Time Warp: Train in the Distance (Josh)

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Summer 2012.


It was one of the more ambitious vacations that Sean had ever planned, but it had, so far, proved worth every moment of planning and every penny of the cost. Josh had never been out of the country, and so this was a series of firsts. Greg needed the distraction after spending that Hellish year, jailed on false charges after the brutal murder of his husband. Sean had needed a vacation from Hammel and from other obligations, a topic about which Josh periodically needled him, and, if he was on the other side of the world, nobody could expect him to come in during his month off. More than that, he wanted to bond with his partner (and to think that it had been almost a year already), and with his other best friend.

The telepath had taken final control of their itinerary, insofar as different countries and accommodations were concerned. All three men had contributed suggestions for site-seeing, and they had all agreed to see two plays on the West End in England.

In Rome, they had toured museums and ruins for most of the morning, before returning to the hotel for the afternoon siesta. They’d bade Greg a good nap and dropped the blond off at his room, before going down to the next one.

As soon as they were inside, the telepath set down their travel guide and pulled off his sunglasses and hat.

“It’ll be nice to be out of the sun for an hour or two.”

Despite generations in the United States, Sean’s ethnicity was entirely Irish, going as far back as anyone could trace his lineage. He didn’t do well with too much sun exposure.

[Joshua Bernstein]

"It will be nice to be off my feet for an hour or two," Josh countered. Although he cycled regularly that was primarily as a mode of transportation rather than purely as exercise, and while if he was in court he could spend hours standing, his job largely involved sitting in front of a desk, or sitting at a bench waiting for his turn to stand and talk. Walking up and down hills, through crowds of people, was no longer an important aspect of his life, and so his feet were sore.

And, to a lesser extent, so were his legs and back.

He placed his own hat and sunglasses on the dresser and collapsed onto the bed. "Ahhh, sweet, sweet stillness."

He was sure that he needed a shower; his shirt was sticking to him from sweat. But he wanted to enjoy laying and doing nothing for a moment.

"Would you like a massage?" He asked Sean, although he didn't move from his position.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Sean at sat on the edge of the bed, careful not to disturb his partner’s vegetative state. He leaned over to remove his hiking shoes, sighing softly when his toes could breathe. He wiggled them appreciatively, and then scooted over to lean against the headboard. He nearly sank into the bedding, it felt so comfortable and soft after a long day of walking.

At the question, he quirked his eyebrow at the other man. “Are you in any condition to give one?”

He wouldn’t turn down a massage from his partner, more because he enjoyed the experience of being touched, since the attorney lacked any professional skill or accreditation. But Josh knew him well and always knew how to make him feel loved and desired, even if the younger man lacked the so-called magic touch that telepathy granted to Sean.

But he didn’t want to take advantage of his partner or make him move more than he wanted when trying to recover from their morning.

After all, Josh had collapsed face-first into the bed, not that Sean could fault him for it.

It had been an intense few hours of sightseeing, and there had been too much sunlight. Summer, midday, in Rome was enough to power Pilot Ridge for a month, if everyone switched to solar panels.

[Joshua Bernstein]

"Yes."

Josh's answer was muffled by the pillow, and so he painstakingly turned himself around so that his face was to the ceiling. "Yes," He repeated, yawning, "Just give me a few minutes and I'll be all yours. Then shower. I can share."


Which was probably not the best of ideas had he actually wanted to become less sweaty, but he wasn't always known for his keen thinking skills where Sean was involved.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

From their respective positions, Sean could touch Josh’s leg with his toes, and did so, brushing up and down lightly along the other man’s bare leg – since all three of them had opted for shorts and sunscreen instead of long pants in this heat.

“Don’t force yourself on my account.”

The telepath would enjoy a massage, but his lover was about three steps above comatose, and he thought that the other man might benefit more from taking more than a few minutes to rest.

The mention of sharing the shower caught his attention. Their bathroom was large, and they had a shower and bathtub big enough to accommodate two adults, even adults Sean’s size, without turning into Tetris blocks, even though it would be a bit tighter a squeeze than if he and Josh were Ben and Cobalt. Being close together was part of the appeal, but...

“If we shower together, we’ll have to shower twice.” There was no regret in his voice; he merely stated a fact. He couldn’t recall a single instance of them sharing a shower that had led to getting clean the first time. Not since their Make Up, and certainly not when they had lived together before the Break Up.

[Joshua Bernstein]

Josh flung an arm across his face to shield his eyes from the light despite the fact that hotel lighting wasn't especially bright.

"Didn't say anything about clean," he pointed out. He, too, was well aware how showers tended to go when they shared.

But Sean was correct in his assessment of Josh's energy levels, because not long after that retort he was snoring lightly.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Sean continued to rub Josh’s leg lightly with his toes, since his partner hadn’t asked him to stop, nor had he heard any thoughts that indicated he found the contact irritating. It was easy, allowed them a bit of touch, and required that neither of them move from their respective places on the bed. After a long walk, this proved of the highest importance.

“You’re right.” Josh hadn’t said anything about getting clean, although the telepath had made an assumption. They were both sticky with sweat and sunscreen, and he’d thought that the younger man would want to feel refreshed. Sean certainly did.

Yet, before they reached his potential massage, or any deeper conversation about shower plans, he heard snoring. That, combined with the fact that he couldn’t hear his lover’s internal monologue in this moment told him that Josh had fallen asleep.

