Teacher's Pet - 9. Chapter 9

He had been so cold then, colder than he had ever been. Not so now. Josh stretched out beneath the soft warmth of his duvet and threw his arm up over his face with a sigh, his mind wandering over the past twenty four hours.

The journey down the mountain had been a nightmare. The sky above was black as night, rent apart at regular intervals by jagged forks of lightening. The ground beneath their feet was turned into a mud slide, in places ankle deep, and they slipped and slid as they careered downwards being pummelled by rain that seemed to want to pound them into the ground.

If Josh had had the presence of mind to think at all he would have been astonished by the fact that Ray had kept his footing, carrying Ash as he was but, somehow he did.

At the bottom Ray had not paused but hurried along the river bank to the bridge. It had not been possible to talk above the noise of the rain but Josh had managed to convey to the others that it would be best to go to his house as it was closer.

Tumbling through the door Josh had preceded Ray into the living room and switched on the light, kicking a few things out of the way so his way would be clear. He had then hurried upstairs and collected an armful of blankets and the biggest towels he could find. By the time he had come down Ray had laid Ash on the sofa and was kneeling beside him. As he entered the room he had heard the rich baritone as the big man bent over the slight form of his son, holding tightly to fingers that were beginning to turn blue with cold.

“What are you doing to yourself boy? You had us all scared stiff. Come on now, none of this fading out on us. Be strong now. You’re a strong boy Ash, always have been. I don’t know how many times you have had me in a right tizz, not knowing whether to ground you or be proud of you... I was always proud of you. I still am. I know I don’t say it very often but I am proud of you Ash... your painting, your strength. I’m proud and so sorry. I know you can’t help being what you are.”

Josh had been surprised to hear the catch in his voice and, when he dumped the blankets and towels on the floor next to him he had been even more shocked to see tears in his eyes. He had looked up at Josh helplessness like pain raw in his eyes. Ash had been awake, his eyes wide and staring up at the ceiling but he hadn’t had any awareness, any connection with what was going on around him.

Josh had moved Ray out of the way and pulled Ash into a sitting position. Stripping off his sodden clothes he had rubbed his body and arms vigorously with the towels until the pale blue tinge had vanished to be replaced with a healthier blush. When he was feeling warmer Josh had wrapped him with blankets and sat next to him, pulling him tight against his side. By this time Josh, who was no less wet and cold had been worn out and viewing the situation through a haze of exhaustion.

Ash’s head had lolled against his shoulder and had resisted all attempts he had made to rouse him, although he had looked up into his face with unfocussed eyes and tried to smile. After a time during which Ash had managed to recover slightly but still had only been able to remain conscious for minutes at a time Josh had to admit that they needed help and it had been agreed that he should be taken to the hospital.

Declan had run home to get their car as Josh had been in no condition to drive, being far too emotional and concerned. He had sat in the back, cradling Ash in his arms, terrified. And then had come the waiting. Almost as soon as they had arrived the doctors had whipped a dazed Ash away and then seemed to have forgotten about them.

Although the anger and bitterness seemed to have been dispersed the atmosphere between Josh, Declan and Ray had still been uncomfortable and conversation had not flown as they sat in the crowded waiting room as first the seconds, then the minutes and eventually the hours ticked by.

Eventually a nurse had appeared and called all three of them into a side room where they had been joined a few minutes later by a young female doctor. Ray had seemed to know her and Josh soon surmised that she had been the doctor who had treated Ash when he had been there before. She had not been pleased.

“What the hell has been going on? I told you quite clearly that you had to take care of him, that you had to watch his leg and contact us straight away if you were concerned. Why did you let things get this bad? What the hell has he been doing? He’s completely exhausted. He has no strength to fight the infection.”

“Is he alright?”

“No, he’s not alright. Did you really expect me to say that he was? You can see the state he’s in. I told you he needed taking care of, careful handling.”

“But is he going to be alright?”

Flicking her flaming eyes at Josh she had asked in a tone of voice that might have been offensive in other circumstances but which, at that point had simply gone completely over his head.

