Right Hand On My Heart

Hard To Stop The Surmounting Terror

Kirk was laying on his stomach on the bed he shared with Dave when he came to the next morning. He didn't remember walking up here so he figures Dave must have brought him here after he passed out on the couch. Dave even had the courtesy to undress him so he didn't fall asleep with jeans on. As consciousness slowly brings him back to a state of awareness he notices that he's been drooling on himself all night. The puddle left behind on his pillow is cold and makes him cringe slightly with discomfort.

Luckily, he's facing away from Dave's side of the bed so the older man doesn't have to see him looking all gross. Kirk wipes his mouth off with the back of his hand and rolls over. He peers over at the opposite side to find that Dave isn't there. While not out of the ordinary, it still worries Kirk just a little bit. He glances over at the clock and notices it's well past noon, nearly one o'clock, and groans before flopping back onto his stomach.

Dave must have heard him because he emerges from the adjoining bathroom and walks over towards Kirk's bedside. He kneels down to be face level with Kirk and reaches out to brush the hair out of his face. Kirk's eyes crack open and he gives Dave a dreamy smile that's both adorable and exhausted. He's curled up in a bundle of blankets and his hair's a mess, making him that much more alluring, and Dave returns the soft smile.

"You sleep alright?" Dave asks in a soft tone, stroking Kirk's cheek with his thumb.

"Yeah," Kirk says with a yawn.

"You zonked out pretty quick last night and you slept in later than usual," Dave points out, though he doesn't sound particularly concerned.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. You've been through a lot, and I know I didn't really help things by being a jerk," Dave apologizes. He's not afraid to admit when he's in the wrong. "You're just a little exhausted."

"I guess I have to shower alone," Kirk surmises, sitting up slowly.

"I was waiting for you to wake up so we could take one together," Dave mentions quickly, kneeling at Kirk's feet now.

"You didn't have to do that. You should've woke me up sooner," Kirk gushes, feeling a bit like a burden.

"I haven't been awake that much longer than you anyway," Dave assures. Though that was a lie. He's been pouring over documents and numbers to see if they were adding up, but he didn't want to alarm Kirk. "Besides, you needed the rest."

"It sounds like I'm more trouble than I'm worth," Kirk deduces.

"Well, it sounds to me like you're worth all that trouble," Dave replies ardently, reaching up to grasp Kirk's hands in his own.

He leans in and kisses Kirk's knuckles. Kirk is staring down at him, like angel waiting to pass judgement over Dave, with his head slightly tilted to one side. This is the moment Dave realizes he will do absolutely anything for Kirk, even if it means giving his life. Who knows, it might even come to that within the next few days. Time is slowly ticking down for both of them, except Kirk doesn't know it yet. More importantly, Dave doesn't want him to know. He intends on keeping it that way for as long as he can before he can't anymore.

"You deserve a whole lot more than I'm able to provide and I know you could do better than me," Dave admits, hanging his head down when he can't bring himself to look Kirk in the eyes.

He still feels shitty for the things he said and how he treated Kirk yesterday, but he was upset, and understandably so. That didn't mean it was okay and now Dave realizes just how lucky he is that Kirk didn't walk out on him yesterday. Kirk, however, was none the wiser on why he was also lucky for not leaving. If Kirk had left, there was no guarantee for his safety unless Dave had taken drastic measures and Dave didn't want to have to do that.