Gabriel took a brief shower and washed out his hair. When he got out, Peter was finishing setting up the bed, with fresh ice packs, double bagged in case they leaked in the night. Peter looked up from the bed. Gabriel was standing in the doorway, towel held in front of himself, concealing and yet leaving the lines of his body clear. Peter had seen him only an hour before, but now he studied him with a different intent.

"What do you want me to do?" Peter asked. He needed to know where he stood and what Gabriel's expectations were. The $40 on the table now seemed unspeakably crass. He couldn't possibly take it back, but leaving it there made anything between them seem like a transaction.

"Just… sleep with me?" Gabriel walked over to his closet and, with a furtive glance back at Peter, hung the towel on the doorknob with false casualness, leaving himself entirely naked to Peter's eyes. He was nervous. "I've never just slept with anyone before." He pulled a t-shirt out of the closet and tried to pull it on using only the one arm.

Peter came over and helped him. "Never?"

"No."

Peter looked at him blankly, not sure what to make of that.

Gabriel's eyes dodged to the side and he faded away from Peter, who was standing right next to him. "I have… memories… of when…" He glanced back at Peter, uneasy.

Peter swallowed and his face softened. "Of when I'd climb into Nathan's bed when I was a kid?"

Gabriel nodded unevenly. "I… just…" He searched Peter's face. "Hold me? That's all. Unless you want more."

Peter chuckled and reached up behind Gabriel's neck, pulling him down slowly. "That's fine. You're too hurt for me to do anything with you." He kissed him briefly. "But don't imagine for a second I don't want to."

Gabriel shook his head slightly. "Peter, I don't know if I'm clean. I haven't been… living right."

Peter kissed him again. "We'll use protection. And if it comes to it, I'll visit Claire and get her power. But in any case, I think we're getting ahead of ourselves here. Is that what you sleep in?" He gestured at the t-shirt with nothing else on. Gabriel nodded. Peter chuckled and moved away, undressing. "That's funny. I tend to do the opposite - I wear underwear, but no shirt."

"That is funny." Gabriel hobbled to the bed and watched the show. Peter laughed once he realized he was being ogled. Gabriel looked away shyly, but the moment Peter looked elsewhere, his eyes came back.

Peter climbed in bed next to him, on his right side. "You're going to have to sleep on your back, okay?" Gabriel nodded and arranged the ice packs. Peter turned on his left and gently ran his fingers up and down Gabriel's right forearm. The taller man turned his head and their eyes met. Peter kept doing it, touching him, looking at him and doing nothing else, as long minutes passed.

Finally Gabriel asked, "What time do you have to leave?"

"I go to work at eight. They're doing rotating shifts right now. They just had two people quit."

"Eight in the morning?" Peter nodded. Gabriel rolled his eyes and made a frustrated noise. "You won't get more than five hours of sleep!"

"I wouldn't miss this for any amount of sleep," Peter said very seriously, capturing Gabriel's gaze again. "What time do you go to work?"

"The shop doesn't open until noon on Saturdays. We're only open until four. I need to set the alarm for you."

Peter rolled away preemptively. "Let me." He did, and when he settled back, he curled his arm around Gabriel's, rested his cheek against his shoulder, and let the day slowly catch up to him.

The alarm was a cruel reminder of the outside world. It took Peter a moment to place the unfamiliar buzzing, different from the beeping of his own. He struggled with the device, turned it off, and made use of Gabriel's bathroom. Before he left, he replaced the ice packs and brought Gabe more pain pills. He paused to steal a kiss from the sleepy man. Peter whispered against his mouth, "I get off work at four."

He waited while Gabriel slowly processed this. The other man just looked at him, brows drawn slightly together. Peter kicked himself again. This was why they'd drifted apart right after the carnival. Peter was expecting an invitation back and Gabriel was… whatever was going on in his head, he wanted Peter back but he wasn't saying it. So Peter did. "Can I come back? I'll bring you dinner."

Gabriel scoffed and kissed him, pushing him away playfully after. "You don't have to bring me dinner."

"But I can bring myself?"

"Oh God yes, Peter. Please." His voice took on a pleading quality, making it clear how much he wanted that.

Peter smiled. "Good. And I'll bring you dinner."

"Hey!" Gabriel called out as Peter began to leave. He came back. Gabriel said, "There's some money on the table there. Use that for dinner."