“Who the hell are you?”

“I’m... a friend; Ash’s friend. Please... how is he?”

The doctor had given him a look that now made him smile. She had been so righteously angry and, with good cause. At the time it had gone right over Josh’s head. She could have grown fangs and ripped out his throat for all he had cared. If she would only say that Ash was okay he would have died smiling... as he was smiling now.

“No thanks to any of you Ash will be fine. But I am warning you. I have no intention of letting him out of this hospital until I am certain that you will be looking after him a lot better than you have so far. That boy has been through a lot. You don’t seem to have any appreciation of how difficult it has been for him.

“Physically he is in a lot of pain and he is struggling with that. He is completely exhausted. His leg is infected, although not seriously but the infection has spread quickly because of his weakened condition and it could have been a lot worse. Another day and his condition would have been very serious. As it is... he needs rest and building up and he will be fine.

“Emotionally, I’m not so certain. I tried to persuade Ash to seek counselling when he was here before. The attack shook him badly, more badly I think than any of you realised. He wouldn’t talk about it, became very withdrawn and anxious whenever anyone tried to get him to address it. Frankly I was worried about him, concerned that his emotional fragility would erupt as soon as he was faced with a difficult situation and, it would appear that I was right.”

“That’s not why this happened.”

“Really?”

“No, it isn’t. He was running away from something, from a situation that was, in part, created by matters beyond his control. I think he would have struggled to cope with it even if the attack had never happened, even if he hadn’t been ill.”

“Possibly, but the fact remains... Ashley is fragile, physically and emotionally and I am not going to let him out of my sight until I am sure that you all appreciate this. Otherwise he will be back here again and next time he might not be so lucky.”

“We understand. I think you would be surprised by how much we understand now.” The tone of Ray’s voice had been low and humbled. He had glanced sideways at Josh before lifting and squaring his chin. “We have Josh to thank for that.”

Declan had rumbled assent and the doctor had give Josh a hard stare before tossing her head and frowning at them all again.

“I am glad to hear it. Well... I’ve had my say. You can go and see Ash now but I am warning you... he is asleep and I don’t want anyone waking him, not for any reason. There is only so far we can go with medicine... what he needs is rest; pure, natural sleep and plenty of it. I am hopeful that he will be a great deal better by the morning but only if he gets enough rest tonight.”

It had been hard, sitting at the bedside watching Ash sleep. He had been bare chested, the blankets folded down so that the dark bruises on his cheek and over his torso were visible and stark against his pale skin. It had been hard for Josh to look at, hard for him to acknowledge the pain that they signified, that he had made so much worse.

It seemed that Ray had been having the same thoughts and reactions because he had not been able to look at Ash for a long time and, when he had finally managed it he had shaken his head, moaning and putting his head in his hands.

“What have I done? What have I done?”

“Easy Da. You didn’t do anything. Well... you did the best you could. You didn’t do this.”

“I drove him out Dec. I knew he was sick. I knew he was in pain and I drove him out. What kind of father does that make me?”

“A misguided one.” They had both looked up, Ray tormented and Declan defensive. Josh had tried to smile but hadn’t done a very good job of it. “You made a mistake. You should have taken better care of him. But we all made mistakes. I left him alone. I knew he was feverish, that his leg was bad. He begged me not to but I left him alone.

“It’s all academic now. If you hadn’t thrown him out, if I hadn’t left him alone, if the headmaster hadn’t seen fit to pay him a visit... But we did, and it happened, and now it’s over. We can’t undo the past but we can learn from it. We can value him more because of it. I’m sick of fighting, sick of pussyfooting around and pretending I’m something I’m not.

“It wasn’t until I thought I had lost Ash that I realised how much I have come to value him in my life. It’s that same with all of us. We take things for granted. We hit out at those we love because we know they will take it, they will love us no matter what. We turn our backs on love because it doesn’t fit into the boxes we have constructed around it. We all made mistakes. I intend to remedy mine by never, ever letting go of him again”

“What about the school?”

