Altering Affection

Final chapter! Thank you everyone for reading/reviewing. Much love & peaceful gardens.

***

It was the middle of the night, and Lee didn’t know where he was. Panic reached cold hands into Lee’s insides and grasped with a vice-like grip. Lee’s eyes flew open in the darkness, and he tried to get away, but something strong and firm held him down on his side.

Gasping for breath, Lee felt something rough against his neck and panic’s hands closed around Lee’s throat. Where was he? Why was he here? Why was it dark?

Lee tried to move again, this time with more force, but again, something held him down and also back against a warm, hard surface.

“Lee, listen to me,” a voice said. Lee tossed his head to one side.

“Lee…you’re safe. You’re in my bed, and you’re safe.”

The voice was low, deep, and familiar.

“I’ve got you,” the voice whispered. “It’s okay…”

Lee listened to his own breathing in the silence of the room for a second, and then memory reared. Gai. He was with Gai – and they’d had sex, and it was amazing, and it was Gai’s body against his back.

“S-sensei?” Lee said, his chest still heaving.

“Mm,” Gai said. “It’s me, Lee.” A stubbled face nuzzled against Lee’s shoulder – so that’s what the rough surface was. Gai held Lee’s left arm tightly against Lee’s chest, and Gai’s hand held Lee’s other arm against the mattress under Lee’s pillow. Comprehension flooded Lee, and embarrassment followed.

“I am sorry, Gai-sensei,” Lee whispered.

“Don’t be, Lee,” Gai said and released Lee’s arms and lay back down. He pulled Lee tighter against him and sighed.

“Just glad you’re awake now,” Gai said, his voice rumbling against Lee’s back.

“I haven’t had a night terror in a while,” Lee said.

“That wasn’t a bad one,” Gai said. “I’ve seen you have much worse.”

Lee nodded. Gai had stayed many nights with Lee in various hospitals over the years; enough to see what happened when the panic gripped Lee in the early morning hours.

“I hope you get used to sleeping here, though,” Gai mumbled. “Because I love you in my bed – even if you do flail with vigor.”

Lee felt Gai’s mouth form a smile and felt a soft press of lips against his neck.

“What time is it?” Lee asked. It felt like ten years since yesterday with all that had transpired.

“About 3:30,” Gai said. “Still time left to sleep before morning run.”

Lee laced his fingers through Gai’s and tried to form his next question in his mind before he spoke.

“Do we…have to sleep?” Lee asked, his voice very quiet.

Gai made a noise that was equal parts amazement and frustration.

“I never thought in a thousand years that I’d be lucky enough to lay like this with you,” Gai said, his voice thoughtful. “And I definitely never thought that you’d be so enthusiastic about what one can do in the bedroom.” He paused. “Especially considering what I enjoy in the bedroom.” The last sentence was barely audible.

Lee shifted his ass against his sensei’s growing arousal in an effort to show Gai exactly how enthusiastic he could be.

“But it’s probably not a good idea, Lee,” Gai said. “I wasn’t exactly easy on you earlier, and-“

Lee didn’t care to hear the rest of the sentence. He appreciated that Gai wanted to be gentle with him, and that was nice. But Lee thought about how good the burn would be – about how good it felt earlier – and knew he needed Gai on board with this plan. He reached behind him and gently grasped Gai’s cock, making the older man sigh into Lee’s neck.

“Gai. I’ve read enough to know that we have to be careful not to cause permanent injury, but…I rather like the…” Lee struggled for a second before he managed to continue. “Burn,” Lee finished. There – that was the truth of the matter as best Lee could describe it. The cock in Lee’s hand jumped, and Gai’s breath hitched.

“The universe never fails to impress me with its enthusiastic kindness and sense of irony,” Gai said, his tone slightly sardonic. “And God, that feels good, Lee,” Gai said breathlessly, his body thrusting into Lee’s hand.

Lee looked around, shifted the blanket off his body with one leg, hooked his foot around the discarded bottle of lube, and dragged the bottle closer. Training had many advantages – flexibility and muscle control were definitely two of them.

Lee uncapped the lube and pulled his hand away from Gai long enough to pour a generous amount into his palm. Then he reached back and continued stroking. Gai hummed and ran his hands over Lee’s torso, fingers finding nipples and gently pinching them to hardness.

“Sensei…” Lee gasped, anticipation warm in his veins. “I want you inside me…please…”

Moaning an assent, Gai reached down and pulled Lee’s top leg over his own and lifted it out of the way. Hands pulled Lee’s hips, arching his back into a slight bend. Then Lee felt Gai’s cock at his entrance, and he panted.

Slowly – achingly slow – Gai eased into Lee’s body. When Lee tried to shift to speed the process along, Gai’s hands held him in place.

