Chapter Twenty-Five

In the hospital on the day Greg got to go home, they argued. It was probably the first time an argument was productive and didn't end in near disaster. And it taught Brian that they had a lot of work to put in when it came to their communication skills.

"I'm going home, Brian." Greg sat on the side of the bed, waiting for Brian to organize the clothing Travis dropped off.

"I can take care of you if you stay with me." Brian grabbed underwear and knelt in front of Greg. He got the underwear around each foot before he pulled them up to his knees.

Greg had to stand to get them the rest of the way up. His face pinched with pain. When he sat back down again, he practically fell onto the mattress. He panted as if he'd run a marathon.

Brian grabbed sweatpants. "Do you need to take a break?"

"No, Brian. I don't need to take a fucking break from getting dressed. Stop treating me like a child."

Brian put the pants on the bed beside Greg and left the room. If he didn't, he'd say something he would regret. Greg was already in a lot of pain. That was the reason for him being so testy. The last thing Brian wanted to do was add to his level of discomfort.

Four days ago, Greg's anger would have left Brian a nervous wreck. He didn't do confrontation well and didn't like to argue. But spending twenty-four hours a day with Greg with nothing to do but watch Animal Planet and talk had a way of tearing down walls. They were comfortable with each other, so the bickering didn't bother Brian as much as it had before.

Brian took a few more deep breaths and entered the room again. He stood in front of Greg, who hadn't put his pants on yet. "Look at me." Brian waited for Greg to meet his eyes. "Let's get one thing straight. I am your partner. Correct? That's what you meant when you said you loved me."

"Yes." Greg's scowl didn't waver, and neither did his sharp tone.

"That does not make me your punching bag. One does not equal the other."

The scowl lifted. "Shit. I'm sorry."

"It's fine. Let's get your pants on and go home." Brian fell to his knees at Greg's feet, grabbing the pants on the way.

Getting the pants up past Greg's hips was the tricky part. Brian leaned in, wrapping his arms around Greg to give him solid support while Greg lifted and pulled his pants around his waist.

Brian picked up a shoe and put those on one at a time before standing. He untied Greg's hospital gown and handed Greg his shirt. "You got the shirt, right?"

"Yeah," Greg mumbled.

Brian searched the room, making sure they weren't leaving anything while Greg finished getting dressed.

Greg grabbed him around the waist, pulling him close. "I'm being an asshole."

"Yes. I'm aware." Brian wrapped his arms around Greg's shoulders and smiled to soften the blow of his words.

"I'll stay with you if that's what you want."

"Is it what you want?"

"Yes. I didn't want you to feel obligated. Or like you have to take care of me."

"I want to. I love you."

Greg kissed him then, a gentle press of lips. "And I love you."

"You two are giving me cavities. God, sweetness overload," Kyler said as he entered the room, pushing a wheelchair.

"Why are you here?" Greg asked, with a growl. His cheek rested on Brian's chest.

"I see someone is full of sunshine today. What did the doctor do, shove the sunshine up your ass?"

"Really? It had to be Kyler. It couldn't have been Leonard or Neil." And there was that grouchiness back in full swing.

Brian sighed and shook his head.

Kyler grabbed his chest and started staggering around as if Greg had shot him. "Your words. They burn. You wound me, Greg." He stood steady, his hands falling to his sides. "Get in the damn wheelchair and stop bitching. Be thankful someone loves your grouchy ass."

Brian had to admit, Kyler certainly had a way with words. Brian shifted so that he could help Greg if needed, but for the most part, he could get around fine.

He got Greg situated in the wheelchair and Kyler pushed Greg down the hall.

"Why are you pushing me? Isn't it supposed to be a nurse?"

"The nurses like me." Halfway down, Kyler picked up speed. He cackled all the way. At one point he even popped a wheelie which made Greg curse in front of the nurse's station.

Brian undid his seatbelt, scooting closer. He worked his fingers under Greg's T-shirt, caressing the hot skin of his abdomen.