Peter hesitated, then nodded. "I'll do that. Thanks."

There was more money there than the Chinese take-out was going to cost, so Peter swung by a grocery store first and bought some staples that he'd noticed were missing from Gabriel's kitchen. And he bought a few cans of salmon - might as well. His knock was answered promptly. Gabriel still limped, but it was much less pronounced and he moved his left arm more freely. He still had a knot over his eye, but the marks on his jaw had turned into simple bruises.

Peter off-loaded his packages on the kitchen counter and dug a packet out. "Here. More pills. I didn't know what you had around here."

"Thanks." Gabriel took them while Peter put away the perishables. They sat down together at the kitchen table to eat dinner.

"How are you feeling?" Peter asked.

"Better. My head isn't ringing anymore. Like you saw, I can walk." He moved his left arm gingerly. "Unfortunately, I'm left handed." He managed eating right-handed well enough, but there was no way he was using chopsticks.

"It might be a few days," Peter said, meaning how long it would take the soreness to fade.

"I don't want to wait that long," Gabriel said fervently.

Peter blinked up at him, then realized what he might mean. He smiled. "Okay. You don't have to wait that long then."

"Thank you," Gabriel said, heartfelt.

"Show me what I've been missing," Gabriel said, in a low, throaty purr, once they were in the bedroom.

"Heh," Peter shook his head. "I'm the one who's missed out." He undressed himself, then tried to help Gabriel do the same. It was a little difficult with the way the other man kept running his hands over him and dipping his head forward to steal kisses against Peter's forehead and cheeks. Peter was determined though and soon enough they were both naked.

Gabriel climbed on the bed and leaned back, bringing his knees up and splaying them slightly in an obvious invitation. "What do you want?"

Peter reached over and pushed Gabriel's knees back together. "I want to look at you while you come inside me." He watched the other man's face as attentively as he watched his patients for signs of discomfort or stress, when he read from them their true condition rather than the words they used, so often inaccurately, to describe it. Gabriel nodded, thinking about Peter's request. Peter expected that the other man had been the receiver far more often than the pitcher, though he had no doubt some customers requested that too. It hadn't been part of what Gabriel offered the night before, though.

Gabriel spread his legs again anyway and reached out with his right arm to pull Peter in over him. He wrapped his arm around him and cradled the back of Peter's head, guiding him to his mouth. They kissed and Gabriel let his tongue tease along Peter's lips for the first time. Peter shifted, parting, letting him in. He held himself up with one hand next to Gabriel's head and let the other caress his face, then his neck. There was so much behind them and between them. Every touch was loaded with meaning and significance and he knew Gabriel felt that too. It was behind every cautious move and how closely he was watching Peter even now.

Peter let his hand drop further, fingertips exploring Gabriel's chest as their tongues twined and danced. Gabriel moaned softly and put his left leg down, leaving his right up and rubbing his foot up and down the back of Peter's thigh. Peter kissed over his cheek to his ear, sucking at it and nibbling, feeling Gabriel arch into him - the almost electric sensation as their cocks met one another in a fleeting contact. Gabriel canted his hips and repeated his motion, obviously seeking that out again.

Peter lowered himself to make it easier, then began to make the thrusts himself. Gabriel's right hand slipped down to cup Peter's buttock, pulling him against him, getting even more contact until they were pressed fully against one another, rubbing. His hand kneaded the flesh of Peter's ass.

"I want this," Gabriel breathed. "I want you. Peter."

Peter nodded, working down the other man's throat, mouthing and kissing, laving him with his tongue. Gabriel's hand left Peter's rump to scratch all the way up his side, dull fingernails biting in hard enough to make Peter cry out suddenly and jerk up. "OW!"

Gabriel grinned, open-mouthed, at the reaction. His hand moved slowly to the back of Peter's head. "Come here?" He tugged on him gently and Peter went, giving in to it. Peter kissed him hard and passionately, not caring now if the press of his face hurt the other man.

Gabriel made a deep guttural sound and shifted under him, rolling them abruptly, wincing as he did it. Peter ended up on the bottom. After a moment of hesitation, he wiggled his hips and spread his legs, reversing their previous pose. Peter had wondered if that was going to happen, or if Gabe would just disregard his preference. He was okay with either, but if he was going to be asked his preference, then denied, he would have at least appreciated being told. Now he was going to get what he'd asked for.

