills supporting the eradication of the culture were hand-written, not typed and-are you almost done?"
Danny frowned. "Just about," he said. "You holding up okay?"
Al shook his head, trembling. "Dizzy," he said.
"Try not to think about it, sweetheart," said Danny. "There, I'm done. Tell me more about your book, concentrate on that."
"Okay," whispered Al, wincing when Danny pulled the needle out and pressed a piece of gauze over the wound. "Um ... when I first started ... started reading the ... the ..."
"Al?"
Al drew a shaky breath, eyes glassy. "Danny, I think I'm going to ..."
Then his eyes rolled back in his head, body going rigid for half a second before relaxing, totally limp, breath coming fast and chopping, his lips slightly parted. Danny set the syringe on the tray and cupped his hand against Al's face, turning it towards him.
"Al?" he said. "Wake up, Al, come on." He patted Al's cheek twice, watching for movement beneath the younger man's eyelids.
Nothing.
"Come on, sweetheart," he said, tugging his gloves off and stroking his lover's cheek. "Come on, wake up, open your eyes."
Al's eyes fluttered. Danny sighed, relieved.
"Alphonse," he said, firmly, "can you hear me? Open your eyes, let me know you can hear me."
Slowly, Al's eyes opened, glassy and unfocused. He made a low, whimpering sound, and closed his eyes again, rolling away from his lover, his body curling up in a ball, balanced precariously on the edge of the bed. Danny reached out and steadied him, pulled him back into the middle of the bed.
"Careful," he said, when Al moaned softly in protest of being moved. "Talk to me, sweetheart. How do you feel? Do you think you're going to faint again?"
"Hnh-nnh," said Al, shaking his head. "'M too hot ... ugh."
Danny frowned. "Let me get a cold towel for your forehead, okay?"
"M'kay," said Al, shivering. "I'm so sorry, Danny."
"For what?" said Danny, hurrying over to the basin at the back of the room, wetting a cloth and wringing it out. He returned to Al's side, gently swabbing the man's forehead and cheeks with the cool terrycloth. "Nothing wrong with reacting to blood-work. This happens all the time."
Al shuddered, curling into a tighter ball, breathing raggedly. "I didn't think I'd ... react like this," he whispered, closing his eyes as Danny lifted his long ponytail and rubbed the back of his neck with the cool towel. "'M so sorry."
"Shh," said Danny, "don't apologize, sweetheart. Try to breathe deeply, concentrate on that, for now. Would you like some cold water to drink?"
"No," said Al. "Actually ... yes. Please." He shivered and scrubbed his hand over his face, wincing a little, the bandage wrapped around his arm tugging at his skin. "Stomach hurts."
Danny brought him a cup of water, helped him sit up to drink it. "Let me know if you get dizzy again and need to lie down," he said.
Al sniffled. "Need to, now," he whispered, handing his cup back to Danny. He curled up on the bed, trembling, his bandaged arm resting safely on his hip. "'M so sorry, I don't know why I'm freaking out like this."
"This is perfectly normal, sweetheart," said Danny, stroking his lover's arm, a touch far more familiar than he was used to giving his patients. "Fainting does weird things to your system. This is your body's way of purging, trying to go back to normal. Try to relax, try to breathe. Let your body do what it needs to do."
"Okay," said Al, voice muffled in the crook of his un-bandaged arm. "Wish it would hurry up."
Danny laughed, then bent and kissed the top of his lover's head. "No need to rush it," he said. "My shift's over in twenty minutes. I want you to lie here and rest until I'm off, then let me walk you home. I don't want you to get sick and faint on the way home, or something."
Al shook his head, uncurling his body a little. "That isn't necessary, Danny," he said. "It's just my body overreacting, you said, so I should be okay once I walk around a little, right?"
"You look like death warmed over, sweetheart," said Danny. "Walking around isn't something you should be doing right now. You'll pass out if you rush and stress your body out too much." He brushed Al's tears away with the pad of his thumb, frowning. "I know I'm not acting much like a nurse right now, but please, trust me that you should wait and let me take you home? Please?"
