Work Text:
Arthur comes in late for what feels like the hundredth time in a row.
Sneaking into their bed as quietly as the older man humanly can, but Charles wasn’t quite asleep when he heard the door open.
Arthur lays down next to him and lets out a heavy breath of relief.
Charles pretends to stir, turning on his side towards the older man, reaching out.
Arthur’s hand finds his and Charles feels a gentle kiss pressed to his knuckles before his hand is cradled close to Arthur’s chest.
He settles down and listens as Arthur falls asleep, rather quickly, before he carefully reaches behind himself for his phone.
Sending a message to Hosea informing him that Arthur’s sick and won’t be coming in for work tomorrow.
Then he grabs Arthur’s phone, resting himself against the older man’s chest as a cover but Arthur’s out hard.
He turns off their alarms before setting the older man’s phone down and pressing his cheek to Arthur’s sternum.
--
Charles wakes up first, around six, and finds Arthur pressed to his back, the older man’s arms heavy and tight around his waist.
He gently untangles himself and slips out to get some coffee brewing, unsure how long Arthur will sleep in.
--
Charles brings back two mugs and sets one on Arthur’s nightstand before crawling back in and resting against the headboard, looking over his husband, content to sit in silence.
Arthur’s got new bruises and scrapes all over, and it’s not that Charles thinks the older man should be flawless, or that he’s ignorant to how hard Arthur’s job can be.
It’s that the older man gets no breaks between bruises, he just has to push on like the loyal workhorse he is.
Charles lifts his head when Arthur starts to stir, the older man making a quiet sound of pain, rubbing his eyes, and looking around.
“Shit,” Arthur gasps and sits up, “What time is it?”
“You got the day off,” Charles says quietly.
“What?” Arthur laughs and moves to get out of bed.
Charles reaches for him, gently grabbing the older man’s wrist.
“Dutch wouldn’t just give me a day off, you know that. I’m gonna be late,” Arthur protests, trying to pull his hand free.
“Technically it’s a sick day, but Hosea authorized it, so it’s paid,” Charles explains and tugs on Arthur, “Lay back down.”
“Charles.”
“Arthur.”
The older man stares at him then huffs and flops back on the bed next to Charles, staring at the ceiling.
“You’re going to die early if you don’t give yourself a break,” Charles says quietly, “I’m serious.”
“I’m fine,” Arthur protests weakly, “Just a lil’ sore.”
Charles rolls his eyes and looks down at Arthur.
He can see the tension in every muscle, the older man wound so tight.
“No. Come here,” Charles says and lifts up onto his knees, tugging Arthur towards the middle of their bed, “Turn over.”
“Why?” Arthur mumbles but he gets an arm under himself and flops over onto his belly.
“Let me help,” Charles shifts to straddle the backs of Arthur’s thighs, but Charles’ tone is just as much of a demand as it is a request.
Arthur frowns at the headboard for a second then sighs and folds his arms under his head.
“You don’t have to,” Arthur says quietly as Charles’ hands settle on his shoulders, “I’m fine.”
“Arthur, I know I don’t have to but you’re moving around like you’re eighty, lately,” Charles huffs softly digging his fingertips in and pressing until Arthur lays flatter on the mattress, “You’re always making these little noises when you move… Like it hurts.”
“Like I said, sore.”
Charles rolls his eyes and slowly works his hands down Arthur’s back, shuffling on Arthur’s thighs as he gets further down the older man’s spine.
“They don’t need you every hour of every day.”
“Gee, thanks.”
“You know what I mean,” Charles mutters, “And if you won’t stand up for yourself-”
“I owe them everythin’, darlin’,” Arthur whispers, “I’m sorry we haven’t had much time to-”
“That-” Charles takes a deep breath and digs his thumbs into Arthur’s tight sides, rubbing over the older man’s lowest rib for a moment, thinking, “I’m not upset with you. At all… I just don’t like seeing you so worn out.”
“Unless you caused it,” Arthur says wryly, tilting his head forward with a soft groan of relief when Charles rubs up his spine.