Gabriel hesitated, then crawled awkwardly to the nightstand and grabbed the supplies they'd laid out earlier. He returned and rocked back on his knees between Peter's legs. For a moment, he just admired the view. Peter grinned back at him and reached down to lazily stroke himself.

"Mm," Gabriel said, eyebrows rising. He rolled the condom onto himself and then slicked his fingers with lube. He watched as Peter pulled and tugged, then raised his eyes to meet Peter's. His right hand found where it needed to be, rubbing slowly, finding where the body yielded to pressure, watching Peter's face as he probed him.

He slid one finger in and watched as Peter's brows rose slightly and his breathing sped up. Gabriel slid it in and out for a moment, then hooked it upwards in a come hither motion within Peter's body. He could see when he'd hit the right spot. Peter's mouth fell open and he blinked as his eyes glazed. Gabriel stroked that spot, watching as Peter's hand moved faster on himself, gripping more firmly.

He massaged his knuckles against Peter's opening, then worked in a second finger and went back to that oh-so-responsive spot. Peter made a soft whining sound and shut his eyes for several moments, wallowing in the sensation. When he opened his eyes again, he said, "Oh, Gabe, fuck me. Please."

"I thought you'd never ask."

"What?" Peter said, flabbergasted. As if it wasn't clear…?

Gabriel grinned. "Just a figure of speech. Give me that pillow." Peter handed it to him and he arranged it under the empath's rear. He slid his fingers back inside. "I just want to make sure you're still ready."

"I want you! Yes, I'm ready! Please fuck me."

Gabriel pulled his fingers out, making Peter's entire body twitch. He positioned himself and nudged in. Peter shoved down on him faster than Gabriel would have gone. He was hungry for it, desperate to have something to take the place of those fingers. Peter wrapped his legs around the small of Gabriel's back and for a moment he hesitated, looking up into the man's face. He was inside of him. Gabriel was inside of him. He was about to fuck him.

He didn't know if Gabriel realized the same thing, or if he just paused because Peter did. Peter reached up and let his fingertips brush the side of Gabriel's face. "Thank you," he breathed.

Gabriel leaned in and kissed him, letting the motion drive the last two inches of cock inside of Peter's body. Peter arched under him and he pressed his mouth down hard against him, beginning his thrusts slowly and shallowly at first. Peter plunged his tongue into his mouth and tightened his legs around him. He ran one hand into Gabriel's hair and made a tight fist, while the other wrapped around his shoulder and pulled him into him, encouraging and urging him on.

In case that wasn't enough (and Gabriel was picking up speed admirably), Peter said when they parted, "Come on! Harder! Faster! Come on!" He clenched their bodies together like he had no intention of ever letting go. Gabriel rose to the challenge, slamming into him enthusiastically, putting his whole body into it and riding Peter hard. Peter pulled up his knees further until every motion was prodding against his prostate, driving him higher and higher. He hung on the precipice of orgasm for what seemed like forever, his penis trapped between their bodies, rubbed constantly by their motion, Gabriel's dick deep inside him driving him crazy, his mouth on his, stifling his moans and restricting his breath.

Peter arched into him strongly and came, bucking like he was trying to throw him off, but clinging at the same time. Peter pushed away as soon as he was able, both hands on either side of Gabriel's chest. He held him up where he could see his face, where he could watch as the aftershocks of Peter's orgasm pulled Gabriel over the top moments later. Peter sagged back to the bed and let Gabriel collapse on top of him, panting like he'd run a marathon.

"You, baby… oh, baby," Peter crooned, filled with happiness, still filled with cock - what a wonderful way to be. He hugged Gabriel to him, with his arms and legs both.

Gabriel said, still trying to catch his breath, "God, I'm blown. It's a lot easier just to get fucked."

Peter laughed. Gabriel pulled back and looked at him, uncertain, maybe a little hurt. He didn't like being laughed at. Peter pulled him in for a kiss immediately and when they parted said right away, "That was great! That was fantastic! You are the best." Seeing that had soothed Gabriel's ego sufficiently, Peter relaxed against the bed again. "You let me take care of you, babe, I'll get you off the drugs, fatten you up a little bit, maybe go to the gym… and we'll fuck every single night until you have lots and lots of stamina in bed!"

Now Gabriel laughed, and buried his face against Peter's neck. "You're on!"