Al sighed. "If you really think I need to," he said, "not just overreacting, like my stupid body."
"Better to be safe than sorry, sweetheart," said Danny. "And don't call your body stupid. It's a wonderful body."
"I'm mad at it," said Al.
Danny chuckled. "I'm sure you are," he said. "It's not your body's fault though. If anything, it's my fault, because I'm the one who did your test."
"Duly noted," grumbled Al. He winced when Danny touched his arm, turning it to inspect the bandage. "I’m not bleeding or something, am I?"
"It looks fine to me," said Danny. "Rest here until I’m off shift, okay? I'll see if they'll let me bring your paperwork to you so you don't have to stand up more than necessary when we're ready to leave."
"I'm sure I'll be fine by then, Danny," said Al, "please don't worry so much."
Danny glanced at the door, then bent and quickly nipped a kiss onto Al's lips. "My turf, Al," he said. "Be a good patient for me?"
Al's eyes narrowed. "Is this revenge for the time you had your appendix out?" he said.
"No," said Danny. "Revenge would be intentional on my part. I had no idea I'd be the one doing your blood-work today, so it's karma, if anything."
"Hmph," said Al. He sighed and motioned towards the door. "Go do your nurse thing. I'll be a good boy and wait here, just like you told me to, until you come back for me."
"Good," said Danny. "Love you, Al."
Al smiled. "I love you too," he said.
~+~♥~+~
Three hours later, Al's color had returned to his cheeks, faint bruise in the crook of his arm the only indication that he'd had any kind of medical test, earlier that day.
That, and his lover. He was driving Al crazy.
"Danny, you're hovering again," said Al, glancing at Danny over the top of his book, the older man lurking in the doorway to the bedroom. "I'm fine, you don't need to freak out."
Danny hesitated, lower lip caught in his teeth. "I thought I heard you say something, sweetheart," he said. "Wanted to come check on you, make sure you're okay."
"I didn't say anything, and yes, I'm fine," said Al. "I've been fine, Danny." He frowned. "Have you ever had a patient pass out before, or was I your first?"
"You weren't my first, no," said Danny. "My first day after I got my nursing license, I had a patient faint, then throw up when she came around. I told you about that, remember?"
"Yes, I remember, and that's not the point," said Al. "The point is that I'm fine and you're acting like I'm not. Calm down, I'm completely recovered."
Danny shook his head, slipping into the room and settling on the edge of the bed, resting one hand on Al's thigh. "You know," he said, "when I first started my training to become a nurse, I wondered what it would be like if you ever got hurt or sick. Thought it might be a little weird, and it is, it really is." He gave Al's thigh a squeeze. "On the one hand, you're my lover, my sweetheart, and I worry about you, want to magically snap my fingers and 'make it all better.' On the other hand, you're my patient and I'm your nurse, and ..."
Al cocked his head. "And?"
"And ..." Danny sighed. "For example, you may tell me that you're fine, tell me to go away and stop hovering, but I can see that you're pale, that your hands are still shaking a little. Sign that your blood pressure is still low, which will lead to dizziness if you stand too quickly, or walk around too much. I can see that your eyes are glassy, sign that you're having trouble focusing them, and from the way-"
"Danny?"
"Yeah?"
Al set his book aside and crossed his arms over his chest. "I love you, and I'm lucky you're taking such good care of me, and I know that you're probably right about my blood pressure and all that other stuff, but ... Nurse Danny drives me to distraction, did you know that?"
Danny made a face. "Nurse Danny and regular me-Danny are the same person," he said. "Force of habit that I go into nurse-mode when you're hurt or sick, I can't help it."
"Nurse-mode, huh?" said Al, cocking his head. He looked at his lover, long and hard, then grinned. "Then tell me, Nurse Danny," he said, "have you ever kissed a patient, before?"
Danny wrinkled his nose. "Of course not! Well except today. I kissed you before I left to finish my shift."
