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Okey, they are officially my favourite ones from all of your characters. I love their dynamics and their conversations. I'm so happy to see them together, they are a good couple. They made me smile while I was reading.

I would be happy to read about them more - even without omorashi, I guess -, but I'll be here for your next stories as well. 🙂

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On 9/22/2019 at 1:37 AM, Melificentfan said:

Amazing chapter I am so enjoying this story 

I'm so glad you liked it! 

On 9/22/2019 at 3:35 AM, AliasnameTO said:

It looks like their relationship arc is complete, but this was a delightful entry. Picturing the cuteness of a desperate TJ with a frightened kid on each arm is just too much. <33

I have to admit, I was a sucker for that image myself! 

On 9/22/2019 at 11:56 AM, Pilly said:

Okey, they are officially my favourite ones from all of your characters. I love their dynamics and their conversations. I'm so happy to see them together, they are a good couple. They made me smile while I was reading.

I would be happy to read about them more - even without omorashi, I guess -, but I'll be here for your next stories as well. 🙂

Oh, yay! I was kind of surprised by how much affection I developed for these characters. They're definitely going to end up happy in the long run 🙂

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  • 2 weeks later...

OK, I had another idea. Y'all don't mind if I just write every story from now on about these two, right? 😉

***

    Robbie gripped the handles of the wheelchair tightly to keep his hands from shaking. The nurse was explaining some basic care instructions, and he really was trying to listen, but the fact that TJ was finally coming home had Robbie overwhelmed by a flood of conflicting emotions. 

    “Yes, sir,” TJ said in response to the nurse’s instructions, looking infinitely less stressed than Robbie. Which, Robbie supposed, meant that he was doing something right. 

    “And you’ll come back next week for Dr. Carter to check your progress, and they’ll evaluate you to see if you’ll need physical therapy,” the nurse continued. He was talking to both of them, but looking at TJ. Robbie nodded robotically, regardless. 

    “Then you’re all set!” The nurse reached out to shake TJ’s hand. “Glad to see you go, Mr. Masters!” 

    TJ beamed. “Thanks, Allen. I really appreciate all your help. And everyone’s.” 

    Robbie resisted the urge to reach out and stroke TJ’s hair. He’d only been in the hospital for a week, but Robbie’s stomach still clenched at the thought of seeing his boyfriend lying in a bed, post-surgery, monitors hooked up to his chest and abdomen. 

    Taking a deep breath, Robbie pushed TJ through the automatic doors. Although he was excited to have TJ back in their dorm, physically setting foot outside the hospital suddenly felt terrifying, as if TJ would shatter without the safety of medical professionals around him at all times. 

    “Please breathe.” 

    Robbie blinked at the unexpected request from TJ. “What?”

    “I can feel how tight you’re holding the chair,” TJ explained. “You’re gonna give yourself arthritis.” 

    Looking down, Robbie saw that his knuckles were indeed white with tension. He forced himself to relax his grip as he pushed the chair to the adjacent parking lot. 

    “Sorry.” 

    They reached Robbie’s car, and TJ pushed himself out of the chair before Robbie could protest. Even injured, TJ’s every movement spoke of the work-honed strength of his capable body, and Robbie found himself briefly marveling at his toughness. 

    TJ locked eyes with Robbie. He opened his mouth to say something, then seemed to reconsider. Instead, he smiled, and Robbie felt some of the tension in his own chest release. 

    “You ready to go home?” Robbie asked, trying to sound nonchalant. 

    Exhaling, TJ nodded. To Robbie, he already looked tired, just from standing for a few seconds. Robbie unlocked the car door for TJ to slide inside, making sure he was settled before closing the door and returning the wheelchair to the hospital entrance. 

    On the short walk back to the car, Robbie closed his eyes briefly, steeling himself for his responsibilities. 

    According to all the doctors, TJ’s prognosis was flawless. His surgery had gone perfectly, his shoulder was healing beautifully, and his general youth and fitness had both protected him from more serious injury and expedited his recovery. Still, healing from a rupture spleen and dislocated shoulder (among other, more minor injuries) was no joke, and Robbie was determined to provide every bit of care that TJ needed, no matter what. 

    Back in the car, TJ’s eyelids were already drooping, but he opened them when Robbie arrived. 

    Preempting an anticipated apology, Robbie reached across and opened the glove box. “Look at this!” He pulled out a temporary accessible hangtag and attached it to the rearview mirror. 

    TJ blushed faintly, but smiled. “You only did that because you knew I’d be too tired to fight you on it.” 

