Roman's clammy fingers almost slipped from the metal bar he was gripping. Alex had a look of determination and anxiety painted across his features. His bottom lip was slightly swollen from nibbling on it, but his eye hadn't glanced away from Roman for even a brief second. Not even when Roman stumbled and Alex's eyes watered did he lower his waiting arms.
"Are you sure you don't need a break?" Alex asked for the third time. The physical therapist cocked her head slightly as she waited for Roman to answer.
"I'm fine. I said I was fine," Roman said a little too harshly.
"I just don't want you overexerting yourself. You're doing so good, Ro. It's okay to rest," Alex defended, ignoring Roman's temper.
"I'll rest when I get to you," Roman said firmly.
Adjusting to walking with a prosthetic limb had proven to be trickier than he had originally thought it would be. After a few weeks he was able to make it around the living room without falling most of the time, but due to the extent of his injuries his body needed more extensive help. It seemed that every step forward made him fall two steps back. Now that he was gaining a firmer grasp on balance, the physical therapist had him working on steps and uneven surfaces.
For every step he took, Alex's smile widened a little. For every stumble he took Alex encouraged him to keep going; to come a little closer. That's what he needed. Roman swore he could feel his will building a little with each word from his lover's lips.
It was almost five minutes later that he managed to finish the distance and Alex, as promised, planted his lips on Roman's firmly. The therapist giggled from beside them before offering Roman a stool to sit on. He wiped his forehead with a towel and accepted a bottle of water from Alex who was still beaming.
"You did so good today. I can't believe how much progress you've made in just this past week."
Roman scoffed and shook his head. "I fell like three times, Alex."
"So? That's three times you got back up. Shelby had you doing new exercises today. You did great with them."
"I'd give you an A plus." Shelby, the physical therapist, smiled. "How's your arm been since I gave you the new therapy plan?" She asked, sipping her own bottle of water.
Roman shrugged, looking to Alex to answer his questions for him. Alex rolled his eyes and sighed. "Ro, I can only tell her what I see. How do you expect anyone to be able to help if you don't tell us?"
Roman scrunched his nose and picked at the leg of his shorts. He didn't want to talk about it, but twice every week, that's exactly what he had to do. He hated telling them anything about his injuries; about how they ached or went numb, or simply made his body refuse to function.
"He overdid it with his arm over the weekend. He did four extra reps and that night he could barely breathe through the pain," Alex said. Roman blushed and Shelby scowled.
"Roman, the workout I gave you is the max that I feel comfortable with. I know you're anxious to build your body back up and get going again, but you-"
"I know. I'll do more damage than good. I'm just sick of being broken," he said, not realizing it was out loud until a warm hand was covering his. Alex's lips brushed against his forehead before he was being pulled into two lean arms.
A short time later they were back in the quiet apartment. Roman was drying himself off after a shower when Alex opened the door and stopped. His eyes ran down Roman's bare body with an obvious intent that Roman would have once acted on without blinking. He grabbed his towel and wrapped it around his waist before shuffling to the bed where he had clothes waiting.