Charles hums quietly in agreement and slowly works at the knots on either side of Arthur’s neck.
“... That’s a different kinda exhausted though,” Arthur clarifies, running a hand through his hair to comb it out of his face, “A good kind.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah, y’know, this is just tired. That’s satisfied.”
Charles hums again, a little lower, more amused, dragging a fingertip down Arthur’s spine then hooking it under the back of Arthur’s waistband.
The older man tenses mildly under him then practically melts into the mattress with a whispered groan as Charles tugs the flannel down over his ass.
“You’re tense here, too,” Charles says and rests both his palms on either side of Arthur’s ass, squeezing.
Arthur huffs a laugh and reaches back to swat at Charles’ knee, then lets his hand rest there, just holding Charles’ leg.
“Would you rather be satisfied than just tired?” Charles asks quietly.
“Mm, shit," Arthur whispers, going quiet for a moment, squeezing Charles’ leg, "Yeah."
Charles hooks his fingers under the waistband again and shuffles back, taking Arthur’s pants with him, leaving the older man bare.
Gently grabbing Arthur’s calves and encouraging the older man to turn back over.
Arthur does, laying on his back with his face flushed and eyes sleepy, looking up at Charles.
Reaching out for him.
Charles moves to kneel between Arthur’s legs and Arthur smiles up at him, settling his hands on Charles’ waist.
“Let me take care of you,” Charles whispers, almost hesitant to admit this particular desire.
Arthur huffs softly and his nose wrinkles in confusion, his thumbs digging into the solid muscle in Charles’ abdomen.
“Charles,” Arthur protests quietly, “I’m fine, promise.”
“That’s not-” Charles sighs and shifts closer, encouraging Arthur’s legs around his hips, “I want to help.”
“You do help… Just, always bein’ there for me,” Arthur sucks on his lower lip as he trails one hand up to tap Charles’ sternum, looking up at the younger man too softly, too lovingly.
Charles leans in and presses his lips to Arthur’s, reaching down between their bodies and ghosting his fingers over Arthur’s slit, then wrapping around the older man’s cock.
Rubbing one thumb firmly at the base until Arthur makes a small, needy sound into the kiss.
“Lay back,” Charles whispers before sitting up and pulling away.
Arthur lets himself go slack with a small groan, slinging an arm over his eyes.
He hears Charles digging around in their nightstands and then the low hum of one of Arthur’s vibrators.
“... Shit,” Arthur whispers, anticipation making his stomach clench, squirming on their bed and peeking out under his arm.
Charles settles back between his legs and Arthur tenses lightly, his heart rate picking up as he watches the younger man move the vibrator down between Arthur’s thighs.
It’s pressed against the base of his cock, turned on.
Arthur can feel the vibrations all the way through his core and takes in a deep breath, dropping his arm off his face and staring up at the ceiling.
The fingertips of Charles’ other hand circle his hole and start barely dipping in, playing in the slick that’s starting to leak out of him.
Arthur curses weakly when Charles increases the strength of the vibrations, rocking his hips up against the stimulation, hooking one leg behind Charles’ thigh, spreading himself open.
“Good?” Charles asks quietly.
“You could just-” Arthur takes a deep breath and tugs on Charles’ thigh with his ankle, whispering, “You could fuck me.”
“... This is about you,” Charles says slowly before sliding two fingers into Arthur, making the older man bite down on an embarrassing sound of want, “You know I like this… Getting you off.”
“And I like you gettin’ off too,” Arthur says breathily, clenching around Charles’ fingers.
Charles just hums his acknowledgment of that without conceding, then presses a little harder with the vibrator, rubbing it against the base of Arthur’s cock in small circles.
He gets Arthur squirming pretty fast, the older man letting out small puffs of air between gritting his teeth and biting down on little whines.
“God-” Arthur chokes out before inhaling sharply, “Charles- Darlin’, I’m-”
Arthur’s toes curl and his thighs wrap tight around Charles’ hips, the older man’s back arching up off the mattress as he comes.
Charles swallows thickly as he feels his own cock aching.
Pressing another finger inside Arthur, curling them and aiming for that tender spot inside the older man.
