6. Skye

They stayed in their pajamas for the entirety of the next day. Skye worked on lesson plans for the substitute teacher while River went back and forth between watching tv, doing his breathing exercises, and sleeping. Skye switched out River's ice packs for him, helped him get to the bathroom, and brought him his meals and his pain meds. River, thankfully, was getting better about letting Skye help him, about communicating his needs. Even though Skye knew it was hard for his roommate to accept the help, he really didn"t mind at all. In fact, he was realizing that taking care of River made him happy.

When River's eyes started to drift closed, Skye got up and draped a blanket over him. Sliding his glasses off, he placed them on the coffee table. Then he reached up and ran his fingers through River's thick, dark hair.

River squinted, smiling up at him, before closing his eyes once again. But Skye's fingers and his heart told him that this was all wrong. That the touch lacked something. Something he craved. Something he needed. Something that he wanted more than anything in the world. Something he had wanted with River for far longer than he cared to admit.

Intimacy.

He sucked in a breath and stepped back.

Fuck.

No!Ice wall. Ice wall. Ice wall.

He watched as River dozed off, snoring softly, his chest rising and falling, Skye's chest constricting because River was just So. Damn. Beautiful.

Intimacy.

He sat back in his chair and buried his face in his hands. I'm not falling in love with him. I'm not. I'm not. I'm not.

He looked back up at River, biting his lip as the reality settled painfully in his chest. Damn you, he told his best friend. Because as much as he didn't want to admit it, the other sumo wrestler he'd put in front of the ice wall was gone. He knew better than to do this to himself, and yet he couldn't help it. He couldn't help that he was falling in love with his best friend. His very straight best friend who had just stated only yesterday that the idea of having sex with another man made him uncomfortable, scared, even, because of what had happened to him as a teenager. And Skye didn't blame him, not one bit, but he didn't need sex. He didn't need anything River wasn't willing and ready to give. If they were together, boyfriends, or even husbands, he would be happy with just cuddles and kisses. He would be happy with just sitting in the same room with River, knowing that he was his, and that River loved him. He would treasure every look, every smile, every touch no matter how small, for the gift that it was because it would be River, and even that would be far more than he ever thought possible.

He started to tremble, and it was only then that he realized his cheeks were streaked with tears. They continued to fall as he realized there was nothing he could do to stop it. He was going to continue to fall deeper and deeper in love with River, and River would never know. Could never know. The only thing Skye could do was be River's friend, as he'd always been, take care of him, be there for him. And he would continue to do that. Not just because he cared for him, but because River needed him, because even though he couldn't be his lover, he wanted to be his friend. He just had to come to terms with the fact that River would never be his, not in the way he wanted him to be.

He would have to accept the fact that the one thing he truly wanted was something he would never have.

Skye was standing in the kitchen scrambling eggs the next morning when River came out of his bedroom dressed in the T-shirt he'd worn for the past two days, and his black swimming trunks.

"Going swimming, Riv?" he asked, less amusement in his voice than he had intended. He'd been trying so hard not to give off the melancholy vibes that surrounded him. He'd held it together throughout the evening, after River had woken up from his nap and they'd had dinner together, and watched The Avengers, but then his sleep had been restless at best. He knew he had to do something to snap himself out of this funk, and sitting around moping and pining for his best friend was, he knew, a colossal waste of time.

River smirked. "Yes, I thought I'd take a dip in our pool that we don't have."

Skye returned that smirk with one of his own. The banter reminded him that they were in fact best friends, and whatever else happened, or didn't happen, he could hold onto that. They would always have each other. And that thought brightened his spirits a little bit.

"I was actually hoping you could help me take a bath after breakfast."

Skye sputtered and choked on his coffee. "What?" he managed as he grabbed a washcloth to wipe off his shirt and chin while River stared at him, his eyebrow raised. He set his crutches aside and sat down at the bar. Skye blinked, unable to believe what he'd just heard. River was still staring at him like he'd gone crazy. "What?" Skye repeated.

River laughed now, but it made him wince. "Don't worry. I don't want you to actually help me take the bath. I just need your help getting in and out. I can rest my ankle up on the edge of the tub to keep it elevated and out of the water. Better than a shower at this point. Hence the swim trunks. Didn't want you to get the full picture."

"Oh." Skye's cheeks heated and he hoped River didn"t notice. "Right. Sure, I can do that. After breakfast?"

River nodded.

"How'd you get into those anyway?" Skye gestured towards the swim trunks.

"Slowly and painfully," River replied, making Skye laugh.

"You could have asked for help."

"I could have. And then we would have had to get a friend divorce. Kind of defeats the whole purpose of you not seeing me naked if you have to help me get into them in the first place, don't you think? Besides, I'm gonna have to figure out how to do these things by myself by the end of the week anyway. I'm definitely not going to have my aunt helping me change."

