Work Text:
Warm golden colors sweep across Ruben's body, endless lights that line the path home. With an elbow set on the car door, gloved fingers resting across his lips, Ruben's thoughts stray as the road continues on and on. He delves into the thoughts of his upcoming major surgeries, before attempting to understand how Jimenez manages to withstand the discomfort of having a stick lodged up his rear, but the search for an answer is always hopeless. Quiet classical music plays on the stereo, a combination of graceful instruments that tend to relax Ruben after a long, long day at work.
Unfortunately, his mansion is a thirty minute drive from the hospital. Driving was so tedious and he tended to become unnecessarily angered by the idiocy of other drivers. So, the high hedges and dark gate was a relieving view. The gate automatically slides open upon his arrival, Ruben slowing his Jaguar to a stop for a moment, before smoothly entering the driveway.
The elegant cast iron lights stand tall on either side of the grand double doors, a soft glow as Ruben ascends the few steps, his red overcoat draped across an arm. He pushes into the lobby of the mansion after making quick work of unlocking the doors. The dim light of the lamp perched on the long side table by the door gave him enough vision to shut and lock the door behind himself. With a graceful step, he approaches the grand staircase and began to make his way up the steps, gloved hand trailing along the rich wood of the banister.
Passing the questionably gruesome paintings lining the hallway, Ruben approaches the slightly ajar door to the master bedroom. Quietly, he eases the door open until he spots his husband sprawled out over their king bed, the wine red coverlet and quilt strewn about. He isn't surprised to see him home. Ruben's hours are never ending, he could be called into work at any moment, but Sebastian typically gets back home around six. While Ruben saved lives, Sebastian caught the men that caused, or could cause, the loss of them.
Ruben silently enters, making sure to be careful as he clicks the door shut behind himself. After putting away his overcoat, he takes a seat on the armchair perched next to their antique dresser and leans over to begin removing his dress shoes.
Once changed into his sleepwear, the only disrupting noise he managed the scrape of the dresser drawer, he enters the adjoining bathroom to wash his face (delicately) while listening to the boisterous snores emitting from the bedroom. Ruben got a good look at himself after patting his face dry with the soft hand towel. Lowering it from his scarred face, he gazes at his appearance. A darkness sat on the skin below his eyes. His normally combed back platinum blonde hair fell down over his forehead. His brow was firmly set, too. Upon noticing, he releases the tension in his brow and reaches out to slip the hand towel back in its ring.
After thoroughly cleaning his teeth, flossing and all (Sebastian didn't bother with such things, much to Ruben's irritation), he returns to the bedroom. Rather than have his leg dangling off the edge and face lost in the plush pillows like the last time Ruben glanced at him, Sebastian had rolled over onto Ruben's side of the bed. Frowning thinly, Ruben approaches the bed, stepping up to his side that Sebastian currently occupied.
“Sebastian,” Ruben says lowly, reaching out to gently shake his shoulder. A stuttered snore rips from Sebastian and Ruben's frown deepens. He shakes him with a stronger force until Sebastian's eyes sluggishly open. Sebastian rolls off of his stomach and onto his back with mild alarm, propping up onto an elbow. He blinks hard, raising a hand to brush back his haphazard dark locks.
“Ruben,” Sebastian speaks in a thick, sleep-heavy voice, his golden eyes laced with exhaustion and delight. A happy, tired smile appears on his lips and he reaches out to take Ruben by the wrist, a gentle curl of his calloused fingers around his pale skin. Ruben ignores the fluttering that began in his stomach and eases his wrist from Sebastian's grasp.
“You made a mess of the bed. Scoot over, you buffoon.”
Sebastian's smile turns into a bratty little grin and does as he's told. Ruben makes it a task to smooth out the wrinkles in the sheets before tugging the thin blanket, quilt, and coverlet back into place. Ruben flicks his icy blue eyes to his husband's face and finds amusement in his features.
“Long day at work?” Sebastian muses, his voice still rough with sleep. Ruben looks at him with a slight arch to his brow as he smooths out the coverlet with long sweeps of his hands.
“Every day is long. Endless with tasks. But work is work.”
“I think we got enough money to last us three lifetimes,” Sebastian replies as Ruben climbs into bed, resulting in his work of smoothing the wrinkles out pointless, “You should really consider focusing more on your research and writing rather than slowly dying of exhaustion over that job.”
Ruben gives him a tired smile. He's heard this before. He lets out a wry hum and settles down into the plush pillows, sinking into their cushion. He reaches out to turn off the lamp on the side table and then they're bathed in moonlight.
“Perhaps someday,” Ruben muses softly, glancing at Sebastian, who watched him with a set jaw and firm hope in his golden eyes, “For now, I busy myself with sacrifice. Unfortunately, citizens aren't practiced enough to perform open-heart surgery on themselves.”
That wrings a dry chuckle from Sebastian and Ruben feels a tiny smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. Sebastian looks at him with a blatant mix of amusement and tenderness, a smirk on his lips.
“You, sacrificing for others? Ever thought you'd end up doing that day to day?”
“No, I admit I hadn't thought I would. I'm interested with the human body and sticking my hands in it, more so than the aspect of healing others.”
Sebastian seems unfazed by his words. Having been married to him for five years now, he'd grown used to his blunt, slightly gruesome view. He speaks up in a firm voice, “You've been doing it for a good ten years. You satisfied yet, playing with organs? I mean it, Ruben. You've always talked of focusing more on your own personal work. Why not get to it before age catches up to your wishes?”