“The school was always a mistake. I have been spoiled. I have never had a problem with my sexuality. I have been open about it since I was thirteen and it has been completely accepted by all those around me. I appreciated, intellectually that I was lucky, that there were others who were not so open; not as privileged as I was to have been surrounded by family and friends who were completely accepting, but it never really touched me, because the problems had never touched me.

“Living in the midst of so many open minded people makes you believe that everyone is like that, makes you consider yourself immune to the problems that brings. Well wasn’t this place a lesson? I am tired of fighting for the right to be myself. I quit.”

“I’m sorry about that. For what it’s worth, before all this with Ash, I fought for you. I thought you would be good for us, for the school. I still think that.”

“I appreciate that but I won’t reconsider. I don’t want to be Ash’s teacher any more. I want to be his lover, and I can’t be both.”

Ray had flinched but, to his credit, had done his best to hide it. Declan had simply grinned and patted Josh on the back so hard he choked. Thinking back it made him chortle; the slap on the back, the look on Ray’s face... it had all been priceless... but so wasted on him at the time. He had been so tired that everything had a slightly unreal quality and all he wanted to do was lay his head on the pillow beside Ash’s, tangle his fingers in the incredible ink black hair and fall asleep with Ash’s sweet breath on his face.

After an hour Ray and Declan had left. The nurses had tried to persuade Josh to leave too but there had never been any prospect of that. He would have fought tooth and claw to stay close to Ash that night. In the end they had called the doctor and, after five minutes alone with Josh her previously stern and severe manner had softened to the point that she had arranged for a recliner chair to be brought into Ash’s room for Josh to sleep on. Not that he had taken advantage of it. He had not been able to even contemplate the possibility of letting go of Ash’s hand, not even for a moment and had fallen asleep with their fingers entwined and his head on the pillow.

By the following morning Ash had been so much better that, by lunchtime he’d been getting feverish again with frustration and boredom. The doctor, who had come round mid afternoon checked him over and gave them the news they had been hoping for. After twenty four hours of IV antibiotics, a significant overhaul of the wound itself and long lectures to Ash about taking the pain meds properly and to Josh about taking care of him properly, he was fit to be released.

Ray and Ash’s mother had come to collect him and she had hugged both Ash and Josh and cried. She had wanted Ash to go back home but he had told both her and Ray that his home was with Josh now, although he had done it with affection. They had called off briefly to collect more of his things and then they were home.

Ash hadn’t had much opportunity to rest though as there had been a steady stream of visitors all afternoon. Even the twins had come, looking sheepish and guilty. Josh had glared at them when he opened the door and Joel was all for running but Jake made him stay and stuck out his chin when he asked to speak to Ash alone. Josh had no idea what they said to him, afterwards he had refused to talk about it but something had grown and something had diminished; one of them could have been fear.

By ten o’clock Ash had crashed. Ruth, Judith and Jay had been there all evening and he had made a valiant effort to keep up with the conversation, but he had been wilting for over an hour and, when he fell asleep in the middle of a sentence they had all realised he had been pushing himself too far, as usual and it had not needed Josh’s chivvying to get them to go home.

Ash had not argued about going to bed and had been almost asleep before Josh had ever crawled in beside him. The smiling sleepy eyes that had glowed at him from the pillow when he had lain his head beside them, had truly been the most beautiful things he had ever seen. The look they held within took his breath away and he had wanted so badly to reach out but had been afraid. Not so Ash who had wriggled close to him and kissed him soundly before falling asleep in his arms leaving Josh still dazed and shocked.

And then they had slept, skin to skin, tangled in each other, curled around one another, breathing the same air, their hearts beating as one. And it had been sweet.

Raising himself up on one elbow and turning towards the sleeping form beside him Josh stared with undisguised adoration at the face next to his on the pillow. Ash was still pale, the bruises standing out harsh against the delicate porcelain skin. He was so completely open in sleep. He seemed so frail, so vulnerable. Josh smiled. He had come to realise that, in Ash’s case, appearances could be so deceptive... there was steel under that soft, delicate surface, like an iron bar in a velvet glove.

