He'd been trying to keep his thoughts from spilling over to Heian, but...

Sighing, Ranger nuzzled his face into one of the man's soft, cool pillows. He'd come over there with the intention of being able to give himself to Heian the way the guy had done for him several times already. He hadn't thought much on what it would take, though. His stamina, which was normally endless, was completely drained after only thirty minutes.

He tried to move onto his stomach to get a little more comfortable, but a jolt of pain from his backside quickly had him rethinking his life choices.

Of all the things that would cripple me. I've broken so many bones, jumped out of trees and houses...

Groaning, he bit his mental tongue, praying that Heian hadn't heard him complaining. He didn't want to sound whiny, especially after the guy had gone through so much work and pain to be able to bottom for him.

I can work on it more tomorrow. I should be healed by then.

Hearing footsteps, Ranger glanced toward the door but didn't move in any other way, fearing more pain.

"I've finished cleaning up what we used... and put them away," Heian said as he sat on the edge of the bed next to him and reached out to gently sift his fingers through his hair.

I didn't hear you slide them back under the bed, though.

"That is because I didn't. They are put away somewhere else, because we won't be using them again," Heian said, making Ranger open his eyes abruptly, not having realized he'd let them drift closed with the attention.

He forced himself up onto his elbow, ready to argue, but couldn't make it any higher as he quickly hunched over and tried, but failed, to blink back a few tears.

Heian's hands quickly found their way to Ranger's shoulders, then gently coaxed him back down until he was lying on his belly.

I can still do it. It'll just take a while to get used to, Ranger thought to him as he felt Heian gently press something cold between the crease of his backside. Pain immediately shot up his spine, making him tense and give out an absolutely pathetic whine.

"No," was the man's firm response as he carefully rubbed numbing cream against his torn skin.

Ranger fought himself not to flinch at all, but it did seriously hurt.

"I will be the bottom from here on out. I don't want you trying anything else here," he said as he tapped Ranger's hole softly.

You can't stop me if I want to...

"No, I can't. I don't want to stop you from what you want to do, Ranger. But if what you want to do is hurt yourself for me, for something you think I need to have, then you will force my hand to punish you," Heian said, making Ranger turn his head on the pillow so that he could see him better.

He couldn't think of a way the man could really punish him for trying to get his body used to bottoming.

"I can punish you, by saying that I will never, for as long as we are together, allow you to bottom for me," Heian said sternly, drawing a frown to Ranger's lips and a crease to his brow.

His stubborn side was livid, but his backside was relieved.

Feeling Heian remove his fingers from his private area and get up to wash them, Ranger turned his head and sulked into the pillow. The embarrassment was beginning to sink in at that point. His boyfriend, the one he thought he'd never even have since he'd never even liked guys, told him that he would never let him bottom for him. He knew that he'd rushed into the situation super fast and hadn't listened to Heian when he'd said to start very small... but still.

He was just about to start berating himself for his inability to handle a few simple sex toys without bleeding badly when he felt the bed depress again beside him, then Heian climb in.

Go away.

He didn't have anymore energy to turn away from the man, but he did tuck his chin against his chest and glare at the blanket he was lying on top of. Unfortunately, that left a very nice six pack just at the edge of his view.

"It does belong to you, you know," came Heian's response to Ranger trying to avoid looking at the other man's muscles.

Don't want it, he grumbled back in his mind.

Heian gave a quiet chuckle and lied down on his back, then lifted his left arm above his head to rest on.

"Well, it will always be here if you'd like to do anything with it... or me," he said, trying to break the tension Ranger knew he was creating.

He sulked for a little while longer before nudging himself just close enough to feel Heian's body heat against his side.

"I was trying to do something with you," he said, putting on his full pout as he pressed his forehead against Heian's upper torso.

He felt the man's arm wrap around him and let his feline slip out for a warning growl, except... it was more than happy with the attention and made him give a content rumble instead.

"You are too cute sometimes, even when you don't mean to be," Heian said, clearly trying to hold back the humor in his voice and failing.

"I'm not cute," Ranger hissed back, finally get his cat in line.

Heian carefully but firmly rolled Ranger onto his back, pinning him there with just a simple hand against his shoulder. Thankfully, the numbing medication he'd used on him was working wonders, or he probably would have been bawling by then.

"You, are, fucking, adorable," Heian said as he leaned in and pressed a kiss to the edge of Ranger's lips.

Ranger turned his head away, but he couldn't quite keep his scowl.

"You're also handsome, manly, strong, and I fucking love you, Ranger."

He kept his eyes averted as he felt the man settle his chin on his chest. No doubt he'd be smiling right then. Even when shit was super stressful and nothing was going right, he would still smile at him.

"Finally having you to myself makes everything else worth it," Heian said without hesitation as he scooted up a bit, then settled in against Ranger's side with his left arm draped over his chest.

He still didn't understand what was so good about himself, but he knew better than to ask. Heian had quite a list of things he'd gladly share in an instant if Ranger even dared think less of himself.

"I might have added to that list, too," Heian said as Ranger finally turned his head to look at the man.

That dopey smile looks so dumb...

Heian stuck his tongue out at that, earning a roll of Ranger's eyes, but also a stifled smidgen of a chuckle.

"I have child protective services coming out tomorrow to check on Toshi, but the kids wanted to have a picnic lunch out in one of the empty fields before they get here. Would you want to stay for that?"

Ranger could sense the excitement in the man's thoughts as he let slip that Nia would definitely love it if he came.

Dork.

"Of course I'll stay for it."

They both quieted for a short while as Ranger began to drift off, but then his eyes slowly opened and when he realized something.

"Uh, hey Heian?"

The man gave a sleepy mumble in response.

"I know that you just recently rebuilt your beehives after Marsh got into them... but uh, my brother has a new smaller bear around for a bit and, well, he texted me earlier saying that the kid had knocked on the door covered in honey..."

He expected the guy to at least be annoyed that he now had to go back and fix his hives, again, but when Heian just hugged him tighter against him and gave out a few quiet chuckled, Ranger glanced up.

"I have several more hives on my property that are quite a distance from those. If it pleases them so much to raid them, they may do as they wish. I will fix them tomorrow morning and perhaps put a little sign that reads something along the lines of use a spoon, not a claw."

Okay, he couldn't help it, Ranger burst out laughing.

So cute.

When he couldn't seem to calm himself down, Heian leaned up on his right elbow and leaned over him. A moment later and his lips sealed over his own, silencing his laughter immediately. It also helped that his left hand had wandered quite a ways south and was gripping something inappropriate.

Is it not appropriate? We are in bed, and you are naked, and I am horny, and—Ranger bit Heian's lower lip just hard enough to make him break the kiss.

"There's a problem, though," Ranger grumbled, his voice already getting raspy.

Heian tilted his head and let his hand squeeze gently.

"It's working quite well."

Ranger narrowed his eyes on the man and huffed.

"You, good sir, are wearing pajama pants."

Heian looked down at his clothing, seemingly surprised about it even being there.

"My bad," he said as he nonchalantly chucked the item, then returned his attention to Ranger.

How did he get those off so quickly and easily without letting go of my junk?

"I can teach you, afterward," Heian said with a mischievous grin that told Ranger he was in for quite a night, even if it didn't involve a certain man putting items into his backside like he'd originally planned.

Heian gave him a deep chuckle as he moved over him on his hands and knees.

"Correct, nothing is going there, but I'm sure there's another place I can put something... if you'd like to try?"

He was going to combust from embarrassment, but that didn't stop Ranger from whispering after an awkward half shrug, "I-I'll try it."