Page 43 of Carver

Carver slid one hand behind his head. The other remained on his stomach. He refused to reach out to the other side. Gideon would have to come to him should he desire any type of touch.

As if the boy could read his mind, Gideon slid over the bed to lay close to Carver. His head landed on the bent arm, and his nose pressed to the muscle there. Carver could feel how deep a breath he took.

When he sighed with a sound that felt like immense relief, Carver grinned. He liked knowing he brought Gideon peace. It was only fair given how much his sweet boy had given him.

Others might look at their time together and see Gideon as a burden. He was anything but.

Carver loved taking care of him. He wanted to provide for Gideon—physically, mentally, and emotionally. Every minute since he’d found his sweet boy in the damp, darkened hallway had been a blessing.

“Sleep,” Carver whispered into the quiet of the room.

It wasn’t long after he felt Gideon go slack in his arms. All of the boy was aligned to his side. Carver wished he could wrap his arm around the young man. Holding him would make the moment even more perfect.

But fear of scaring Gideon was too much. What if he woke up and thought he was trapped again? Carver would never be the source of his discomfort.

Which is why, after several minutes of watching over the exhausted boy beside him, Carver fell into the deepest sleep he’d had in decades.

Carver wokeup before his boy did. He wasn’t sure what had caused him to go from sleeping to wide awake in an instant. He only knew he wouldn’t miss the chance to see how Gideon reacted at their position.

Time passed slowly as Carver’s gaze trailed over Gideon. Sometime in the night, his boy had curled himself around Carver. He’d become attached to the other man like glue.

If it hadn't been for how well Gideon slept, Carver would have been laughing at how different it was from the wide-awake version. There was a comfort in knowing Gideon inherently trusted him though. His sleepy state knew he was with Carver and allowed himself to seek comfort in ways he normally wouldn’t.

What a gift.

As Carver thought over this, he felt slight movement from the boy on his chest. There was a second where Gideon tensed. Carver prepared himself for an outburst. He was ready to take whatever his boy threw at him.

But then Gideon took a deep breath and practically purred. He sank deeper into Carver’s chest, squeezing his side as he nuzzled against his shirt.

Carver wished he’d gone without it. He’d love to know what it felt like to have more than the small touches he’d gotten from his sweet boy.

Before he could let the thoughts run away from him, Gideon pushed up from Carver’s chest to look down at him. His eyes were brighter than usual. The corners of his mouth were slightly upturned. It was the closest to a smile Carver had ever seen.

His grew at the sight. “Good morning, sweet boy,” he rasped.

Gideon tapped his chest twice. It was his own form of reply. Sometimes he would go so far as to nod. That wasn’t always the case.

“We need to get up and get ready for the day. You need some food. And I need to check in on my men.”

With that, the pair rose from the bed. Gideon dressed in more of the comfy sweats the guys had gotten him. These were more form fitting, though they still hung loose. He’d gained abit of weight since he’d arrived with the Angels. Not enough to fill out all his outfits yet. Carver had goals to get him as healthy as possible. He wouldn’t stop until Doc told him Gideon was at optimal levels.

After Carver dressed as well, he moved to leave to get their food like usual. Only this time, he felt a tug on his hand. He looked over to see Gideon lacing their fingers together.

Carver nearly jolted at the touch. It was yet another step in a direction he didn’t know the result to.

“You want to go with me?”

Gideon squeezed his hand twice.

“There will be others here, sweet boy. Women too. I don’t want to upset you.”

To answer him, Gideon buried his face in Carver’s arm. He chuckled at the sight, which made the tiny smile Gideon wore grow.

The noise that left Carver would have been embarrassing if he weren’t so happy. “Your smile is precious,” he whispered to Gideon. “I hope to see it every day.”

He didn’t realize he’d reached up to touch Gideon until the boy leaned into his hand. Carver sighed at the connection. It was so small, so simple. In the past, he would have thought nothing of it.

Now, he felt the single point move through his entire body. It was a livewire bringing him joy and bliss and hope.