Al nodded. "I see," he said. "So ... Nurse Danny doesn't kiss people, right?"
"I guess, not, no," said Danny. "Why?"
"No reason. Have you ever given a patient a hand job, or sucked a patient's cock?" said Al all innocence and curiosity, batting his eyes when his lover gaped at him. "Ever let a patient undress you and have sex with you?"
Danny made a strangled noise. "Alphonse, what in the name of-"
"Just makes sense, is all," said Al, his smile morphing from innocent to wicked, "that if I want Nurse Danny to go away and stop pestering me, all I have to do is do things to you that you wouldn't let a patient do. Like ... this."
Then he slid his hand up the inside of Danny's thigh, squeezing gently at the juncture of leg and body. Danny jumped.
"Sweetheart," he said, calmly, "we shouldn't do this. You were sick today, you should-"
"This is coming from the guy who tore his stitches because he was so desperate to get a blow job the day he got home from the hospital after having his appendix removed," said Al. "Spare me the lecture, I won't listen to it."
"That was different," said Danny. "And stupid, and I've learned my lesson from it."
Al glared at him. "Double standard," he growled. "Say goodbye to Nurse Danny, I want my Danny back."
He grabbed the front of his lover's sweater and tugged him close, shoving his tongue into the man's mouth straight away, before Danny had a chance to argue. Ignoring Danny's mumbled noises of protest, he threaded his fingers through the short hairs at the back of the man's neck and held on tightly, his other hand arguing open the top button of Danny's jeans. Danny's cock was half-hard already when Al's fingertips brushed against it. Al growled and kissed him harder.
No more Nurse Danny tonight, he thought, triumphantly.
After struggling with his lover's jeans and underwear for a moment, he realized that it wouldn't be possible to strip the man naked without the kiss ending and their positions changing, so with a whimper of protest, he flopped back against his pillow, which was still propped up between his back and the wall, and grabbed Danny's hips. "Get up here," he growled, "I'm not done with you yet."
Danny frowned. "Can I undress first?" he said.
Al licked his lips. "Oh yes," he said.
He pushed the covers back, once Danny had slid off the bed, and pulled his t-shirt over his head, flopping back to wiggle out of his underwear. Naked, he knelt at the edge of the bed, watching Danny stumble, trying to step out of his jeans, a blush forming on the older man's cheeks, and stretched out his arms.
"Come here, you," he said, softly.
Danny took a step forward, then hesitated, eyes darting to the faint bruise where he'd drawn Al's blood, earlier. "Sweetheart," he said, "are you sure this is a good-"
"Positive," said Al. "Come on, Danny, try not to think about it, please?"
"Sorry," said Danny, stepping into his lover's arms and kissing him, grunting a little when Al kissed back hard, pulling their bodies flush together. Carefully, he pushed the younger man back onto the bed and lay down beside him, stroking his hand up and down Al's side. "You'll tell me if you start to feel dizzy, won't you?"
"Only if you'll stop worrying about it," breathed Al, arching into Danny's touch. "Please? Just kiss me, don't treat me like I’m going to break."
Danny hmm'd softly. "I'm the one who likes to be handled roughly in bed, sweetheart," he teased. "I'm always gentle with you."
He saw the mischievous glint in Al's eye just a heartbeat before the younger man grabbed him by the wrists and flipped him over, straddling him. "So Nurse Danny'll go away if I rough you up a bit?" said Al, licking his lips. "Because I can do that, no problem."
"You're cute, sweetheart," said Danny, bucking his hips a little under Al's weight. "Why don't you lie down and let me ride you instead, hmm?"
Al grinned. "Mmm, that sounds good," he said, obediently climbing off of his lover and stretching out. "Want me to stretch you, or do you want to do it?"
Danny straddled him, stroking Al's cock a few times, lightly. "I'll do it, let you watch me?"
Al shivered. "Oh yes," he said, reaching for Danny's erection. "Let me suck you a little, while you do it? Please?"