“We’re doing this my way or we’re not doing it at all,” Gai said softly. Lee whimpered, but the burn was back, Gai’s cock was in him, and he shut his eyes and gave in to the pleasure.

Gai continued to press into Lee’s body and then with the same aching slowness, he withdrew and pumped back inside. The angle didn’t allow for deep penetration, but the strokes did hit Lee’s prostate often enough that Lee felt sweat break out over his skin. He shuddered and tried to pick up the pace, but firm hands held him.

“Lee,” Gai whispered. Lee arched his back even further and craned his neck. Gai took advantage of it and kissed and nibbled at Lee’s throat. Then he moved his mouth and breathed Lee’s name into his ear like a mantra. With every slow stroke, Gai whispered, “Lee.”

Time slowed and felt endless. Lee’s dick stood straight out from his body, leaking in need. He whimpered as Gai’s mouth nibbled and suckled his skin. And still the pace was slow, the rhythm excruciating and making Lee desperate for more. Lee’s body shook – the strain on his back and neck making muscles burn in fantastic ways.

“Touch yourself,” Gai commanded. “I want to see your hand on your dick.”

Lee’s breath went staccato, and his left hand moved down to stroke over his length. His right hand was trapped under the pillow by Gai’s supporting arm.

“Slower,” Gai commanded. “Don’t move faster than I’m moving inside you.”

Lee groaned but obeyed. Gai’s fingers dug into the flesh of his leg, the other arm braced against the bed for leverage. Then Gai shifted, putting all of Lee’s weight onto Gai’s leg across his raised knee. Gai’s foot pressed into the mattress for support.

Gai’s hand snaked between Lee’s legs, his body still pumping slowly and shallowly. Gai caressed Lee’s balls, pulling them away from Lee’s body; rolling them with gentle ease. Lee panted hard and his hand sped up unconsciously, but then Gai’s hand covered his own.

“Slow,” Gai whispered. Lee’s mouth fell open and his eyes closed as he felt Gai’s hand over his own, slowly pumping his aching cock. Too good…too slow…he was trapped exactly as Gai wanted him and at Gai’s mercy. Lee shuddered hard.

“I love you like this,” Gai whispered into the quiet room. “Obedient and needy…I could fuck you like this all night.”

“Sensei,” Lee cried.

“Mmm,” Gai hummed and licked Lee’s shoulder. “I love it when you call me that when my dick’s buried inside you.”

“Oh…oh God…” Lee’s eyes flew open, shifted back and forth without seeing. He felt release approaching, and still Gai’s hand moved with his…slow…steady. He felt Gai push a little harder into him and he struck the place in Lee that fried his nerves with a pleasurable overload. He wanted to move and meet those strokes – feed the need – but his back was bent and held in place by Gai’s leg, cock, and supporting hand. He couldn’t move…couldn’t do anything but feel.

“You’re going to come like this,” Gai said, his voice husky. “I’m going to fuck you slow and stroke you slower until you can’t take it anymore and you finally come.” Gai licked at Lee’s skin.

“I don’t care if it takes ten minutes or ten hours. I don’t care if this sweet hole of yours is dry and aching so badly that even you don’t like it anymore.”

Lee whined at that, imagining it, wanting it, needing. Then Gai leaned down and whispered harshly into Lee’s neck.

“You’ll come like I let you…” Gai stroked hard into Lee’s body, making Lee cry out.

“Or you won’t at all.”

When Gai pushed hard into Lee’s body again, Lee cried out and came. The strength and surprise of the orgasm made Lee forget how to breathe. And still Gai stroked hard and slowly into his body. Still his hand moved on Lee’s over-sensitive cock.

“Sensei!” Lee yelled, another tremor making him gasp.

Gai’s body tensed but his pace never faltered. Lee lost track of time, his world narrowing to the feel of Gai moving inside his body. Then Gai stroked roughly into Lee, and bit down on Lee’s shoulder as he moaned in release.

“Lee,” Gai panted as they lay entwined and recovering. Lee’s body protested every movement, and his insides felt raw. Lee licked his lips.

Gai slowly lowered Lee’s leg, but stayed still. He kissed Lee’s neck, his back, shoulders. He licked at sweat and sighed. Finally he went completely soft and only then did he slip from Lee’s body, and still Lee winced. He felt a rush of fluid escape and shivered.

Gai rolled away from Lee and off the bed. Then Gai stood in Lee’s line of sight and reached for him.

“Come on, baby, let’s get you cleaned up.”

Gai slid his arms under Lee and lifted him easily, and Lee was too tired and sore to complain. Languid contentment and sweet exhaustion made his limbs limp, and he allowed Gai to carry him into the bathroom and then gently set him down while Gai started the shower. Lee thought about commenting on how Gai’s stamina extended well beyond the dojo…but he couldn’t quite form the words so he remained silent.