    “Damn straight,” Robbie smirked, trying to ignore all the other answers that had popped up in his mind. He knew that TJ wouldn’t appreciate being babied or pitied, and Robbie knew that a big part of caring for him would be making sure that care wasn’t smothering or condescending. 

    Robbie drove more carefully than he usually did, periodically glancing over at TJ to make sure he was OK. It wasn’t too far of a drive from the hospital to campus, and Robbie was able to park in a designated spot right next to their dorm. Robbie grabbed TJ’s bag from the back seat and positioned himself right at TJ’s shoulder for the trek up to their room. 

    As freshman, Robbie and TJ had been able to request each other as roommates. Although many students lived off campus in later years, TJ’s work study allotment gave him free dorm housing, so Robbie had willingly stayed as a sophomore. Though basic, their room was in the corner of the hall, so it was quiet and benefitted from windows on two sides. They had enough space that they didn’t have to bunk or loft their beds, a fact that Robbie was currently more grateful for than ever.

    TJ wordlessly consented to taking the elevator, and flopped onto his bed as soon as they entered the room. 

    “I should check my email,” he said, even though his eyes were already shut. 

    “It can wait,” Robbie insisted, emptying the contents of TJ’s bag into the laundry hamper. 

    “I need to catch up on work,” TJ mumbled, though the quirk of his lips indicated that he knew he wasn’t going to accomplish anything just yet, and any assertion otherwise was mostly to tease Robbie. 

    “You don’t have much,” Robbie promised, “and I have everything you need listed and organized on your desk.” 

    TJ’s eyes fluttered open, and he fixed Robbie with a disarmingly sleepy smile. “You’re the best.” 

    Robbie attempted a smile in return. “Rest,” he ordered. “It’s not even 10 AM. You have plenty of time to start catching up.” 

    TJ may have been asleep before Robbie even finished talking. Robbie stared lovingly for a few seconds before resuming his work of cleaning out TJ’s bag and preparing the laundry. After making sure TJ’s phone was on silent, Robbie sent him a text to say he’d be down in the laundry room, just in case TJ woke up when Robbie wasn’t there. 

    Having never really dealt with any trauma or emergency before, Robbie had been somewhat surprised to find out that he was not the kind of person to melt down in the face of stress. On the contrary, it turned out that he was an organizer, and he’d filled his time since TJ’s accident with everything from communicating with TJ’s professors to sharing updates with Mr. and Mrs. Masters back home to researching surgery and recovery studies. 

    Now that TJ was back on campus, Robbie figured he would continue filing his time with work. He’d skipped his own classes for the past week (not that he would have been able to concentrate on lectures, anyway), but TJ would be appalled if Robbie kept up his absences. So it would be class, meals, watching over TJ, making sure TJ ate, helping TJ catch up on work…

    Robbie all but sprinted back up to their room after putting the laundry in the washing machine, but TJ hadn’t stirred. He slept until after noon before blinking awake with a scratchy groan. 

    The entire afternoon and evening passed not entirely unlike a pre-accident weekend day. Both young men worked on a few assignments, watched TV, and ordered a pizza for dinner. Of course, TJ didn’t go to work, and his movements were slower than usual, but, other than his arm sling, there were no overt signals that he’d spent the past week in the hospital. 

    Still, Robbie watched carefully, unable to fully relax. The past week had been the worst of his life, and he wanted to do everything possible to prevent TJ from feeling even the slightest discomfort or strain. 

    At around 9:30, TJ sat up from his position on the couch and yawned. “I think that’s about as much as I’ve got in me today,” he said. He leaned over and kissed Robbie on the cheek. “Thanks for such a great welcome home.”

    Robbie smiled back. “Couldn’t wait to have you back.” 

    He watched TJ brush his teeth and slide into bed. Robbie turned off the overhead light and flipped on his desk lamp, but he couldn’t make any progress on his term paper. He kept looking over at TJ, checking to see if he was comfortable, if he had woken up, if he was still breathing…

    After another half hour or so, Robbie gave up. He was tired, anyway – he’d gotten up way earlier than he usually would have on a Saturday to get to the hospital in advance of TJ’s release. 

    He looked over at TJ one more time before turning off the light and slipping under the covers.

***

    It was an unseasonably warm March Saturday, and Robbie was breathing deeply as he strolled across campus to meet his boyfriend. TJ was scheduled to get off work at 5, and he and Robbie had plans to go to dinner and a movie.  

    The worksite was a new psychology building on the east side of campus. Most work-study students were assigned to jobs in the dining hall or something, but due to the many new construction projects on campus, TJ had been able to leverage his substantial contracting experience into a building job that both covered his work study and paid extra. 