"I won't say no to that," said Danny, his cock twitching in Al's hand, eyes darting to the crook of the younger man's arm.
The hand on his cock stilled and tightened. "I saw that," said Al.
"Saw what?" said Danny.
"You looked at my arm," said Al. He glared up at his lover, eyes narrowing at the guilty flush creeping across Danny's cheeks. "You didn't suggest this position for reasons other than those rooted in carnal urges, did you?"
Danny blinked at him. "Carnal urges?" he said.
"Yeah, those things a nurse isn't supposed to have towards his patients," said Al, bucking his hips hard enough to unbalance his lover, sending him flopping onto the mattress in a graceless heap. He pushed Danny's thighs apart and knelt between them, rubbing the length of his erection just to the side of Danny's balls, watching the man watch him. "Any objections to this position?"
"None, if you're sure you're up to it," said Danny, his calm tone belying the rapid thump of his heart, the precome leaking steadily from the head of his cock at the sight and feel of his lover.
Al groaned. "Of course I'm 'up to it,'" he said, bending to lick the length of Danny's erection. "You think you're up to it? I'm not going to be gentle."
Danny hesitated, glancing again at Al's arm. "Sweetheart ..."
"Danny," said Al. "Stop looking at my arm like you expect it to start spurting blood at any moment. Good grief, it was just a little blood test, and-you know what? Let's just remove temptation altogether, shall we?"
"Remove ...?"
Al twisted, grabbing his discarded pajama pants. "Temptation, yes," he said. "Lift your head."
He waited for his lover to obey, then spread the pants out on the man's pillow, the crotch directly beneath Danny's head. "Okay, relax," he said, pushing on Danny's forehead with the tips of his fingers. "And close your eyes."
"Sweetheart, what are you-"
Al cocked his head. "Trust me?" he said.
Danny sighed, closing his eyes. "Yes," he said. "I do."
He jumped at the touch of Al's lips against his own, the boy's breathed thank you muffled only a little by the sound of shifting cotton as Al folded the legs of his pajamas over Danny's eyes, tucking the cuffs under the pillow.
"You can take it off it you want to," he said, quietly, "but only if Nurse Danny promises to behave himself."
Danny chuckled. "Kinky," he said. "You will stop if you start feeling dizzy though, right sweetheart?"
He yelped, reaching down to rub his hip, which was smarting where Al had smacked him.
"Don't make me gag you, too," Al growled , rubbing the tip of his index finger over Danny's entrance, teasing the tight, dry pucker just enough to make Danny squirm. "Bad enough I've got to blindfold you, just to make you behave."
Danny swallowed hard. "If I misbehave," he gasped, "will you do that more?"
Al snorted. "No," he said, "I'll stop, un-blindfold you, tie you up, then jerk off in front of you and leave you unsatisfied. How's that sound?"
Danny moaned. "Oh God," he said.
"That wasn't supposed to ... nevermind." Al stretched up his lover's body, kissing the man as he reached into the pillow for their bottle of lube, nipping at Danny's chin when Danny whined and tried to take the kiss long. "I can't stretch you without lube, Danny," he said, patiently slicking his fingers, "and I can't suck you until I'm stretching you, so don't whine."
Danny whined anyway, the sound turning into a gasp as Al pushed one finger into him, thrusting in and out straight away, just barely fast enough to burn.
"If I suck you," Al said, quietly, "will you come, Danny? Are you close enough for that yet?"
"N-yes?" said Danny, fingers scrabbling against the sheets. "Will you do it if I am?"
Al laughed and pulled his index finger out, carefully working his middle finger in alongside it, stretching his lover's body. "I might," he said. "Do you want me to?"
Danny's cock twitched, precome dripping out, pooling just beneath his belly button. "Yes," he whispered. "Please?"
"And you won't tell me to 'be careful,' or 'take it easy,' or any of that?"
Danny sighed. "I'd almost forgotten." He lifted one of the pants-legs covering his eyes and peeked at his lover. "Don't act tough just to prove a point and hurt yourself, sweetheart."
