Zuko had been borderline asleep at his desk for hours now. His head hung low over his work, his shaggy black hair blocking his vision. With his vision blurring due to his exhaustion, he let out a loud, tired groan. He buried his face into his pale hands and rubbed his face.
Jet heard his whines from the other room. He wandered into the study to see how Zuko was doing. He saw that his lover had not only become slumped over, but also that he was nearly asleep. He walked over to Zuko's chair and placed his hands on the tired man's shoulders, rubbing them.
"Hey. You should take a break, you deserve it." Jet hummed lowly into Zuko's scarred ear. He began to gently massage Zuko's shoulders and the back of his neck. Zuko let out an involuntary moan of relaxation. He sat up and turned around to look up at Jet.
"And what do you suggest I do, exactly? I've been working on this damned paper for days. I don't even know what I'm saying anymore..." He trailed off into a whine and wrapped his arms around Jet's hips, burying his head into his abdomen. Jet locked his fingers behind Zuko's neck and stroked it ever so lightly with his thumb.
He felt sorry for Zuko, that he was getting so stressed out over a paper. Jet had long been out of school, and he had been in this same place before. But he was going to provide Zuko with something he didn't have in his time at school, support. He almost laughed at how precious Zuko was. He had been working hard for days, he deserved a break, some time to relax.
"Hey," Jet kneeled down so that he was on Zuko's level. He mussed his hair for a moment before cupping his face in his hand. "I'm gonna go run a bath for you, ok? You are gonna finish this stupid paper, but you need to relax first. Don't worry, I'm gonna take care of you. It isn't even due till next week, you're not doing any more work on it till tomorrow. Come on."
He stood up and took Zuko's hand, leading him to their bathroom. He turned on the hot water, added some herbal soap, and waited for it to fill. He turned to Zuko, who was swaying where he was standing.
"Oh dear." Jet hadn't realized the extent of Zuko's exhaustion. He walked over to his lover and began to help him remove his clothes. "Here, let me help." He grasped the bottom of Zuko's faded old tshirt, and lifted it off his chest. Meanwhile, Zuko barely managed to remove the rest of his own clothing. Jet admired him for a moment, his skinny body almost glowing in the small room.
"Alright, get in," he commanded.
Zuko got in the tub, the heated water rushing over his limbs, instantly making him sleepier. He closed his eyes and leaned his head on the edge of the tub.
"Oh, wait." Jet grabbed a fluffed washcloth and placed it under Zuko's head.
"Thanks, love," Zuko peeked open his eyes to see a smiling lover looking back at him. He smiled back.
Jet rolled up his sleeves, sat on the edge of the tub, and pet Zuko's head for a moment before caressing the side of his face with his fingertips. Zuko lightly kissed the end of Jet's thumb before he closed his eyes.
Zuko let out a soft sigh. Jet began to pour hot, soapy water over Zuko's back and shoulders, stopping every so often to massage the soap into his lover's stressed skin. Zuko's hair was starting to become damp from the steam, so Jet just poured water over it, letting the dark ends trail into the tub. He washed Zuko's hair for him, gently massaging his scalp. He rinsed his hair, being careful to not get the soapy water in his eyes.
After Jet was done bathing him, he sat down on the bathroom floor. He faced Zuko with his head placed on his arm, resting on the edge of the tub. Zuko had a little bit of soap on the tip of his nose, and Jet giggled at it.
"Here, let me get that for you," He swiped the end of Zuko's nose with his forefinger and rinsed it off in the tub. Zuko wrinkled his nose and laughed at it. He raised an arm and placed his wet hand along the side of Jet's head, tangling his fingers in Jet's hair.
"Really though, thank you so much, I needed this." Zuko ran his fingers through Jet's hair again. Jet took his hand and held it for a moment.
"Shh...no. I know. That's why I did it. Just shhh...you don't have to talk." He scooted closer to Zuko and pressed their foreheads together. He didn't say anything more. Jet leaned in and parted his lips to kiss him. He pulled Zuko in by the back of his neck, tangling his fingers in his wet, black hair. He used his other hand to hold Zuko's face, and caress his jawline. He parted from Zuko's lips.
"Here. Let's get you out of there."