They had slept late and the early afternoon sun was bright through the window, calling up deep red tints in the blackness of the shining hair that was spread over the pillow and the softly curving shoulder, and dusting the flawless skin with gold. He couldn’t help himself, he had to touch it, brushing the long strands from the soft skin which trembled under his touch.

Holding his breath he traced the lines of the cheek and jaw with the lightest touch of hesitant fingers. Ash smiled, his lips parting slightly. He did not open his eyes and Josh didn’t know whether or not he was still asleep. Part of him wanted to let him sleep on and to lie there for hours just watching the impossibly long lashes tremble on the sweet cheeks, but part of him, the biggest part of him couldn’t bear to be this close and not touch, not after having denied himself for so long.

Very, very gently he brushed a finger across Ash’s lips and they parted further at the touch. He slid his finger between them and the perfect ivory teeth closed, nipping him gently while the lithe tongue delicately caressed the tip. Josh smiled. Removing his finger he ran it down along the jawline and added the others to stroke over the bare shoulder and down the arm which was lying on top of the bed clothes. Ash shivered and opened his eyes. The intense colour startled Josh as it had always done and he smiled a dazed smile.

Ash returned the smile and stirred languorously. “Good morning.”

“It’s more like afternoon but who cares? How are you feeling today?”

Ash stretched tentatively and winced with a grunt. “Still sore but much better.” He yawned and stretched again, more carefully. Sliding closer he laid his hand on Josh’s chest and ran it outwards over his ribs and down his side.

“You had better be careful.”

“Careful? With you? Why?”

“Because another move like that and I am going to lose control and ravish you... and I don’t think you are up to being ravished just yet.”

Ash looked up coquettishly through lowered lashes and moved closer still, running his hand lightly downwards, over hyper sensitive skin, until it rested on the inside of Josh’s hip bone. “Are you sure about that?”

Josh’s eyes had gone dark and Ash watched with interest as the pupils dilated betraying his desire.

“I dare not.”

“Oh, you should always dare... always.” With his hand resting on the hip bone Ash moved his thumb in circles, massaging the hot, tight skin, feeling the muscles contract. At the same time he turned towards Josh, raising his head to nip him playfully on the shoulder. Josh didn’t know what to do. He was afraid to follow his instincts in case he hurt Ash but he couldn’t bear to stop him... the touch of his hand was burning him, waking parts of him that had been asleep for too long. Throwing back his head he groaned aloud.

Ash laughed, sensing the conflict and backed off. Flicking the blankets away he gently pressed Josh back onto the pillows. Josh complied then froze as Ash raised himself up as Josh had done before and leaned down to kiss him. At first the kiss was gently undemanding and Josh relaxed, his hands moving up of their own accord to bury themselves in Ash’s hair.

He felt Ash smile as he slid his tongue into his mouth and proved that he had not been lying when he had professed to being no innocent. Josh was lost in the kiss, barely aware of anything else, when Ash’s questing fingers buried themselves in the soft hair beneath his waist and tugged gently. He would have pulled away but Ash wouldn’t let him. His hand covered Ash’s which let go of his hair and twined around the fingers drawing them down and then pressing them against his belly, pushing downwards.

Josh jerked his head away. “Ash... please... I... I don’t want to hurt you.”

Ash grinned. “Then don’t hurt me.”

“I’m afraid.”

“Alright... then let me take control. I know exactly how far I can push myself.”

“I would rather you didn’t push yourself at all. You are supposed to be resting, remember?”

“I’ll rest afterwards. We can stay in bed all day if you want.”

“Resting?”

“Or something. Now be quiet. Let me show you how much of a child I am, how inexperienced, how vulnerable, how innocent.”

“Oh... I already got the message on that score.”

“Do you think?” He smiled, his hand caressing Josh’s face, the long slender fingers tracing his features, tugging at the hair at the nape of his neck. Josh closed his eyes only to have them fly open again moments later as Ash’s lips closed around his nipple and bit gently.