"Guess that makes sense," Skye said, taking another sip of his coffee. He certainly was not going to tell River that he wouldn"t at all mind seeing him naked.

They finished eating and cleared up their dishes, then made their way into River's bedroom.

"How warm do you want it?" Skye asked, turning on the faucet and testing the water. He looked back at River who was sitting on his bed now and pulling the bandage off of his head. The scrapes and scabs were healing nicely and it looked like he could leave the bandage off now.

"Warm, but not super hot."

Skye waited a moment and put his hand under the water again to check the temperature. Deciding it was good he leaned over and plugged the drain to let it fill up. When he heard River wince he looked over.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Can you help me with my shirt?" River said, looking a bit sheepish. "It's hurting my ribs to try and do it myself."

Jesus Christ, Skye's brain was on overdrive right now. First River wanted help taking a bath and now he was asking Skye to take his shirt off? For fuck's sake, what was he trying to do to him?

Nothing. He wasn't trying to do anything to Skye. This was not sensual in any way. This was his friend needing help from literally the only person who could give it to him, and Skye needed to get his act together.

"Please?" River said. He winced again and Skye hurried over to him. He couldn't help the blush that crept up his cheeks when River raised his arms and he bent down to lift the hem of his shirt, pulling it up and over his head, all the while thinking, his body is not fucking gorgeous, and I do not want it, and I am not thinking of him that way, and he's my best friend.

"Don't get too close, I smell terrible," River said, grinning at him.

"That's gonna be a little hard to do if I'm supposed to help you into the tub," Skye remarked.

River chuckled and Skye handed him his crutches, then followed him into the bathroom. River rested the crutches against the wall next to the tub while Skye reached over to turn off the faucet.

"Maybe we should have some sort of plastic bag around the cast just to make sure it doesn't get wet," Skye suggested. "I'll be right back." He left and returned a moment later with a garbage bag. After helping River sit down on the edge of the tub, he knelt in front of him, sliding the bag over his cast and then using a rubber band to cinch it at the top.

"Might be easiest to just turn around and slide in," Skye said, standing and backing away slightly.

"Worth a shot." River turned around and slowly lowered himself into the tub while Skye stood nearby just in case. Fortunately, River didn't seem to need the help. He kept his left foot elevated. It got a little damp as he submerged himself into the water, but since the bag was around it it stayed safe. He sighed as he propped his ankle up on the end of the tub and rested his head back, clearly relieved to finally be in the warm water.

"Can you get me some soap and a washcloth?" he asked.

"Yeah," Skye replied, trying not to think about how gloriously sexy River looked right now, head resting back, eyes closed, arms up on the side of the tub, his chest dripping wet.

Skye opened the bathroom drawer for a washcloth and stepped into the shower for the soap, then set them down next to River on the side of the tub, his heart beating erratically as he watched the other man gather more water onto his arms and chest.

God, he had to get out of there before he popped a boner. He was headed for the door again when River stopped him.

"You might as well stay, unless you have something to do," he said. "I'm gonna need your help again in about five minutes to get out."

Skye didn't say anything, just bit his lip and backed up to sit down on the toilet, bouncing his leg up and down and forcing himself to look anywhere but at River. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and scrolled through social media for a few minutes to distract himself, before River's voice broke the silence. The bathroom was getting warmer, steamier, and the scent of River's watermelon and coconut body wash wafted through the air. Damn, Skye loved that smell. It was the smell of River, but it had never made his dick twitch until now.

"Skye?" River said, "Can you help me?"

"Help you?" he asked, trying not to sound as nervous as he felt.

"Yeah, I can't reach my hair without it hurting."

"You want me to wash your hair?" Skye asked, and God his emotions were all over the place. Fuck, yeah, he wanted to get his fingers all up in those gorgeous dark locks. But, shit, that was dangerous territory. It will be torture. And being so close to River without letting his thoughts wander…

"Is that okay?" River asked, no doubt sensing his hesitation. A flush crept up his cheeks. "Or does that cross the friendship boundaries?"

"No, no, it's fine," Skye assured him. "I think we crossed those boundaries when I had to help you get dressed and pee, Riv," he added lightheartedly, and River's flush deepened, but he smiled. "Let me get a cup or something to scoop water with, and I'll be right back."

Skye left and returned with a large, blue plastic cup, and knelt next to the tub, and River. Okay, I can do this, and I can do it without popping a boner. I hope.

He reached over and slid River's glasses off, setting them behind him on the counter. River grinned at him, his cheeks still pink. He tilted his head back as Skye dipped the cup into the water and poured it over his hair several times, the water sliding down his neck, over his chest and back. And God it was tantalizing, watching the droplets skate over corded muscle. Skye wanted to lick off every last drop.