Al glared at him. "I liked it better when you were blind and moaning and begging," he said. "Go back to that."
Danny laughed and replaced the pants-leg. "Yes sir," he said.
"Misbehave again and I won't suck you," said Al, pushing his fingers into Danny's body, stroking the man's cock in the same rhythm with his other hand. "I might not, anyway," he purred. "I like to make you come when I'm inside you."
Danny made a strangled sort of sound and tightened around Al's fingers, reaching blindly for the younger man. "Al ..."
Al scissored his fingers apart, hard, just to make Danny wail. "Yes?"
"Your nipples," Danny panted, feeling blindly up Al's arms, carefully skirting the crook of the younger man's left arm. "Want to touch them."
Al batted his hands away. "Oh no you don't," he said. "Hands to yourself."
Danny sighed, but obeyed, his lips curling into a lopsided smile as he slid his hands up his own chest instead, pinching his nipples in time with the thrust of Al's fingers inside his body. "Hands to myself isn't bad," he said.
"Cheater," said Al. He pulled his fingers free of Danny's body. "I want you, Danny ... think you're ready?"
"Mmm, yes," said Danny. "Stretched enough to ride you, if you'd like to do that inste-"
"Danny."
Danny rocked his hips up in surrender, holding his legs against his chest, hands gripping tightly behind his knees. "All yours, sweetheart," he said.
He'd barely spoken when he felt the blunt, warm pressure of Al's erection pushing against his entrance, the slick length sliding slowly inside, his lover pausing only a second each time his body spasmed and tightened. His imagination fed him visions of Al, brow furrowed and nipples peaked, the younger man's muscles tense and trembling as he held back, waiting for his lover to adjust to the feel of him, deep inside.
His imagination was good.
"Al, do it," he whispered, ignoring the little voice in the back of his mind, warning him that his lover should be resting, should be taking it easy. Al's cock felt hot and hard inside him, the stretch of him sliding just barely in and out making him feel even bigger than usual to Danny. "You feel so good."
Al made a soft noise, something between a chuckle and a moan-Danny couldn't quite tell which through the flannel resting over his ears-and rocked his hips back, the motion sharp and fast, then sank back in, slow and teasing. Then he did it again, the burn of withdrawal soothed each time by the dull ache of being filled, reducing Danny to panting, whimpering his lover's name.
"You're tight," said Al, moving faster, "feels good."
Danny groaned. "Yeah," he said. "Please touch me, make me come?"
He could almost see the grin on his lover's face, wicked and adorable and erotic. "Not yet," said Al. "I’m not close enough, yet."
Danny whined and reached for his erection, jumped when he felt Al's hand close around his wrist. His body tensed, Al's cock rubbing almost-painfully inside him, forcing him to relax.
"I said not yet," said Al, his voice ragged, hips thrusting harder. "If you come before me, I can't suck you off."
Arousal shot through Danny's body like electricity, sudden and hot and overwhelming. "Oh God, Al," he breathed, pulling his legs up and apart, baring himself completely to his lover. "I can't ... you ... just ... ngh."
"That good, hmm?" said Al. "You want to come?"
Danny nodded, dislodging the pants-legs draped over his eyes. "Going to," he said, "soon."
"Mmm, thanks for the warning," said Al. He thrust into Danny twice, hard, then pulled out, swooping down to suck the man's cock into his throat before Danny could voice his protests, fingers thrusting into Danny's body before the man could call out his name.
"Al! Oh God, Al, I'm ... I'm ..."
Then he was coming, feet pressed into the mattress, toes curling, his hands grabbing wildly at Al's long hair, tugging hard as the younger man swallowed him down and licked him clean. He yelped softly at the feel of Al's fingers slipping out of him, his body hypersensitive after his orgasm, cock twitching against his thigh when Al sat back and licked his lips, looking pleased with himself.
The pants-legs had fallen away, resting on Danny's throat and chest.
"Don't," said Al, when Danny moved to cover his eyes, once again. He crawled up his lover's body, kissed him softly. "I want you up on top, to finish me. Is that okay?"
