Title: Kiss It Better
Fandom: Spooks/MI5
Pairing: Lucas North/Adam Carter
Rating: PG
Length: 596
Summary: Adam's actions put paid to the unspoken agreement between he and Lucas to take things slowly.
Authors Note: Canon divergence/episode tag to Spooks s7e1.

Adam couldn't help the hiss of pain that escaped him as his back hit the wall of the meeting room. Lucas had barely taken the time to close the blinds against prying eyes before he had been pulling Adam into a desperate kiss, needing the reassurance that Adam was alive. That he had managed to escape the car before the bomb blew. Adam understood perfectly. He needed the reassurance just as badly, if not more so than Lucas.

He was alive, his gamble had paid off. The only problem was that, in his back meeting the wall, Adam had been reminded that his gamble hadn't left him completely unscathed. He felt Lucas pull away and, looking up a scant half-inch, was unsurprised to see Lucas' worried eyes looking at him. Adam smiled reassuringly, or at least he tried to, but the furrows on Lucas' forehead told him that he hadn't been all that successful.

“I'm fine really, it's just...”

“No, you're not fine. Adam, you were caught in a bomb blast. You're going to get checked over and then you're going home.”

“But...”

“No buts.” Both Lucas and Adam swung around towards the door, neither of them sure when Harry had appeared. “Medical and then home, Adam. You're not allowed back unless you've been cleared.”

~*~

Adam wasn't exactly sure what he was expecting once Lucas had driven him home but it certainly wasn't for Lucas to park up the car and come inside with him. They had been slowly and tentatively trying to rebuild their relationship since Lucas' return from Russia and had spent a lot of time together but always in public, neutral places. They had both been reticent about moving quickly, all too aware that neither of them were the same men that they had once been. However, Adam's near-brush with death seemed to have changed something.

Leaning heavily against the front door, Adam had a brief flash of relief that Wes was with his grandparents for a couple of weeks, that he wouldn't have to see his dad like this. And then Lucas was there, taking over when the simple task of putting the key in the lock felt like too much. All of a sudden, the exhaustion seemed to have hit him like a brick wall and Adam was aware that everything hurt. He was grateful when Lucas wrapped an arm around his waist, silently providing much needed support.

It seemed to take forever to get up to the bedroom and, once they got there, all he wanted to do was crawl under the covers and sleep for days. He tried to start taking his clothes off so that he could be more comfortable but his fingers felt like lead and he could barely raise his arms, much to his frustration. Adam must have made some sound of frustration because Lucas was there, his fingers brushing Adam's aside as he took over the task.

Adam half-roused himself as he felt soft kisses being pressed against each and every one of the scrapes and fresh bruises starting to bloom on his skin, only to moan in protest as he was pressed back onto the bed and Lucas moved away. Adam heard the rustle of clothing and then the bed dipped before an arm banded across his stomach, pulling him back against Lucas' chest.

The last thing Adam was aware of before he finally succumbed to sleep was Lucas muttering a litany of what sounded like Russian against his ear, followed by one last kiss pressed against his shoulder.