Physical Therapy for Sist3r_Sin

[red_peril]

"Come on, don't stop now. Give me ten more reps." The physical therapist was very attractive. He had dark hair and blue eyes that had a mischievous sparkle to them. Though he seemed irritatingly pleased at the pain that Illya was experiencing. The tag on his t-shirt read N. Solo, PT. The dark t-shirt showed off his own impressively muscular physique.

Illya had been glad to get the stupid splint off. Not so much to meet the physical therapist. But if he intended ever to raise his right arm above his head again, he would have to do it. So, sweating and growling as he lifted the weight ten more times. He kept his movements precise, but by the end, his arm was shaking, his shoulder throbbing, and he had a keen desire to punch the physical therapist in the face. No matter how attractive that face was. Still, he didn't stop until the reps were done.

"Good job," he said as Illya set down the weights. Illya was panting and his weak muscles trembled. "Lay down and we'll get some deep ultrasonic massage for it. It'll make it feel really good." Illya laid back on the bench as he was asked. He hated feeling weak. But nearly two full months in a hospital bed with no exercise at all had made Illya lose some of his muscle tone. Especially in his injured right arm. It would take a while to get back into shape. He watched the physical therapist roll a piece of equipment into the room.

After putting on a pair of gloves, he squirted some gel onto Illya's wounded shoulder. He let out a little gasp at how cold it was. Then Solo turned on the massager and applied the machine to his shoulder. "Bozhe moy..." he sighed as the ultrasonic waves and the gel started to heat as well as cool.

"What?" Solo asked.

"Is Russian for 'My god.' That feels very good," he sighed, relaxing as Solo worked on him. This angle gave him a different perspective on the man's face. Illya's eyes were especially drawn to his lips. They looked so kissable. Solo's blue eyes caught him staring and he smiled. He had not been attracted like this to anyone other than Sinthia in a very long time.

"It should feel good," Solo said, very amused by the Russian's attention. "You have beautiful eyes, by the way."

"Really?" he looked at the man's eyes directly. Could it be that he was feeling a similar attraction? Illya's eyes softened and he chanced a smile.

Comments

[red_peril]

