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Colby’s nose hadn’t been broken in some act of stupidity – despite the man’s willingness to pull hair-brained stunts like jumping into moving vehicles from a second-story balcony. No, this injury was the result of someone else’s desperate idiocy.
The kidnapper they had spent two sleepless weeks tracking, when backed into a corner, had decided trying to take the three federal agents currently pointing weapons at him hostage was a better bet than handing over the child he had taken. His brief effort to subdue the nearest agent – Colby – had entailed removing the gun from where it was pointed at Don and using the handle to hit the blonde, blindsiding him with the entirely moronic move. Said idiot was now in custody with a bullet in his shoulder, courtesy of David, and the child was returned to their home with only a few scrapes.
That whole chain of events wasn’t what was annoying David. Nor was it the process of getting the ever stubborn Colby Granger to go to the hospital that was annoying him. He swore the blonde had a physical aversion to medical places and treatment. He probably would have just gone home, popped a Tylenol, and ignored his injury if Don had not ordered him to the hospital. Scratch that: If Don had not ordered David to take Colby to the hospital.
The injury was more complicated than a simple break, shifting the bones to a potentially dangerous position, but it was simple enough to deal with. An hour and a half of surgery later and Colby was released to go home with instructions to take an antibiotic and a pain medication twice a day, and not to do anything strenuous for two weeks. Getting him there, treated, and home on medical leave per Don’s orders was not what was annoying David either.
No, what was annoying David was Colby. He wasn’t complaining, he barely made a peep about the injury itself, far too used to ignoring severe pain as he was. He did have a habit of ‘forgetting’ his medications, his pain medication to be precise, but David was used to that and a flat, unimpressed stare was usually all it took for Colby to roll his eyes and take the pills he was handed. Keeping him from absentmindedly poking at his injury was a tad tedious, but that wasn’t too bad either.
The annoyance came from the fact that Colby had figured out how to use his injury to keep David prisoner whenever he wanted. It made David roll his eyes at his partner of eight years. Colby had always been physical before verbal with affection, particularly liking to tuck his head under David’s chin, or bump his head into David’s shoulder randomly, or in some other way ensure that he was as entangled with his partner as he could be as frequently as possible. And David didn’t mind this, he had adjusted to it easily when they began living together all those years ago. But now Colby’s nose was broken and he wasn’t supposed to so much as bump it, which evidentially made him all the more clingy. That posed a problem.
Picture a puppy – a very big puppy – that always finds its way onto your bed, decides you are its favorite pillow, blanket, and toy all wrapped into one, and then finds every possible way to burrow into you, proceeding to pad at you, poke its nose into your neck, knock its head into yours with every playful, affectionate movement, and demand affection in the form of cuddles. Make that puppy a human, and then you would have one Colby Granger.
This had led to many bouts of awkward sleeping positions and the almost immediate onset of pouting when they had returned from the hospital, as it seemed Colby could not fathom going two weeks without curling up with or kissing David. That, in turn, had led to the man frequently and fragrantly ignoring his restrictions in favor of trying to be affectionate.
This evening, a week and a half after his injury, proved to be no different, and David rolled his eyes to himself as his partner intruded on his non-existent personal space. He was reclining on their bed, laid out on his side, and enjoying a book – well, not that last bit anymore it seemed. He froze when he felt the bed dip just behind him, quickly followed by the sensation of his partner laying across his upper legs and side, wrapping an arm around his middle, and laying his head on the side of his ribs. He was careful not to stiffen at the contact, lest it seem it was unwelcome or alarming - a mistake learned very early on in their relationship -, but he made sure to be entirely still so he wouldn’t accidentally bump into Colby’s nose.
He smiled to himself in fond amusement as he felt the gentle kiss pressed to his arm, and he turned his head to look down at the other man. “You’re enjoying that broken nose of yours just a little too much there Granger.”