“Fuck.”

“Yep... eventually.”

“I...”

“Sssh, I’m busy.”

Josh closed his eyes and surrendered himself to the feelings that were taking possession of his body and his soul. Ash was slow and careful, he had to be and it was all the better for it. In the end Ash curled himself like a kitten, half lying across Josh’s stomach his hand curled around his balls and lapping at the head of his cock. Josh was shivering, his stomach and cock twitching uncontrollably. Ash was almost purring and by the time he moved his head forwards and took him completely into his mouth he was shivering almost as much as Josh was.

The dextrous fingers stroked and kneaded, then slipped down Josh’s cleft to massage the entrance to his body, teasing and stretching the sensitive skin. At the same time he took him deeply into his mouth, flicking the tip with his tongue every time he withdrew. Getting gradually faster and firmer he had Josh squirming and sweating in minutes. Forgetting all of the reasons not to, he arched his back thrusting upwards with his hips. The movement raised Ash off the bed and he gasped but didn’t stop what he was doing, indeed he intensified and slipped his finger inside, distracting Josh totally from any concern he would otherwise have experienced.

Shuddering with the effort to hold back Josh moaned and writhed, his hands tangling in the bedclothes, his head thrown back. He was brought to the edge more than once and, almost as if he could tell the precise moment when the line would be crossed Ash always did something to slightly distract him until that moment had passed and he had been pulled back far enough to build even further, last even longer.

Almost on the edge of unconsciousness Josh had time to register the fact that Ash could do things with one finger that no one else he had ever been with had been able to achieve with five, and then Ash plunged deeply within him, touching something that caused sensation to explode inside him. At the same time he increased the speed and strength with which he was working on the outside and there was nothing more he could have done to prevent the inevitable.

Josh was unable to make a coherent sound. He made a strangled noise but had no need to do so because, again Ash had been able to read his body with incredible accuracy and withdrew the shaft from his mouth with bare moments to spare before Josh was pumping. Withdrawing his finger Ash concentrated on the shaft and milked it of ever drop it had to express.

As soon as he had ensured that Josh was utterly spent Ash let his head fall onto Josh’s stomach, curling up again, his fingers idly stroking the now limp cock with gentle, feather light strokes. In a state that was almost shock Josh reached down and tangled his own fingers in the silky black hair that spread over his body.

“Ash...” His voice was a cracked, hoarse croak and he swallowed heavily and tried again. “Ash... I...” He felt Ash smile against his stomach and fell silent, stroking his hair, waiting for his heart to slow.

“Do you still think of me as just a child?”

Josh laughed, a harsh bark, and shivered at the memory of recent experience. “Ash, I have never thought of you as just a child. I could never think of you as ‘just’ anything. I have fought it and denied it but the fact is I have adored you since almost the moment I first laid eyes on you. You are fucking amazing.”

Ash raised his head and turned to look at Josh, winced and subsided with a grunt. Moving carefully he uncurled and crawled up to lie next to Josh, panting slightly but looking triumphant. He raised himself on one elbow and looked down, grinning like a Cheshire Cat.

“I told you didn’t I? I told you that I knew what I was doing. I don’t want to brag but I have never had any complaints.”

“And why would you? You are truly beautiful. I adore you. I worship you. Let me show you how.”

Very gently Josh pressed Ash back against the pillows and simply lay for a moment staring down at him, his fingers absently combing through his hair. Ash’s eyes were wide, the blue dark but striking. His lips looked swollen from their recent exertions and were slightly parted showing the perfect white teeth beneath. He still looked ill, with dark shadows under his eyes, the bruises stark against pale skin. But he also looked radiant.

Very gently Josh trailed a finger over the swollen lips, the high cheekbones, down along the jaw line to the base of the throat where the pulse throbbed strongly. Ash sighed and closed his eyes, the perfect arc of dark lashes trembling.