“I'm only thirty-eight.”
“That sounds like an excuse.”
At that, an amused smirk appears on Ruben's lips. He scoots closer to Sebastian, gazing into his hard eyes, and reaches out to ghost his fingertips across his strong jaw. Sebastian's stubborn expression softens and he looks at Ruben with tired affection. Ruben smiles softly and drifts his fingertip down the bridge of his nose.
“You are so adamant about this. Fifteen years of study and you want me to give it up after ten?” No poison laces his words, only subtle amusement. A sliver of his teeth shows when his smile extends into a slight grin.
“You are right in some ways. I do yearn to attend to my research. But no, I don't think I am quite satisfied when it comes to having my hands in a chest cavity.”
Sebastian's thin frown grows into a smirk and he snorts at that. Ruben leans in to kiss him gently, closing his eyes and giving soft purses of his lips against Sebastian's. He feels him set a warm, heavy hand on his side as he returns it, drifting up along the slope.
Pulling away slightly, opening his eyes to gaze into Sebastian's, Ruben adds, “In time.”
Sebastian searches in his cool blue eyes, before moving over him in a slow, eased movement. Ruben lets it happen, settling back onto the pillows and gazing up at the other when he leans over him. Sebastian raises a hand to hold the side of his head, fingers brushing across the buzzed hair on his scalp, thumb resting on the high bone of his cheek, lightly touching the ridges of his scars. He leans in to kiss him with a harder pressure this time. Ruben feels his long locks brush his jaw as he returns it, lifting his pale, bony hands to curl them around the back of Sebastian's neck, fingers sliding up into his messy brunette locks.
The sound of lips moving together, the kissing noises, were distasteful to Ruben, but now he doesn't mind the sound so much. Sebastian lets out a low hum into the kiss, a vibration against Ruben's mouth, and it sends a heat down into Ruben's abdomen. Ruben's kisses are languid and slow, passionate and deep. Sebastian always went on about how he was an amazing kisser, usually after the kissing happened with a breathlessness and arousal coating his voice. Ruben feels a sudden hand on his groin, groping at him firmly through the layers of his pyjama pants and underwear. It sends a shock of pleasure through him and it made him suck in a breath.
Hesitant, he shifts under Sebastian and brings his hands around to gently push at his shoulders. Relenting, Sebastian leans back, panting, and gazes at him with a flushed face, brow furrowed. Ruben clears his throat and drifts his hands down Sebastian's bare chest, feeling the hair on his tan skin.
“Not tonight, I'm exhausted,” Ruben says in a rough voice, heavy with arousal. He notices it and frowns lightly. Sebastian looks disappointed.
“Ruben...”
“It has been a while, I'm aware.”
“At this point we're gonna have to start making damn appointments for this,” Sebastian grumbles bitterly, like a child who was denied a treat, as he plops down onto the bed next to Ruben. Ruben chuckles lightly and watches as Sebastian sits up to grab at the blankets that lay bunched up by his feet. He pulls them over himself and settles on his back, sighing heavily as he sets a hand on his chest, eyes raised to the ceiling.
Ruben watches him, a warmth blooming in his chest. It was a warmth he only felt for one other person. How Sebastian managed to coax this feeling from him, Ruben has yet to realize. He turns onto his side and scoots closer to him. Sebastian glances at him and watches with tired eyes as he leans over to press a chaste, loving kiss to his mouth. Sebastian's eyes slide shut as he gently returns it during its brief moment. When he pulls away, Ruben relaxes down into the pillows, close by Sebastian's side. He looks at Sebastian's rugged features, icy blue eyes glancing at the stress lines, the scars, the stubble.
Sebastian speaks up in a low murmur.
“I love you, Ruben. Even if you do enjoy sticking your hands in chest cavities.”
That was so sudden that it made Ruben's eyes widen slightly. He sees the smug smirk on Sebastian's face, his golden eyes soft with amusement and adoration. Swallowing thickly, Ruben feels a heat burn in his face. He always was taken off-guard by Sebastian's overwhelming affection.
“I'm aware. The fact that you're married to me and make me that godawful omelette every morning makes it difficult to overlook.”
“Hey, I know you like the omelettes.”
Ruben blames the exhaustion for the fact he can't think of a clever retort. So he just weakly smiles and reaches a hand out from under the blankets to pinch Sebastian's nose, the direct route of teasing he rarely ever took. Subtlety was preferable but this time he lacked it. Sebastian laughs and grabs him by the wrist. Ruben watches tiredly as he begins pressing rather tender kisses to his palm and scarred fingers, a wide smile adorning Sebastian's mouth.
“Let me get some rest,” Ruben says in a soft, tired voice, his eyelids faltering slightly, his blinks slow. Sebastian laughs lowly and nods, giving one last peck to his fingertip before letting go.
Nestling further into his plush pillow, Ruben yawns, a sight he only let Sebastian and his sister see. Sebastian reaches out to gently caress the side of his face, drifting the backs of his fingers down the pale, scarred skin.
“Goodnight, Sebastian,” Ruben murmurs, letting his eyes close. Sebastian hums lowly and drifts his thumb along his jaw. Ruben weakly bats at his hand and Sebastian finally pulls it away with a chuckle.
“Night, Ruby.”
Sighing heavily, Ruben mutters dryly with his eyes remaining closed, “How many times have I told you...”
Sebastian's amused, quiet laugh is the last sound that Ruben hears before drifting into slumber three minutes later.