When the water was warm, Gai pulled Lee into the shower and held him under the spray, hands roaming everywhere: kneading, caressing. Lee let Gai lather him down with soap and then gently wash every part of him clean, loving that Gai was here and with him. Loving that Gai seemed to have dropped every pretense he’d ever had in exchange for this attentive love. Lee couldn’t form the words, didn’t know how to say how happy he was, so he settled for pulling Gai’s mouth to his in a kiss, hoping that would manage to express what his words couldn’t. Gai kissed him back in earnest, his arms wrapping around Lee and holding him.

After they were out of the shower and dry, Gai pulled a vial from the medicine cabinet.

“This will help,” Gai said. “Hold still.”

Lee’s brows knitted in confusion as he watched Gai squeeze a thick, clear substance from the tube. Then one arm crossed over Lee’s chest, Gai kissed his cheek, and then Lee felt Gai reach down and smear the substance around his entrance. Lee wriggled a bit at that, but Gai held him still while he probed the stuff inside of Lee. Then the ache faded beneath numbness, and Lee didn’t know whether he was happy the feeling was gone or if he missed it.

Gai removed his finger and kissed Lee’s temple. Then it was back into the bedroom. Lee looked at the clock and knew he should get up, but his body protested violently at the thought.

“Rest,” Gai said. “I’ll have breakfast waiting.”

“But-“ Lee started to say that body be damned he didn’t like being lazy.

“It’s not laziness, Lee,” Gai said. “It’s necessary. Now go.” Gai swatted Lee lightly on the ass and then watched as Lee climbed back into bed. Warmth bloomed inside Lee’s heart as he thought of sleeping in Gai’s bed; at the easy way Gai could read his body and mood. Lee sighed happily, and in less than ten seconds Lee’s eyes were closed and sleep was fast approaching.

~*~

Lee woke up two hours later. When he saw the time, he immediately got out of bed and dropped to the floor to do his usual push-ups and morning routine. His lower back ached, and his body felt oddly overworked – like he’d used muscles that he didn’t know he had. Determination formed Lee’s expression, and he did extra push-ups and sit-ups for sleeping so long.

Finished with exercise, Lee found a pair of loose pants lying over a chair. Lee recognized them as Gai’s. Smiling, Lee slipped them on and went in search of his sensei. Not finding him in the living room or in his small office, Lee padded into the kitchen. There he found half a blender of breakfast smoothie in the fridge but no Gai.

Drinking straight from the blender carafe, Lee slid the backdoor open. He started down one of the garden paths, but then Gai came around the far corner of the dojo with a wheelbarrow full of potting dirt. Lee drank another swallow of smoothie and started toward Gai, the feel of soft grass under his bare feet extremely pleasant.

Then Lee stopped when he saw what Gai was doing.

In a large, freshly-dug hole in the middle of the garden sat the hawthorn tree.

Gai set the wheelbarrow down next to the sapling and began scooping fertilized dirt around the little tree. He stopped when he saw Lee watching, and a smile broke out over Gai’s features.

“Lee! I see you found breakfast.”

Lee nodded, emotion tightening his throat. The tree…the one that Gai planted at the farthest edge of the yard…its new home was in the middle of the garden – right where everyone could see it.

Gai set the shovel across the wheelbarrow and walked over to Lee. He wore old jeans and a well-worn Green Dojo t-shirt. Wiping his forehead with the back of one arm, Gai grinned at Lee. Then he leaned over and kissed him, almost impulsively. Like he was stealing something and Lee let him get away with it.

“How do you feel?” Gai asked.

“Fine,” Lee said, emotion making it hard to form words.

“Good, then,” Gai said and smiled. “I needed to do some gardening this morning. Thought this little tree might want a sunnier spot.” He paused and regarded Lee with equal parts seriousness and affection. “A more central and permanent spot,” Gai said. “What do you think?”

Lee swallowed and then bent to carefully set down the carafe. Then he turned to his sensei – his teacher, his mentor, his friend, his confidant, and now his lover – and threw his arms around Gai’s neck. Gai gave a startled laugh and then wrapped his arms around the slightly-smaller man and squeezed.

After a long moment, Lee pulled back. Gai looked at Lee with open and honest love, and Lee felt so happy he thought he would float away.

Thank you, Neji, Lee thought. Thank you, Kakashi…and thank you, Gai-sensei.

“I think it’s a great place for the tree,” Lee said finally.

Gai beamed at Lee and then winked. “Most excellent!” he exclaimed. “Now, help me settle him into his new home?”

“Of course, Gai-sensei,” Lee said.

And together, the two men passed the morning in the garden replanting a hawthorn tree.

~*~

/fine