    At the site, Robbie was immediately able to pick out TJ from through the fence. He was standing stop a three-story scaffolding tower, doing…well, Robbie didn’t know exactly what TJ was doing, only that he looked better than anyone had a right to in a hard hat and day-glo safety vest. 

    The foreman called up to TJ, likely signaling the end of his shift, and Robbie raised his hand to wave as TJ turned around, but stopped when he heard shouting. 

    A backhoe or a forklift or one of the machines that Robbie never bothered learning the name of was rumbling toward the partially-constructed building, not fast, but clearly out of control. Men shouted and scrambled, and TJ stepped toward the ladder to climb down, but it was too late. The machine clipped the pole at the bottom, and the entire scaffolding structure came crashing to the ground.

***

    Robbie bolted awake, sitting straight up in bed and clapping his hand over his mouth to muffle the gasp he'd let out. He felt himself peeing through his pajama pants, just like he had upon awakening every night for the past week, but knew by now that it was useless to try to stop. He looked over at TJ’s bed, blinking in the darkness, but thankfully, he didn’t seem disturbed. 

    Robbie let out a slow sigh, wiping the tears that had gathered in his eyes with the back of his hand. His stream slowed to a stop, and he was left sitting in a shallow puddle that wouldn't sink into the plastic university mattress. He’d half-hoped that the nightmare would stop now that TJ was back in their room, but clearly, the terror of watching his boyfriend tumble in three stories of wood and rebar wasn’t going away that easily.

    As quietly as he could, Robbie peeled back the blankets to inspect the damage he could feel around his groin. The horrifying dream wasn’t the only nightly occurrence Robbie endured since TJ’s injury, though now, he was faced with cleaning up without waking his boyfriend. 

    Closing his eyes, Robbie sat for a moment. He was still shaking from the nightmare, and he tried to remind himself that it was all OK. Despite how horrid the collapse had looked, TJ had never even lost consciousness. His abdomen had taken the brunt of the damage, including a ruptured spleen, and he’d dislocated his shoulder, but it could have been much worse. Robbie had been allowed to ride in the ambulance, and TJ had (unsurprisingly) remained calm, even when rushed into surgery. 

    The cognitive exercise of focusing on the positives didn’t really do a whole lot to slow Robbie’s racing heart, though, so he decided just to get on with it. His wet pajama pants clung to his legs as he stood up. He didn’t dare turn on a light; he just gathered all the sheets from his bed, hoping that his pillow and blanket had been spared. 

    Stepping softly, Robbie placed the wet sheets in the empty hamper (he’d make up some excuse tomorrow if TJ commented on the additional laundry). Of course, his second set of sheets had been washed earlier that afternoon, so he pulled them out from the bottom of his wardrobe. He decided against fully making up the bed, though, and just unfolded the sheets and laid them over the mattress before turning to clean himself up. 

    “Robbie?” 

    Robbie froze. He was facing TJ’s bed, but surely it was too dark for him to see anything. 

    His shock and worry prevented Robbie from responding right away, and before he knew it, TJ was pushing himself up into a seated position. 

    “Is everything OK?” 

    “It’s fine! Go back to sleep!” Robbie responded far too quickly and intensely to be of any comfort, and TJ reached over to turn on his bedside lamp. 

    “Rob?” TJ blinked in the dim light, concerned. “What happened? Are you OK?” 

    “No, I’m fine,” Robbie pleaded, his voice shaking. “Go back to sleep, it’s fine.” 

    TJ started to push his own blankets back. “Rob, what’s-“

    “No, stop!” Robbie begged, unable to stop his eyes from filling with tears. TJ had gone to bed without a shirt on, and his surgical scar stood out down the middle of his upper abdomen. 

    TJ’s eyebrows drew together, and he moved to stand. “Robbie, let me help.” 

    “You’re hurt!” Robbie blurted, his voice breaking completely. 

    TJ froze, sitting on the edge of his bed, poised to stand. Then he relented, looking sad. 

    “So are you.” 

    Robbie felt his lower lip start to quiver. He just wanted TJ to turn off the light and go back to sleep; he just wanted to throw himself in TJ’s arms and let himself be comforted. The conflicting desires, coupled with the lingering terror of his recurring nightmare, paralyzed Robbie, leaving him standing in the lamplight in urine-drenched pants. 

    For a few moments, the two simply stared at one another, each silently pleading for their own outcome. Finally, TJ spoke again. 

    “Rob, it’s OK. Go get changed. I’ll wait for you.” 

    Robbie wanted to protest, but TJ had made up his mind and he did, in fact, need to get changed. He hesitated for only a moment before grabbing a clean pair of sweats from the drawer, taking his washcloth from the rack, and heading to the bathroom. 

