Homecoming

Chapter 24: Dreams

Ishan was in heaven - he could smell the aroma wafting from the Phulauri, Dudhauri, and Pakoras kept in front of him. He could not wait to dive into it - but wait, where was his mom's famous chutney that he absolutely could not do without? He looked around, and was just about to reach for it when...

"Wake up wake up wake up wake up!"

Ishan woke up, startled, only to find the delectable dishes and their aroma go poof in the air. Frustrated, he rubbed his eyes to sweep the sleep away, and tried to muster the patience to not kill the idiot who had woken him up from his foodie dreamland.

"Ishu, Ishu? Are you decent? Can I come in?"

Ishan rolled his eyes, but muttered a quick 'come in', just in time to see a golden retriever puppy masquerading as a human come barreling into his room.

Who in their right mind is this happy to wake up early? On a holiday as well!

"You know, I was sleeping very deeply. It's rude to wake up people who need sleep to heal."

"You slept for 14 hours straight, I was going to call the ambulance if you slept for 5 more minutes. C'mon, up up up! We don't want your muscles cramping up - we have a long day ahead - you have 2 appointments and a preliminary meeting with our physio as well. Your breakfast awaits, my liege."

Ishan wanted to be annoyed - he really did, but with such logic laid out, even he couldn't find anything to argue about. He signaled to Shubi that he needed help shifting from the bed to the wheelchair, which Shubi did help him with, but not before cheekily stating,

"You know, you don't need to get a sponge bath at the hospital - I would happily lather you up."

Ishan was so shocked that the grip on his bed faltered, but he quickly recovered and sent an annoyed look toward Shubi.

"Just help me with the chair, will you?"

"Yes, my sunshine."

Neither of them commented on the blush on Ishan's cheeks.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As the day came to an end, Ishan was well and truly tired. Between the numerous tests, exercises, traveling, and constant poking and prodding, Ishan could not wait to get into bed and sleep. Thankfully, Shubman seemed to sense his tiredness, so he simply gave him a simple dinner, helped him to the bed, and switched off the lights.

Shubman was watching the television in the living room in the wee hours of the night, when he heard noises from Ishan's room. Concerned, he switched the television off and meandered over to his room. He opened the door slowly, carefully not to spook Ishan lest he scare him, but found Ishan muttering in his sleep.

Worried that Ishan might injure himself, Shubman slowly walked toward the bed, and tried waking Ishan up with tiny shakes.

"Ishan, Ishu....wake up."

"Hmmmgnng."

"Ishan, you have to wake up, c'mon now."

Ishan opened his eyes slowly, the haze of sleep quite clear in his eyes. Shubman looked concerned, and was just about to touch his forehead to feel for a temperature, when Ishan grabbed Shubman's collar, jerked him forward, and kissed him.

He gripped Shubman's collar tightly, unwilling to let go, as he laid back on bed, taking Shubman with him. Ishan bit his lips, demanding entrance, and Shubman, too stunned to react appropriately, just parted his lips. Ishan's tongue surged forward, and plundered Shubman's mouth, and Shubman was helpless to do anything else but go with the flow.

"Kaha gaya tha? Tere bagair neend nai aati pata hai na tujhe?"

Ishan's body seemed to behave on autopilot, as he weaved his hands through Shubman's hair, pressing him to Ishan a little more. The added pressure only seemed to spur Ishan more, who moaned and trailed kisses down Shubman's throat.

Shubman's brain had shut down, too stunned with the realization that Ishan was in his arms, that Ishan was kissing him. He gripped Ishan's face to hold him in place, as the intensity of the kiss sent shivers down his spine. Ishan's moans sounded like music to his ears, and he wanted to exact those voices out of him forever. His dick had finally gotten the memo, all thanks to the delicious friction Ishan seemed hell bent on replicating, and he could feel himself grow bigger in his pants. He scooched a little forward, and the resulting friction earned him a whimper from Ishan, who started rolling his hips in earnest.

That seemed to jolt Shubman out of his trance, and he tried to extract his face from Ishan's grip. Ishan was clearly dreaming, and Shubman felt like a creep taking advantage of him. He removed Ishan's hands from his hair, and shook him a little strongly.

"Ishan, ISHAN! Wake up!"

Ishan's eyes instantly cleared of the haze that had enveloped them, and when he blinked his eyes, he was shocked to see Shubman over him, a concerned expression on his face. His mouth looked ravaged, and the tent in his pants was clear even in the dim light.

He pushed Shubman off the bed, and yelled,

"What the hell dude? What do you think you are doing? Didn't I tell you to not touch me?"

"Hey, I just came to wake you because you were muttering in your sleep and I was worried you would hurt your leg. You were the one who groped me."

"Whatever dude, I was clearly in sleep. Why didn't you wake me up?"

At this, Shubman fell silent, which was all the ammunition Ishan needed.

"Why did you touch me? Did I not explicitly state that I did not want to be touched? Why? WHY?"

Shubman exploded.

"Because I missed you, okay! I missed touching you, being near you! Do you know how much time it has been since I last got to touch you? I should have stopped early, I know, but god, Ishu, I cannot stay away from you - I need you."

"You need me? YOU NEED ME? Where were you when I needed you? Where were you? In the arms of another, that's where? Did you once, just once, think how I would feel? Did you think what I would go through, seeing you touching someone else, hugging someone else, looking at them, smiling at them, did you think it was easy for me? TELL ME!"

"I–"

"You are asking me how long it's been since you touched me? Do you know how long it's been for me? You must have loved having a perfectly acceptable girlfriend to hug and kiss and cuddle? Me? I was in hell - I craved your touches, your kisses, your scent. WHERE WERE YOU THEN? And why are you here now? Aren't you cheating on your girlfriend just by being here?"

"You know we broke up."

"Why would I know this? Do I look like I care about what goes on in your life? Newsflash, I don't. Please, please get out. I don't want to see your face."

"But–"

"OUT!"