“Charles,” Arthur whispers shakily, “Jesus, you’re really-?”
“Just lay back, Arthur,” Charles says softly as he leans his weight into it.
Fucking his fingers into Arthur watching the older man shudder and groan.
“Please?” Arthur whispers, not meeting Charles’ eyes as he clenches around the younger man’s fingers again, “God, Charles, please?”
Charles shuffles closer and lowers himself so he can press a soft kiss to Arthur’s cheek.
“You sure?”
“Yes, Jesus, do I really gotta beg-?” Arthur breaks off with a sound that can only be called a whimper, Charles pinning him to the mattress, letting go of the vibrator to pull himself out.
Watching Arthur’s face go slack as he presses his fingertips hard against that tender spot inside the older man, pulsing them quick and firm.
Arthur leaking slick around his fingers, grabbing at Charles’ shoulders and clinging as he comes again.
Charles slides his fingers out and lines his cock up with Arthur’s hole, waiting.
Arthur finally looks at him again and Charles presses their lips together, pushing himself into Arthur at the same time.
The older man makes a rough sound, pulling back from the kiss to take in a deep breath at the stretch.
“Ha, been a while,” Arthur whispers.
“Too much?”
“No, no, don’t you dare, you said you were gonna wear me out,” Arthur says with a wry smile, “Don’t hold back.”
Charles studies him for a moment but Arthur doesn’t like the seriousness of the expression on his love’s face.
Lifting himself up on one elbow and kissing Charles firmly.
The younger man humming and dropping his hands to the backs of Arthur’s thighs, squeezing as he slowly pulls out.
Lingering with just the head of his cock inside Arthur.
Arthur lightly bites his lower lip, impatient, and Charles smiles into the kiss, pressing back in and pushing Arthur’s thighs further up.
The older man biting back a groan at the stretch in his sore muscles, flopping back onto the mattress and covering his face as Charles sets a pace.
Steady and hard, making Arthur’s breath hitch each time Charles bottoms out.
“Shit,” Arthur whispers and lets his arms fall above his head, wrapping his hands around the rungs in their headboard, “Can we just do this all day?”
“All day?” Charles laughs quietly, “You’re not up for that.”
Arthur frowns up at him, almost pouting, then grumbles quietly about his stamina being ‘just fine’.
Charles picks up his pace and steals Arthur’s breath right out of his lungs just to make his point.
Arthur gritting his teeth and arching up, clamping down hard on Charles’ cock, weakly reaching for one of Charles’ hands, tangling their fingers and squeezing as he pants.
Charles leans back in to press a kiss to Arthur’s forehead, fucking into the older man faster, moving his lips to leave soft kisses over the dark circles under Arthur’s eyes, the flush of the older man’s cheeks.
Arthur digs his fingers in the back of Charles’ hand and fights to get his legs free, hooking his ankles at the base of Charles’ spine and not letting the younger man pull back as far.
His toes curling hard enough his legs ache with it, looking up at Charles with a haziness in his eyes.
“What?” Charles whispers, lightly grinding into Arthur since he can’t fully thrust anymore.
“Inside?” Arthur asks hesitantly, “... Please?”
“You sure?” Charles squeezes his hand in return, the younger man’s other hand sliding up his side, wedging behind his waist.
Arthur just swallows roughly and nods, letting his arms be guided around Charles’ shoulders as the younger man lays down against him, tucking his face in Arthur’s neck and worming his arms behind the older man’s back to hold Arthur tightly.
Groaning softly against the older man’s throat as he ruts against Arthur, grinding himself in deep, cock jerking inside the older man as he gets closer.
“Love you, Darlin’,” Arthur whispers, just a little choked with emotion, “Thank you.”
Charles curses quietly as Arthur clenches around him, bottoming out and holding himself still as he comes.
Arthur breathes out shakily and it rustles the hair behind Charles’ ear, making him shiver through his orgasm, pulsing as he spends himself in Arthur.
He can’t seem to force any words out of his throat so he just squeezes Arthur and presses his face snugly into the crook of the older man’s neck.