Chapter 7: After Care
The Spatula Test – Another Misplaced Citrus: Panda Barrettes
Chapter Seven: After-Care
The two males held their embrace for a time; then Kusama got up off Kami and left the room.
Alone now, but still tied to the table, the exhausted maid rolled over onto his stomach to try and alleviate the discomfort in his tender backside.
Slowly, Kami drifted away and Hiroki swam back up to the surface.
Hiroki felt completely spent, slightly drunk, and strangely both hollow and full at the same time. He thought he should try and do something, like pull himself over off of the table at least, but all of his limbs were filled with such a blissful heaviness he simply could not manage to make himself move.
As he lay there, Hiroki could hear the water running in the bathroom. He closed his eyes and let himself drift. He wasn't sure if he had fallen asleep or not, but the next thing he was conscious of was a gentle warm hand softly stroking his hair.
"Hiro-san?" The sweet concerned tones emanating from above him, told Hiroki that his Nowaki was back. Hiroki opened his eyes slowly to be greeted by the sweet goofy face of his lover, who had laid his head down on the table next to him.
"Are you okay, Hiro-san?" Nowaki's blue eyes were so earnest.
Hiroki could not find any words at the moment, so he just nodded. He was rewarded for this, by seeing Nowaki's already bright countenance, light up with a wonderful smile. "You were so beautiful, Hiro-san, it was perfect. I can't believe how amazing that was. How amazing you are."
Hiroki watched as Nowaki bent down and untied the tie from the leg of the table. He noticed that Nowaki had divested himself completely of any remnants of his Kusama costume and was standing there now, completely naked.
Once Hiroki was loose, Nowaki helped him move his stiff arms back down and sit up. Hiroki winced a bit as he did this. The tattered remains of the maid's outfit hung loosely around his waist. He lifted his hips slightly to assist Nowaki as the younger man eased him out of the little that remained of his own costume.
Nowaki produced a warm, wet cloth, seemingly from nowhere and began to gently wash Hiroki's tear-stained cheeks.
Hiroki knew that he should resist, be embarrassed, tell Nowaki to stop babying him. But he just felt so peaceful at the moment and he didn't want to disrupt this. So, he sat there quietly like an obedient child instead and let the man attend to him.
"You just rest, Hiro-san. It might take you a while to come all the way back and you don't want to rush it." Nowaki's voice and his hands were equally gentle now. It had been such a long time since they had played that hard and he was so proud of Hiro-san for being so willing.
When Nowaki went to untie Hiroki's wrists, he was surprised to hear his lover softly say: "No, not yet." He watched, stunned as Hiroki looped his still bound wrists over his shaggy head. He was even more surprised when Hiroki leaned in and kissed him softly.
After the kiss, Hiroki set his cheek against Nowaki's and whispered into the giant's ear. "Thank you."
Nowaki was incredibly moved to see Hiro-san in this state. He wanted to say something, but the words caught in his throat. For once the Nowaki found himself feeling shy, so instead of his usual declarations, he just said, "I drew another bath for us, Hiro-san."
Hiroki had promised Nowaki that he would, for one day, be the young doctor's toy. He could have not come any closer to creating that sense than this. He allowed Nowaki help lift him up off the table as though he were a doll.
He was incredibly relieved however, when his giant gently set his feet back on the floor. Hiroki removed his bound hands from around Nowaki's neck. Once he'd released Nowaki, however, he couldn't help but lean in to the man for support.
Nowaki gently braced him and silently moved with him down the hall.
Hiroki hadn't really been hurt by their rough play, but he was having trouble getting his sated limbs to obey him.
Once they reached the bath, Hiroki allowed Nowaki to guide him into the shower and wash him down. He stood quietly as the younger man's hands moved over him, washing away the sticky evidence of their games.
After they'd both been rinsed, Nowaki climbed into the bath, and helped Hiro-san in after him. He had made sure that the water was not too hot and had added some soothing herbs as well. Nowaki pulled Hiroki down between his lean thighs, careful not to bump any of Hiro-san's aggravated parts as he urged his lover to settle.
Once in the tub, Hiroki revived a bit. He leaned back and looped his still tie-bound wrists around the younger man's neck as he leaned back and rested his shoulders against the comforting mass of Nowaki's chest. From this position, Nowaki massaged him, easing any remaining ache from Hiroki's arms, belly, neck and chest. Hiroki could feel the silver chain he still wore around his neck rub slightly against his skin as Nowaki rubbed him.
Eventually Hiroki removed his arms from around his lover's neck once more and allowed Nowaki to untie his bindings.
Nowaki was concerned with the red marks he encountered on Hiroki's wrists. "Oh, Hiro-san, I think you might bruise." He sounded genuinely upset.
"It's fine, Nowaki, I just pulled against the tie a bit to hard when we were playing. The red will fade in a few hours." Hiroki assured Nowaki as he leaned forward, allowing the giant to run strong fingers through his water-heavy hair.
After the bath, Hiroki continued to be docile. He let Nowaki dry him and then moved with him into their bedroom. Nowaki tucked him lovingly into their futon. Hiroki closed his eyes as soon as his head hit the pillow and slipped in and out of sleep for a time.
Hiroki was aware, when he was conscious, of hearing Nowaki moving around in the other room, most likely cleaning up the evidence of all their sexual antics.
When Nowaki returned to the bed room later, he brought with him a plate of fresh sliced fruit. He climbed under the covers with Hiro-san, setting the plate on the mattress in front of them as he carefully snuggled in behind his lover, being mindful of Hiro-san's still-tender ass.
Nowaki reached over Hiroki and took a piece of fruit off the plate. He fed this to Hiro-san, alternating bites for himself. They ate in comfortable silence, broken intermittently with the exchange of variously flavored kisses. Then Hiroki and Nowaki curled into each other, cherishing the peace of their bed.
Before they had gotten into the bath, Nowaki had removed the panda barrettes from Hiroki's tangled locks and set them on the edge of the tub. After the bath, he had brought them into the bedroom and left them on the top of the small table next to his side of the bed. As they lay together now, Nowaki reached back and picked them up.
Nowaki held the pandas out in front of the older man. "Should I get rid of these now, Hiro-san?"
After a long moment Hiroki answered. "No, why don't we keep them. They are kind of cute after all."
He disrupted Nowaki's embrace by turning over and moving in towards the man's irresistible chest. As he did this, Hiroki plucked one of the panda barrettes out of his lover's large palm and turned it over between his long fingers.
"And who knows," Hiroki murmured, tucking his head under Nowaki's chin, a slight blush creeping into his cheeks for the first time since he'd come back from being Kami. "Who knows, maybe we'll use them again...Only next time, you get to wear them."A bit sore and sleepy, but ultimately and oddly content, he nestled into Nowaki's warmth, smiling.
Hiroki fell asleep quickly, the barrette still clasped between his fingers.
Thanks for reading all! One chapter left.
BabeBlkBear, thank you for being my 100th reviewer for this fic.
JoanIncarnate, how lovely to hear from you! Thanks for dropping a line.
TBF101- Your reviews make this dog howl with happiness. Thank you, Black Bird. Also, I appreciated your comments on trust. That is what good S and M is all about. Also, as you can see from the chapter above, I wanted to address the issue of after care which is also part of a responsible S and M relationship. Too many fics focus on the hurt without the comfort.
I also loved that you mentioned Hiroki's size insecurity. I always hope to interject a little bit of realism into my fantasy writing. Makes it more enjoyable for me and who hasn't ever had an awkward moment like that during an intimate encounter... Or maybe it's just me...
See you last chapter!
Sincerely.
Cerberus