Bending forwards Josh brushed his lips over Ash’s and another sigh escaped. As carefully as he could he ran his hand over Ash’s chest and smiled at the shiver it provoked. Leaning back slightly he ran his eyes over the naked body stretched out next to him. Even with the ugly bruises it was an absolute work of art. Slender and soft but with definition in all the right places Josh thought, not for the first time that Ash was truly the most beautiful man he had ever laid eyes on, certainly the most beautiful he had ever laid hands on.

With the tips of his fingers he lightly stroked the soft skin of chest and abdomen watching as Ash’s hand clenched and relaxed at his side, the long fingers ivory white. On an impulse he reached out and took the hand. Raising it to his lips he kissed every one, ending with the index finger which he slowly took into his mouth, caressing it with the tip of his tongue. Opening his eyes he saw that Ash was staring at him, his lips parted a hungry expression on his face.

He smiled and released the finger. The hand remained, pressing against the side of his face, tugging gently at his hair, the thumb running over his lips, teasing him. With a snap he captured the thumb, biting gently. At the same time he let his hand run lower, feeling the muscles of the abdomen contract at the touch. Ash whimpered and, at first Josh was concerned it might have been with pain but there was none of that in the expressive eyes, the open face that stared up at him with something close to adoration.

Plunging his fingers into the soft hair Josh reached for the nuggets beneath and Ash whimpered again. Now that he was sure it was not with pain Josh thought that it was the cutest sound he had ever heard, not childish but child like. There was something altogether childlike about Ash and it had nothing to do with age or experience. It had everything to do with purity and innocence. It made Josh smile as he massaged gently, causing Ash to moan and close his eyes tilting his head back.

Josh was unable to resist leaning forward to kiss the exposed throat and Ash’s hand fell away, brushing over his shoulder before tangling in the already disarrayed bedclothes.

Continuing his massage Josh hooked one leg over Ash’s, nudging it outward. Getting the message surprisingly quickly Ash spread his legs allowing Josh to reach lower. He groaned as Josh probed him with the tip of his finger.

Unable to afford to allow himself the luxury of abandon Ash held tight to his control, resisting the urge to arch upwards and press himself into Josh’s body. Shivering he dug his fingers into the bed, the tension alone causing him to bite his lip and twist his body slightly, away from the pain. Oblivious to his discomfort Josh let his hot lips slide lower finding the nipple in its circle of curling black hair.

Ash was so dark that, although he was not particularly hairy it stood out, stark against the pale skin and was a major turn on for Josh who had, he now realised, previously gone for blondes, or men with very little body hair, through nature or design. In particular Ash had a line of fur than ran from his navel downwards and Josh could not take his eyes off it. Thinking about it as he tugged at the hair around the nipple with his teeth his fingers, of their own accord abandoned what they had been doing and stroked upwards to tease it with soft caresses.

Despite himself Ash raised his hips, pressing into the touch and groaned. Lost in the pleasure Josh remained unaware.

“Josh...” The word was half moan, tight with passion, pleasure and pain. “I... I can’t...” Placing his hand on Josh’s head he pressed downwards and Josh smiled as he slithered lower leaving a trail of kisses over the hot, tight skin of his abdomen.

“Patience.”

“I... I know. It’s just... just...” The words cut off as Josh’s tongue touched the tip of his cock and turned into a whimper which only made Josh smile again.

While his lips began to work their way down the shaft his finger returned to its previous occupation and he was unsurprised when Ash jerked and grunted.

Sliding his finger in further than before he took him deeper into his mouth and began to suck rhythmically. Ash’s hands gripped convulsively at his hair but the pain merely added to the intensity of the pleasure he was experiencing from the taste and smell of his love.

“Josh... I... I don’t know... I...”

Again the words were cut off as Josh plunged and Ash jerked beneath him. Ash was whimpering continuously now, his body jerking uncontrollably with the rhythm of Josh’s ministrations. His jaw was clenched too tightly to be able to utter a sound other that the choked mewling which bubbled from his lips.