Danny hmm'd and nodded, scrubbing his hair against the wrinkled cotton of Al's pants. "That sounds really good to me, sweetheart," he said. "Lie down, let me take care of you."
For the first time all day, Al didn't argue, didn't resist his lover's hands, gently arranging him against the pillows, holding his cock steady as Danny lowered himself onto it. He sucked in a deep breath and closed his eyes, blindly slid his hands up Danny's thighs, holding them tightly as Danny settled on him, warm and tight.
"Good," he breathed.
"Mmm," said Danny.
He raised himself carefully, Al's erection sliding halfway out of his body, then relaxed back, humming softly when his body didn't protest at all. Beneath him, Al was moaned and squirmed, cheeks flushed as Danny ran his hands down Al's arms, riding him faster, harder.
When his fingers brushed over the bruise where he'd drawn Al's blood, he hesitated.
"Danny," said Al, more a pleading whimper than a warning.
Danny smiled and curled his body down, kissed just below the bruise. "I love you."
Al bucked his hips. "I know," he said.
For a few long moments, he held perfectly still, allowing Danny to ride him how he pleased, steady and even. He gripped Danny's hips when the urge to thrust became too strong to deny and bucked hard, holding Danny aloft as he moved, fucking him, chasing the pleasure. When it came, he arched his back and groaned, trembling as he took his pleasure, his muscles giving out with the last pulses of semen flooded Danny's body, leaving them panting in a tangle of sweaty limbs.
"That," Danny breathed, turning to kiss Al's shoulder, "was really good."
He pushed himself up, resting his weight on one hand, brushing some of Al's sweat-damp hair away from the younger man's face with the other. "How are you feeling?"
Al laughed wearily. "Right now, pretty good," he said. "Little dizzy, but before you freak out, it's just from coming." He winked at his lover. "I'm always dizzy after sex with you, Danny."
Danny rolled his eyes. "Smartass." He shifted, Al's cock slipping out of his body, then flopped onto his side, pulling Al close. "Sex with you makes my head spin too, sweetheart," he said. "You're just that good."
"Mmm-hmm, I am," said Al, pressing a kiss to Danny's collar bone, warm breath ghosting over the man's chest. "But just for the record, you are too."
Danny chuckled and gave his lover a gentle squeeze, then slid out of the bed, quieting Al's protests with a kiss. "I'm going to get cleaned up, then I'll come back," he said. "Promise."
Al scowled, but let him go.
By the time Danny returned, his lover was fast asleep, snoring softly into his pillow, a quiet sigh his only reaction to the touch of the damp cloth Danny used to clean him of semen and lube. When Danny slid into bed beside him, tugging the blankets up, Al cuddled close, nuzzling him a little before going still.
"Love you too, sweetheart," whispered Danny, closing his eyes.
~+~♥~+~
For the first time in two months, Al had no trouble sleeping through the night.
He woke to the sound of Danny moving about, returning to bed from the bathroom. Opened his arms when the man snuggled close, shivering in the morning chill.
"Sleep well, sweetheart?"
"Mmm? Mmm-hmm."
"Good. You needed it, after yesterday."
Al yawned. "Yeah I did," he said. "It's exhausting, getting rid of Nurse Danny, although his prescription of sex therapy worked really well, don't you think?"
He couldn't see his lover's face, but he could imagine the man's eye-roll well enough.
"You should still do as the doctor said, lay off caffeine and take a multivitamin, try to relax your mind before you go to sleep at night," said Danny. "I don't think it's healthy for you to need physical exhaustion in order to get enough sleep or to have an appetite."
Al sighed. "Danny?"
"Yeah?"
"That was a joke."
Danny looked down at him, blushing a little. "Oh. Sorry."
"It's okay," said Al. "Just means Nurse Danny's back again, needs to be chased away." He tugged his lover down and kissed him. "Which I don't mind at all."
~+~♥~+~
Nurse Danny never showed up in their bed again.