    He hadn’t bothered to check the time, but the hallway was empty and silent. In the bathroom, Robbie took deep breaths and splashed cold water on his face. He was determined to at least look calm when he got back to the room, so he could convince TJ that everything was fine. He changed quickly, wiping down his lower half. He didn’t want to keep TJ waiting. 

    Back in the room, TJ was sitting propped up against the head of the bed. The lamp was still on, casting low shadows around the room. TJ didn’t say anything when Robbie walked in, giving him a moment to deposit his wet things in the hamper. 

    Although Robbie had sworn he would be calm and reassure TJ that he could just go back to sleep, seeing his boyfriend wait so patiently destroyed Robbie’s determination. 

    “Come here,” TJ said gently, patting the space on the bed next to him, and the last of Robbie’s resolve melted. 

    He sat on the bed and curled under TJ’s waiting arm. TJ held him for a moment until Robbie was able to speak. 

    “I’m sorry I woke you up,” he murmured. “You need sleep.” 

    “Have you been sleeping?” TJ countered. 

    Robbie teared up again, frustration rising from his desire to care for TJ. “It’s not about me!” he exclaimed. “You’re the invalid, here. I’m supposed to take care of you.” 

    “You are taking care of me,” TJ said softly. 

    Robbie hummed a slight dissent. 

    “No, you are,” TJ insisted, “but listen.” He drew his arm back from its embrace around Robbie’s shoulders and grasped his hand instead, threading their fingers together. 

    “Do you think for one second that I would be OK with seeing you hurt?” Despite the early (late?) hour, TJ’s voice was full of emotion. “If I had to watch you in a hospital after emergency surgery, I’d be an absolute mess.” 

    Robbie gripped TJ’s hand. “But I’m supposed to take care of you,” he repeated, trying one last time to claim emotional high ground. 

    TJ squeezed Robbie’s hand back. “But you need taken care of, too. And as long as I’m capable, I’m gonna try to do that.” 

    Robbie leaned against TJ’s shoulder, suddenly exhausted. Over the past two and a half years of their relationship, he and TJ had developed a wonderfully effective mutual support system. It wasn’t until this very moment that he realized how much he depended on TJ’s support and how much having that balance upset over the past week had affected him. 

    “Seriously, Rob,” TJ said. “how much have you been sleeping?” 

    “Some,” Robbie answered, vaguely but honestly. 

    “So this has been happening every night?” Part of their successful mutual support system was that TJ and Robbie had learned each other’s respective language – what they were and weren’t saying. So of course, TJ had accurately interpreted Robbie’s one-word response. 

    “Yes,” Robbie admitted, almost shyly. Even to the person you love most in the world, it’s not fun to acknowledge that you’ve wet the bed every night for a solid week. “I keep dreaming of the collapse.” 

    TJ leaned his head against Robbie’s and sighed. “I’m so sorry I scared you,” he whispered. 

    “I’m sorry you got hurt,” Robbie replied. 

    “So am I,” TJ said, “but you know it’s going to happen. Not an entire scaffolding collapse, hopefully,” he added quickly, “but shit is going to happen to both of us. Big things, sometimes. And we can’t…” 

    TJ trailed off, and Robbie smiled. TJ wasn’t the talker in the relationship, but Robbie knew what he was trying to say. 

    “We can’t burn ourselves out trying to support each other without letting ourselves be cared for in return,” he finished TJ’s thought for him. 

    TJ sighed in relief at not having to verbally express himself any further. 

    “So you promise, then?” TJ said, clutching Robbie's hand in his. "You'll let me help next time?"

    Robbie lifted TJ's hand and kissed it. "I promise." 
 

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Hurray! 😄

I was secretly hoping for a new chapter, and now I was soo happy. It's good to see them again in a different age and situation. I love both of them, and in my opinion their dynamics are sooo cool! I hope that TJ will recover soon and Robbie will feel better too.

Thank you for this amazing chapter!

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On 10/6/2019 at 5:09 AM, plas broek said:

New chapter! You made my day.

Aww, thank you!

On 10/6/2019 at 11:30 AM, Melificentfan said:

A fabulous chapter and adorable to

Thanks! Glad you liked it!

On 10/7/2019 at 1:27 PM, Pilly said:

Hurray! 😄

I was secretly hoping for a new chapter, and now I was soo happy. It's good to see them again in a different age and situation. I love both of them, and in my opinion their dynamics are sooo cool! I hope that TJ will recover soon and Robbie will feel better too.

Thank you for this amazing chapter!

It was a total fluke, but I'm glad you liked it! 

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