Shifting hazel eyes currently more blue than green peered up at him with furrowed brows, but despite the confusion there, a small grin was already forming on his lips. “It’s annoying.” Absentmindedly, the arm not wrapped around his partner raised and he poked at the bridge of his nose. “ ‘s more annoying than that time I broke my shoulder blade.” He added with a frown.
David grinned gently, huffing a small laugh as he shifted slightly more onto his back, prompting Colby to sit up and hover over him so he could move. “No, you’re enjoying keeping me hostage every time you decide to be affectionate.” Now settled leaning against the pillows, he reached a hand forward, well within the other’s field of vision, and forwent the normal gentle poke to the nose for a similar poke to his forehead. “You wrap around me like a kola and I can’t move to make sure I don’t hit your nose.”
Colby laughed, a more nasally sound than normal, but just as bright. His hands came up to gently grasp at the back of David’s neck and head, and he laid back, pulling David over him in a well-practiced move, be it a far slower one than normal, grinning up at him. “Yep! You’re my prisoner until this nonsense is over.”
David got his forearms braced on either side of Colby’s head, fondly smiling down at the now giggling man. “Oh what a shame that is.” He drawled sarcastically, prompting another set of laughter from his partner. “Not like much will change once the doc gives you the all-clear though, will it?”
The grin he got was impish. “Nope!” He answered, popping the ‘p’ sound. “You decided to deal with me eight years ago. I’m you’re problem now.” That drew some mix of an amused scoff and a laugh from the other man, a sound Colby often tried to draw from his quiet companion. It turned his grin from mischievous to a softer, much fonder smile. Taking at least some care not to aggravate his injury, he turned his head so he could press a light kiss to the wrist resting to the left of his head. David watched the gesture with a soft, affectionate expression, before shaking his head softly. “You just can’t go two weeks without kisses, can you?”
Blueish hazel eyes turned to peer up at him, and though the answering tone was meant to be playful, there was an edge of sincerity in it too. “Absolutely not.” It shouldn’t have been possible for David’s gaze to soften anymore, but it did, somehow. Slowly, carefully, he threaded the fingers of one hand into short blonde hair and smiled warmly at his partner. “Hold still.”
He got no verbal answer, but the man beneath him stop moving immediately, watching him curiously. Tugging lightly on sand-colored stands, he got Colby to tilt his head back and he held him there with a gentle pressure. Bracing his weight on his other arm, he leaned forward and very carefully, very lightly, pressed his lips to Colby’s. It was the slowest and perhaps the most cautious kiss they’d shared the entire eight years they had been together, but it was equally as caring and affectionate as any other. Colby hummed into it, a short, quiet, content little sound, but he did as he was bade and didn’t move.
Normally they might stay there for quite some time, breathing easily between kisses, but knowing that Colby currently could not breathe well through his nose, David broke the connection after only a handful of heartbeats. Rather than pulling away, he ducked his head lower to nose at Colby’s jaw and gently kiss the side of his throat. Now, in this far safer position, Colby moved, wrapping his arms lightly around David’s neck and idly running his fingers over his skin.
They stayed there for a bit, but curling over and around each other like this was not as easy for long periods of time as it might have been when they were younger. Mindful that his spine would soon start complaining of the awkward position, David reluctantly pulled away and carefully climbed over Colby to his other side, settling down next to him. Laying on their sides facing each other, David reached forward and gently traced his fingers over the light mottling of color spread over Colby’s cheekbone. Colby’s eyes slid shut at the contact, but he did not flinch away. “The swelling and bruising is almost gone.”
Colby rolled his eyes and absently moved to poke at his nose again, a gesture David gently intercepted, entwining their hands instead. “Taking too bloody long.” It was a mild complaint, one of only a few that had been voiced over the past week, and it made David grin a little. “It’s only two weeks Colby.” That earned him a half-hearted glare and a small pout. He just chuckled. “A few more days, and then you can kiss me all you want.” That turned the pout to a happy, if mischievous, grin.