River's hair was soaked in no time. Skye squirted the shampoo onto his hands and scrubbed it through River's dark locks, trying not to relish the feel of River's wet hair under his fingertips, and then poured more water on his head, running his fingers through the thick strands again to help rinse it out. A shiver raced down his spine when he noticed the way River's shoulders and back muscles moved and flexed as he shifted, and his cock twitched again.

Goddammit.

He poured more water over River's back and shoulders to get rid of the soap suds there as well, and then pushed himself up to stand as he said, "Okay, I think that's it." His heart was pounding as he dried his hands off, but he gave himself a mental high five for being boner free. Thank God. "You ready to get out?"

River nodded.

"Okay, how are we doing this?" Skye asked. He couldn"t help thinking about how adorable River looked, soaking wet and smiling up at him, his hair plastered to his face. And God damn, he smelled good. No one had the right to smell that fucking good.

"Unplug the drain first, probably?" River said. Skye did, then leaned against the counter waiting for the water to drain.

"Now what?" he asked once it was gone.

"I think if you grab my arms I can use my good foot to push myself up. As long as I don't slip."

"Okay." Skye stepped forward and took hold of River's upper arms, trying not to notice how strong and firm they felt under his grip, but also trying to make sure he didn't let go, since River was still quite wet.

River gripped Skye's arms in turn and Skye lifted him as River pushed up with his right foot and brought his left foot down as he stood, being careful to keep the weight off of it still.

"I think I'm gonna need you to put your arm around my shoulders to help me out," River said. "I can lift my bad ankle out first but I can't put it down, so I'll need your support while I get my other foot out."

Skye stepped as close to the side of the tub as he could and held his arm out for River. He wrapped his arm around River's shoulders and River lifted his bad ankle out of the tub first, holding it in the air, which put him awkwardly off kilter while he tried to get his right foot out of the tub, and as he did, he practically collapsed into Skye, wrapping both arms around him and staring him in the face, their chests pressed together.

Skye inhaled, stumbling backwards slightly as River fell into him, his arms coming around his friend. It had happened naturally when they collided, in order to steady themselves, but Skye swallowed hard now. River was pressed so close to him, eyes gazing into his, and Skye felt like he couldn"t breathe. River's lips were only centimeters from his. But the space grew in a flash as River pushed away and supported himself on the counter.

"Sorry," he said, cheeks flushed. "That was a little more contact than I intended."

"No, it's fine," Skye assured him, still flustered, but pretending he wasn't as he cleared his throat. "What next?" He handed River his glasses and the other man slipped them on, his cheeks flushed once again.

"I think I'm gonna need you to dry me off."

Fucking fuck fuck fuck. Is he trying to tempt me?But he couldn"t help the smile that tugged at his lips as River bit his lip. Damn, that was all kinds of adorable, and hot. Super hot. Ice wall, he reminded himself. Ice Wall.

He reached for a towel and stood in front of River as he began to dry him off, starting with his hair and working his way down. He dried off River's smooth chest, feeling his firm, toned body beneath his palms, unable to control the shiver that raced down his spine.

He moved to his strong arms, his slender abdomen, down to his knees, his legs, and down to his feet—well, foot—all the while telling himself, Ice wall, Ice wall, Ice wall.

He brought the towel up to the bottom of River's swim trunks and used it to squeeze out some of the excess water that was still dripping onto his feet, and the floor, and then he stood.

"Anything else?" he asked, his voice soft and a little huskier than normal, his face only inches from River's once again.

There was a pause before River spoke, his eyes locked with Skye's. "Just the crutches," he said, and Skye noticed that his voice was soft, too. Thoughtful, almost, and he inhaled. He couldn't remember River ever looking at him the way he was now. And when River spoke again it was in the same soft tone. "Thank you, Skye."

Skye's heart was pounding as River reached up and gently brushed the blond locks from his eyes and then threaded his fingers through the wavy strands for a brief moment.

"You're welcome, Riv." River smiled at him as he reached over and grabbed his crutches.

"You'll be okay changing on your own?" Skye asked, his mind racing, wondering what the hell had just happened there. The way River had looked at him, the way he'd held his gaze, the way he'd spoken to him, warm and soft, the way he'd touched him. He'd never touched Skye like that before. It was almost as if…no, he was being ridiculous. River was just being appreciative and friendly. He didn't have feelings for Skye. He had a girlfriend. And he was straight. It was just wishful thinking. God, he had to stop thinking about River like this. He was misinterpreting everything now.

"Um, could you get some underwear and pajamas out for me to change into and leave them on the bed? The rest I'll manage on my own," River said.

"Okay." He never thought he would be fishing through River's underwear drawer, but here he was. He pulled out a pair of boxers, figuring those will be easier than anything else his friend had in there to get over the cast, and then found a pair of pajama pants and a T-shirt and tossed them on the bed.

"Good?" he asked, and River nodded, so he left, shutting the door behind him.