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[supra_et_ultra]

There are a couple of weeks of freedom, after his summer tour is done but before classes begin, where Jiang feels free and alive. The tour was hard, to be out and away from Prokopenko and Kavinsky for so long, but he's back now, and Annapolis feels like home because it's where his heart lives.

As soon as he's stepped foot back on solid ground, he calls Proko. It's the middle of the day, and he's exhausted and feels like he hasn't showered in a year and a half, but it's probably closer to three days.

"Are you home?" he asks, as soon as the line picks up. "Can I come over? I've got a damn minute where I just get to be still and I want to do it in your bed."

Comments

[supra_et_ultra]

"I'm gonna have to get it drycleaned anyway," he says with a laugh, and the sudden reminder that that will cost him money is a daunting one. In Henrietta, money wasn't exactly an object to him, and while he's in school, all his laundry service is covered with the rest of his fees, from his stipend. But it's six weeks of neither of those things, and he realizes that he can't just write home and ask for a check.

He says nothing, just strips and methodically folds everything as he sets it aside, and then joins Proko in the shower, with his coffee. He sips it between peppering Proko's shoulders and neck with kisses.

[favoriteforgery]

"There's a place up the road that's cheap and good," he says while Jiang folds his clothes. "They'll probably give you a military discount, too." He knows Jiang's stipend isn't amazing, and that most of his expenses come out before he sees any money.

When Jiang joins him in the shower, even thinking about all that goes out the window. He smiles under all the kisses and leans into Jiang.

"Feeling better yet?" he asks as he turns and steals a sip of Jiang's coffee.

[supra_et_ultra]

"Gimme a minute to feel slightly more human," Jiang jokes, smiling and draping his arms around Proko. "I think I had one shower a week over the past six. I've gotta let the water sink in before the grime's all gone. This might be a long shower."

[favoriteforgery]

"Can be as long as you want. Or at least until the hot water runs out, huh?"

He gets the soap to start cleaning off a little, but mostly he works on Jiang. "Do you wanna try to plan to do anything before you go back?" He asks because planning is a thing he apparently does now. "We could go to the beach or something."

He can take off work, he hasn't really done much of that. Jiang's only ever had a few hours here, a day or two there.

[supra_et_ultra]

Jiang smiles and helps to soap Proko up, and soap himself up. It doesn't take him long to finish his coffee and set the mug aside.

He grabbed the soap from Proko and started to lather him up properly, grinning as he looked at him while he did it. "God, I missed you."

[favoriteforgery]

"I missed you too," he says, softer and warmer. He leans into Jiang, making it more difficult to soap him up but whatever. Jiang can deal.

"I uhm. I saw some doctors while you were away. I didn't mention it while you were on the cruise because I was still kind of digesting it myself."

He wasn't keeping it a secret, but he also hadn't been sure how to bring it u on a phone call or facetime with a shitty connection. And it didn't feel like something he wanted to text about, either. Most of all, Proko hadn't wanted to distract Jiang while he was, more or less, deployed. And it just felt like a conversation he wanted to have in person, so he'd waited.

[supra_et_ultra]

Jiang runs his fingers over Proko's back, following the slope of his spine. He's not sure he should ask if it was just talking and seeing, or if something went down, or where they're at. He wants to know. He wants Proko to own whatever he can.

"Good visits? We doin' good work?" He lifts his hands and ruffles his fingers into Proko's wet hair. "Things panning out how you want?"

[favoriteforgery]

Proko shrugs one shoulder. "Yeah, I mean. I guess. We talked about some options, you know? Like going on T and all, and-- and getting rid of some things."

His fingers brush low over his belly. Sometimes he thinks everything else can wait, as long as he can get rid of all that, as long as he doesn't have to be afraid of the one thing happening that he can't handle, or having to wake up another morning and think about tampons.

He'd stopped taking hormone blockers a year ago, when he kind of got cut off from the family funds. He hadn't really said anything about it to Jiang or Kav until he had to: his period had come back, and he kind of lost his shit.

"What do you think?" he asked, looking up at Jiang.

[supra_et_ultra]

"I think it's your body, and I'm gonna support you however you go about it," Jiang says. He runs his fingers over Proko's lower belly as well, and then slowly down between his legs. He knows part of the concern is the periods, but another part of it is also the potential for pregnancy.

He's read up about it. There's still a risk even if Proko's on testosterone.

"However you wanna be, baby," he said. "You know I'm sold on you."

[favoriteforgery]

Proko nods a little. "I felt-- I mean I felt fine when I was still on the blockers and all. I had good days and bad days but." He shrugs and stays leaning against Jiang's chest.

"Last year has kinda sucked really fuckin' bad. And I dunno the best way to fix it but I'm. I'm trying to figure it out. I know never having a fucking period again would help. So. Maybe that's the first big thing on the list. Tempted to ask Baba for help."