Increasing his speed Josh grew more and more excited as he sensed the climax building in the heaving body beneath him. Losing all concern for Ash’s fragile condition he pumped harder and Ash’s whimpers turned to moans, his breathing becoming rapid pants until suddenly and unexpectedly his body twisted and bucked. A harsh cry was ripped from him and Josh got a mouthful of salty cum which made him gag slightly because of its unexpectedness.

Swallowing convulsively Josh let the now flaccid cock slide from his mouth to lie, spent and twitching slightly in its ebony nest. With a broad smile on his face he tried to raise his head but Ash’s hands were still tangled in his hair and were convulsively pushing him away.

“Ash. You need to let me go now. I can’t lie with my face in your groin all day.”

It was then he began to take notice of little things, like the fact that Ash’s fingers were locked into his hair practically tearing it out at the roots. And that Ash’s hard, harsh breathing was not easing.

“Ash? Are you alright. Let me go babe. Let me get up.”

Ash moaned and Josh tore his head free from his hands, losing a handful of hair in the process. He was horrified to find that Ash was bathed in sweat his eyes closed and face contorted. Instantly concerned he brushed the long hanks of damp hair out of his face and stroked the hot, wet skin.

“Ash? Ash are you alright? Did I hurt you?”

With an effort Ash forced his heaving chest to subside, alleviating the pain that had been caused by that alone until he was able to open his eyes and smile weakly.

“Yes.”

“Why didn’t you say? You idiot!”

Ash smiled, a stronger smile and raised his hand to touch Josh’s horror stricken face.

“It was... it was... too good.”

“You...” Relaxing Josh leaned forwards and kissed the pouting lips. Ash responded instantly and plunged his tongue deep, desperate.

Carefully and as gently as he could Josh pulled away, smiling. “Maybe that’s enough for now.”

“Not a chance. With you there is no... enough. I can’t get enough of you.”

He was still panting and Josh stroked his hair, his heart melting at the beauty, the bravery.

“For now... that’s enough. You need to rest. I can tell you are still exhausted so no more.”

Ash gave him an impish grin then sighed and closed his eyes. “You’re right. I’m not... better yet.”

“No, but oh Gods you’re perfect. You are amazing, incredible, wondrous... is there anything more I can say? You are so brave. I would have been a whimpering wreck.”

“I was. I am.”

“Hardly.”

Lying down besides Ash, Josh took him into his arms, gently stroking his shoulders and back until he realised he was shivering with more than the touch and then he pulled the quilt around them and tucked it in. Ash lay quietly, his head cradled on Josh’s shoulder, breathing gently and deeply.

“I love you Josh.”

“I know. I guessed.”

“Don’t laugh at me.”

“I’m not laughing at you Ash, I would never do that. You are the best thing that ever happened to me. You are everything good in my life. I love you more than I can begin to express. You are... you are... indescribable.”

Ash laughed. “I’m not so special.”

“You are to me.”

“Oh. Yes.”

“You sound tired.” And he did, more than that, he sounded exhausted.

“Yes.”

“I’m sorry Ash. I am supposed to be looking after you. Sleep now. You sound like you need it.”

“I’m hungry.”

Josh laughed. “Alright. You rest, and I will make something to eat.”

When he came back from the kitchen Ash was asleep, sprawled on the bed looking like an angel. For a very long time Josh stood looking down at him, the food going cold in his hands. He was barely breathing, feeling light headed just from the beauty that was laid out before him.

Eventually putting the food down on a table besides the bed he sat down and gently stroked Ash’s hair and face until he stirred and opened his eyes groggily smiling up at him.

“You said you were hungry.”

“Yes.”

With difficulty he pulled himself into a sitting position and nibbled at the meal Josh had prepared, laying it aside before it was half finished and then he snuggled into Josh’s side and within minutes Josh could tell from the deep regular breathing and cute little sighs that he was asleep. Setting aside his plate he eased himself down to lie flat, pulling Ash onto him, holding him cradled in his arms. Ash sighed and settled himself into a more comfortable position. Not long afterwards Josh fell asleep, happier than he had ever been.