Ah well. There would be plenty of time for massages another time. He preferred that Josh recoup his strength for the rest of the day.

The telepath remained where he was for a few minutes, before slowly and gingerly rising from the bed. He didn’t want to rouse the other man with the weight change. Then, he stripped off his clothing and disappeared into the bathroom.

They might not shower together, but he could still get cleaned up now.

[Joshua Bernstein]

Josh awoke an hour later, feeling much less exhausted although still sore.

And a bit guilty.

"Did I fall asleep?" He asked in dismay, bolting upright. "I'm sorry! We can still do your massage if you want."

[Dr. Sean Neville]

While Josh napped, Sean had showered and then changed into another outfit, loungewear for their hotel room, since they weren’t going out for a bit. He had another shirt and a clean and dry pair of shorts picked out for when they met up with Greg later. He’d also managed to call their blond friend to check in with him about plans for the later afternoon. For good measure, he’d checked their home voice mail.

Then he’d settled back on the bed, again careful not to disturb the other man, with a book. The telepath was about fifty pages in, and, upon hearing and feeling Josh stir, set it down on the nightstand to offer his lover his full attention.

“You did,” he confirmed with a nod and not a trace of disappointment in his voice. Since the promise of a massage had been off the cuff rather than planned, he had had no expectations for it. Besides, he thought it more important for the other man to be well-rested.

He didn’t address the apology, and he replied to the offer with a question. “What do you want to do? We have to meet Greg in the lobby in an hour.”

[Joshua Bernstein]

"I think an hour is enough time for a massage," Josh informed Sean, crawling closer to the other man. "Where do you most need one? Shoulders? Feet? You can keep reading, just get comfortable so I can work."

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Sean wouldn’t argue with his lover, particularly since he had asked Josh point-blank what he wanted to do for the next hour, and the other man had still insisted on giving a massage. He couldn’t complain about that, since he would enjoy the touch, the shared closeness, and whatever relief that Josh was able to give him. That would be welcome.

“My feet, admittedly.” His back and knees gave him more trouble in everyday life, which were two of the many tangible side effects of aging. However, this had been far more walking than he had to do in everyday life, with his sedentary job that he drove to and from rather than walking or running, and only the mild amounts of jogging that he did with Griff sometimes.

Although he wouldn’t object to a massage, he did take exception to what his lover said next. And, to emphasize that point, he didn’t reach for his book. “I’m not going to ignore you while you give me a foot rub.”

To be fair, he had done that before with another person, but that had been within the context of a particular relationship dynamic, and his partner at the time had liked it when he did that.

[Joshua Bernstein]

Josh sat up beside Sean's feet, reaching out to rub one tenderly. "I had a nap, so it's only fair that you get time to relax, too," He objected, as though Sean hadn't had the entirety of his nap to relax as well. "I didn't mean to ignore you when we got back to the room, you know, I'm very sorry."

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Sean lifted one foot obligingly, shifting to rest it in Josh’s lap, while the other man began the massage.

“I could have napped if I wanted to,” the telepath pointed out to his partner. It wasn’t as though they were on guard duty, where they could only sleep in shifts. He’d opted to shower, tend to a few matters, and then read while Josh had napped. He hadn’t worked while his partner slept; he’d brought no paperwork from Hammel, and he hadn’t called the school to check in with how everyone was handling summer vacation while he was on another continent. He hadn’t cleaned the room from top to bottom, or made a large meal from scratch, or any other tasks that might be considered laborious.

He had showered and read, which were relaxing in their own right. He’d benefitted, since now, unlike his partner, Sean was clean and dry, rather than sticky and in rumpled, sweat-laden clothing. Although they had an hour in which to get Josh cleaned up before they met with Greg again.

His expression softened further at his partner’s apology, how he prostrated himself as though falling asleep after a long trek in the sun was some cardinal sin of relationships. Sean faulted himself in part; he had to do a better job communicating with Josh that he loved him and appreciated every moment of their relationship.

“You didn’t ignore me,” he assured the other man. “You fell asleep because we had a long morning.”

[Joshua Bernstein]

"It was a long morning," Josh conceded as he stroked the arches of Sean's feet. "But I notice you didn't fall asleep."

And Sean tended towards a little more back and knee pain than Josh did, despite only being a few years older. Josh knew that he was fortunate in that regards, but all the walking had still resulted in sore legs and an aching lower back. He couldn't imagine what Sean felt like, with worse knees and a back that gave him trouble with lesser exertion.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

“I don’t nap easily,” Sean reminded his partner. The telepath’s sleep patterns were such that napping in the middle of the day indicated one of three possibilities, none of them pleasant: illness, a depressive bout, or incredible over-exertion of his powers. He wished he could nap more easily; it would do him well given his insomnia at night.

However, he took what he could get, which involved other methods of relaxation.

Sean leaned against the pillows he had propped up behind him, using the headboard for support. “And I might not have slept, but I took a nice warm shower, and I’ve been resting.” The fact that he had a book rather than a file or a psychological journal illustrated that point.

Then, moving from the topic of whether he had relaxed enough, or, more importantly, whether his lover had neglected him (which Josh had not), the telepath focused on the actual foot massage. Both because it felt nice, and because his lover had insisted on doing this for him, and so he aimed to enjoy it (after all, he was sore from the sightseeing earlier today). “That feels good,” he told the other man. He thought Josh might take comfort in the feedback.