[supra_et_ultra]

"I know it has, baby," Jiang murmurs. Even from behind the wall, he knows that things have been rough while Proko's been finding his feet here in Maryland, and he appreciates that. He doesn't want Proko to suffer for a moment.

"I wish I could do more to help," he says, pressing a kiss against him and moving his hands to hold him around the middle. "But you know Baba would help no matter what. You probably don't even need to ask. Just wish it into the universe."

[favoriteforgery]

Proko makes a face at the idea of asking Baba for anything, but he knows Jiang is right. All he need do is whisper it, and like a weird, benevolent Baba Yaga, she would sweep out of the ether and deliver what he needed.

"But I wanted to talk to you about it too, 'cause... I mean. You're with me," he says with a helpless shrug. And maybe it's his body and his decision, but he still wants affirmation and support. And once he puts Jiang through it, he'll put Kav through it.

[supra_et_ultra]

"I mean, I'm all about being in on the talk. And I'll try to be there as much as I can when you recover. And even if I can't be there every day, I'll bee there as much as I can."

He kissed Proko gently, soft, all over his face. "And make Kav come down and baby you like a fucko house-husband."

[favoriteforgery]

Proko smiles under the kisses and he laughs at the mention of Kav. "Yeah, I'll make his ass come take care of me and send you snapchat updates and shit if you're stuck when I get it done."

But he figures he'll do it before Jiang graduates, if only for his own sanity, which means he'll be able to see Jiang when he has liberty, at least.

"Water's gonna get cold," he says between more kisses.

[supra_et_ultra]

"The fact that it takes longer than forty seconds for the water to get cold is a fucking blessing," Jiang sighs, and then laughs softly.

He gives Proko another squeeze. "It's easier to fuck you in bed, anyway. So, yeah, we should probably get out of the shower."

[favoriteforgery]

"Wow, sailor. Already after this ass again." Proko grins, though, because fuck he's missed Jiang. He knows this is something he has to get used to, but it's never not going to suck.

He turns off the water and squirms out of Jiang's grasp so he can grab a towel. He throws another one at Jiang as he dries off and walks across the hall, naked, into their bedroom.

[supra_et_ultra]

"I'm gonna be after that ass every chance you give me for the next six weeks," Jiang says, slapping Proko's ass and squeezing as he got out of the shower. He caught the towel and quickly toweled off his body and hair, and then headed across the way to the bedroom as well.

[favoriteforgery]

Proko feels his face get hot at the sound - the feel - of Jiang's hand on his ass. "Jesus, man," he breathes. He manages to kick at the bedroom door, on the off-chance that his roommate decides to come home despite the warning.

It's not like he's expecting the guy to just stay away for six weeks, but. He did warn him that his boyfriend was gonna be around. Maybe both of them.

[supra_et_ultra]

Jiang smiles as they tumble into the bedroom, one after the other. When the bedroom door was shut behind him, he dropped his towel and grabbed Proko around the waist.

He was already half hard again, ready to go. It would probably be another fast round, before he got going properly.

[favoriteforgery]

"Fuck," he laughs, breathless, when Jiang gets hold of him again. Porko leans into him, twists to get another kiss as he reaches down to palm Jiang's cock.

"Really did miss me, huh?" he teases, grinning against Jiang's mouth as he tries to move back toward the bed. "What's it gonna be like when you get nine month deployments, huh?"

[supra_et_ultra]

"I'm going to die on nine month deployments," Jiang says, honest in that moment, though he knows that he'll manage. He'll manage because Proko will be at the beginning and end of it, and every second in between.

They tumble into bed, and Jiang laughs softly. "But I've got six weeks of being right here with you. And I'm taking a-fucking-vantage of it."

[favoriteforgery]

Proko just grins and slides on top of Jiang, straddling his hips. "You can take advantage of me any time you want, baby."

It feels good to have him back in this bed.

"Hey, did you notice?" Proko twists a little, trying to show Jiang the small heart and diamond - like the card suits - on his thigh. "They aren't permanent yet, but I'm was trying them out."

[supra_et_ultra]

Jiang hadn't noticed, until now, but in his defense, he's been a little distracted up until this point. He's still a little distracted. He lifts his hand and runs his thumb against the design.

"I like it," Jiang says softly. "Do you think right there?"

[favoriteforgery]

"I think so? I haven't decided. Thought maybe higher, on my hip or something. They're vory tattoos."

Proko had grown up in a vory v zakone family, he could read tattoos as well as he could read books when his father had people around. He knows what they did to people that wore unearned tattoos, but he doesn't think anyone will be coming after him if they catch sight of these.

"They're the kind that get put on you in prison. These are ones no one asks for. Means you take it up the ass."

[supra_et_ultra]

"Making it a declaration instead of being subjected to it," Jiang says, thumb working gently over the heart and diamond. He smiled lazily, affectionately. "And you do like taking it up the ass."

He bumped his hips up against Proko, just a bit, half hard and aching toward more.