"What are you doing?" Greg whispered in his ear.

"Making your ride more enjoyable." Brian winked at him and slid his hand beneath the elastic of his sweats and then his underwear until his fingers met the flesh there. Brian held Greg's cock in his hand until it hardened beneath the attention. He jacked him off slowly as he licked a path from Greg's neck to his collarbone.

"Shit." Greg buried his hands in Brian's hair. "Keep driving, perv," Greg said to Kyler, who probably adjusted the mirror from the front seat.

"I'm a perv? I'm not the one who is about to fuck in the backseat of my car. Don't get anything on my seats, man."

Brian moved his way down Greg's chest, even as he pushed the clothing out of his way. He wanted access to skin.

"I want you to ride me." Greg said before Brian could wrap his lips around Greg's cock.

"Now I'm hard, damn it," Kyler said belligerently.

"How long before we're home," Greg asked Kyler a few minutes later.

"Ten or fifteen minutes probably," Kyler answered.

Greg whispered, "God, I want you so bad."

Brian's cock throbbed with need. He couldn't take it anymore. Pulling off his jeans, he let them fall to the floor of Kyler's car. As he straddled Greg's lap, he thought about the placement of Greg's injury and actively tried to avoid touching it.

A condom came sailing through the air, and Greg caught it. "Thanks, man."

"I don't have lube, so you're shit out of luck there," Kyler said.

Greg wrapped his hand around Brian's cock and began pumping. He kissed a path from Brian's lips to the place next to his ear. "Does cum make good lube?"

Brian bucked up into Greg's fist and moaned. Something about the question turned him on in unexpected ways. "I don't know."

"Let's find out together then." Greg pumped faster, and Brian's world came undone.

It had been a few days. Brian hadn't realized how tense he'd been until Greg loosened him up. His orgasm built with each push and pull until he spilled over into Greg's hand.

Greg held him close through the orgasm and after when he came down. Fingers swirled around his hole, pushing into him.

The arm Greg had wrapped around Brian's waist left and pressed a condom into Brian's hand. "Put that on me."

Brian nodded and tore the condom wrapper. His hands shook as he rolled it down onto Greg's cock. Once it was on, Greg pulled out his fingers and wiped the rest of Brian's cum over his cock.

Brian grabbed the base and guided it to his hole. He pushed down, impaling himself on Greg's cock.

Greg leaned forward, demanding a kiss, thrusting his tongue between Brian's lips at the same time Brian set a rhythm, pulling part of the way off before plunging again.

Greg trailed kisses to Brian's neck, licking and sucking up a mark. "You like that, honey?"

Brian nodded. "Yeah." Brian set the pace, creating delicious friction. They weren't in a hurry to get off. It wasn't about that but about sealing the bond they had formed.

Greg stiffened, pressing into Brian as far as he could get. He grunted and pulled Brian against him as his orgasm worked through his body.

Greg lifted him off his lap. His face pinched with pain.

The quick departure made Brian shutter, but Greg pulled him close again. Greg kissed into his hair. "Sorry, honey."

It took Brian a second to process, but once he did, he went into panic mode. "Oh, God. You aren't hurt, are you?"

"Nothing a kiss won't fix."

"Thank God." Brian let out a relieved sigh. Brian pulled on his underwear and pants before searching around for napkins or something.

"Center console," Kyler mumbled. His voice sounded raspy.

Brian lifted the console and reached around until he found some napkins.

"I didn't mean to scare you. I pulled you against my wound is all." Greg wrapped an arm around Brian's waist as he cleaned Greg up.

He took the condom off Greg's cock and wrapped it inside one of the napkins. With another, he wiped Greg's cock off and put Greg's underwear and sweats back into place. "I know. I'll probably be a little over-protective for a while yet. I almost lost you."

Brian would never forget Greg underneath the four-wheeler, only his dark blond hair visible and blood tinting the grass black in the moonlight.

"I'm okay."

They would have to shower when they got home.

He wadded up the napkins and placed them on the floor before curling up into Greg's side.