"That's good," he liked Sinthia. "Yes, I noticed. He pushes himself hard. He's a bit of a perfectionist. But don't let him go too far. He needs to take it easy on himself. Give him this," He handed her a package with a sling in it and a prescription for a non-narcotic anti-inflammatory. "He shouldn't push it too hard and if he gets tired, have him put his arm in this to rest it. Ice it if it's sore and I've written him a prescription for an anti-inflammatory."

~~~~

Illya took Avi to the small park across from the hospital and ran with him on leash around it while they waited. It was good to get out in the fresh air. He'd looked at this park from his hospital room window for days. It was nice to finally be able to run the short trail around it. Avi really wanted to run, though, so Illya let him off the leash for a bit. The big dog spent his time running circles around the Russian. And as much as he wanted to get on the ground and wrestle with the dog, when the dog threw himself down in a patch of clover, Illya knew that he couldn't.

"Sorry buddy, that will have to wait a little while longer." It didn't stop him from sitting down in the grass next to the dog and rubbing his belly.

[abyssum_invocat]

"He's more than a bit of a perfectionist," she said, shaking her head and pushing a stray strand behind her ear, only for it to fall back against her cheek. "It'll be hell trying to get medicine in him after the morphine in the hospital. Thank you, though, and I'll let you know how he does tonight when I bring him back." She anticipated bringing him most of the time, if not all of it until he could drive himself to appointments and back, though when that happened she might see less of the gentle smile Illya had had directed at Solo. "If you have any trouble with him let me know?"

And even if he didn't have trouble.

She came up to Illya and Avi only a little while later, kissing the dog's head before turning her attention to her human companion, brushing her nose against his gently. "Hi, you."

[red_peril]

"Hi, you too," he kissed her gently. "Can we go home now?" He wanted to sleep in their own bed. "I want to eat food that doesn't come from hospital kitchen and sleep in our bed, and make love to you for hours."

[abyssum_invocat]

"Yeah, we can go home now," she murmured, winding her arms around around Illya's waist and giving him a long, slow kiss. She couldn't help the laugh at his suggestions of what he wanted. "I can promise you two of those things, at least."

[red_peril]

"We get to go home, Avi," he said excitedly, grinning as she kissed him. "Oh? Which two?" he teased, when their lips parted.

[abyssum_invocat]

"Take a wild guess," she told him. "I'm not supposed to let you overwork yourself. So says your new nurse."

[red_peril]

"Okay, maybe not for hours," he said. "But what about fifteen minutes?" Aside from their one encounter in his hospital room bathroom, it had been a very lonely few weeks. "Oh, does he? What else did he say?"

[abyssum_invocat]

"Why not aim for somewhere in the middle?" she asked, amused and letting herself stand in the sun with Illya and pretend, for half a minute, that everything was normal and fine and not complicated. Nothing like reality.

"He says he likes your tattoos, and that you're to see him twice a week. And if I tell you to, to take an anti-inflammatory pill and use the sling." She poked him gently in the stomach, away from other injuries, just for fun. "He's very handsome."

[red_peril]

"Okay, maybe an hour. Though I don't know if I can last that long," he admitted. He was enjoying standing in the sun with her and pretending that his life wasn't completely fucked up. For this moment, he was just going to enjoy holding her and standing in the sun and the fresh air.

"Oh? Really?" He laughed when she poked him. "Is narcotic?" he didn't like the idea of taking anything he might get hooked on. Though he had quite enjoyed the morphine in the hospital, it wasn't something he wanted to keep taking. "Da. I noticed. I also noticed that you noticed me noticing." He ducked his head a little. Feeling a little guilty.

[abyssum_invocat]

"Don't worry about how long it takes," she said, shaking her head at him. "It will be lovely even if it is only fifteen minutes."

She spread her hand over where she'd poked him, palm warm and soothing against the spot as she laid her cheek on his chest. "It's not a narcotic, no. It's non-habit forming, just something to cut down the inflammation from healing. It will only help a little, but it's something." Sinthia watched Illya lower his head, hiding his face, and grinned as she lifted his chin.

"Don't feel guilty, my love. It's okay if you look. You haven't been able to, not with men, in a long time." She didn't mind.

[red_peril]

Illya smiled at that, "You know I love you more than anyone else." Having her close to him, snuggling against him felt so good. "Okay, I will be good boy and take my medicine when you tell me."

His eyes met hers when she lifted his chin. "Thank you," he hugged her as tight as he dared. "You are best, moya malenkaya koroleva." He gave her a smile that was not unlike the one that he had given to the nurse. "It was kind of hard not to notice how handsome Solo is."

[abyssum_invocat]

"I know, and I'm glad you like him,"she said with a smile of her own. Sinthia genuinely was glad Illya found someone else attractive, even if he was male, because it meant Illya wasn't still too affected by the time he'd spent pretending to be a different person.

"Take this as permission to flirt," she chuckled, leaning in and giving him a kiss. "So food and sex and sleeping is still the plan, hm?"

[red_peril]

Her reaction surprised him a little, but he was happy that she wasn't upset. "Okay." Illya didn't want her to think he wasn't happy being with her.

"Yes, please," he said, sounding relieved.

[abyssum_invocat]

"I promise it's alright, I'm not angry," she chuckled, brushing her nose against Illya's with a smile. "Come on, then. Let's go home, and you tell me what you want me to make you for dinner."

[red_peril]

He kissed her again, just for good measure. That and he couldn't get enough of Sinthia. "Anything not bland would be good start," he said as he followed her to the car with the dog.

[abyssum_invocat]

"Mmm," she began to laugh when he kissed her again, wrinkling her nose. "You still have to pick it. Since they don't give you much choice in the hospital."

[red_peril]

"How about something totally decadent? Like lasagna. Ice cream for dessert," he said.

[abyssum_invocat]

"That I can do," Sinthia answered, unlocking the car and letting the dog hop in before her, so he could settle his now less-fluffy white bulk on the backseat comfortably. (Or on what passed for a backseat, anyway.)

"Pasta, wine, ice cream... So I'm going to spoil you tonight," she laughed gently. "I like it."

[red_peril]

Illya waited until Avi settled before he slid into the passenger seat. He reached down to adjust the seat for his legs. "I like it too. I could get to liking letting you spoil me, you know."

[abyssum_invocat]

"I could get used to doing it," she replied, holding his hand with hers when they got in. "I have to compete with that cute nurse somehow."

[red_peril]

Illya laughed, "Really? Hmmm. I like this competition." He carefully fastened his seat belt with his left hand. It was awkward, but he managed. He appreciated that she didn't help him. He didn't want to be coddled. Spoiled a little.

[abyssum_invocat]

Sinthia, as far as her opinion was even relevant with what Illya saw himself able to do, thought he was perfectly capable of learning to use his left hand, and didn't want to make him feel any more helpless than two months in a hospital had already done. She squeezed his hand once she'd started the car, and they made it to her place in good time, though she wasn't rushing it.

"You would. Twice as much attention."

[red_peril]

He laughed, "That is benefit. What makes you so sure that he wants to compete? Maybe he has boyfriend already. Maybe he just thinks I am interesting to look at?" Illya shrugged. "I might flirt with him. Really, I am very happy to be with you."

[abyssum_invocat]

"What do you think we talked about?" she laughed. "He thinks you are very handsome and very hardworking. And he's not wrong," Sinthia continued.

"I know. I'm happy being with you too."

[red_peril]

"I knew you were talking about me," he said, blushing a bit. "But I figured it was more about my shoulder than about him liking me."