Page 199 of Untouchable

* * *

Harp reachesfor Parker's hand.

"C'mon. Talk to me while I get it ready."

Harp folds a fresh towel and sets it on the closed toilet seat, gesturing to it like it's a throne when Parker enters. Parker rolls his eyes but he does sit down, crossing his legs and leaning forward to watch Harp inspect the little bottles of shampoo and jars of salts.

"Bubble bath?" Harp says, offering it out to Parker. Parker waves him off.

"That's not good for your skin. What's the salt?"

"It says Fragrant Mineral Salts, whatever that means," Harp says, reading the label.

"Yeah. Do that one."

Harp smiles and shrugs and runs hot water into the enormous garden tub—that had, in the end, really been what sold Harp on the room more than the view. He never could get over good baths, and finding a place with a bathtub big enough to accommodate him was no small feat. He feels familiar and unashamed, sitting naked on the lip of the tub and watching Parker watch him.

“Y’know, I can’t even remember the last time I took a bath,” Parker said. “It’s so luxurious or something. Especially in a place like this. The tub’s the size of a swimming pool.”

He grins and leans forward, stealing a kiss.

“This has been… pretty amazing so far. And when I say pretty amazing I mean crazy fantastic amazing.”

"I'm glad," Harp says, blushing a little under the praise. "I wanted it to be. You deserved an amazing getaway."

His face hurts from smiling so much. It's exhausting, feeling like this—but it's a good ache.

Harp realizes that he can turn up the volume of the water rushing into the bath but it truly roars when he does so. The water pours out and he grins at Parker apologetically.

"Oh my God," Parker says. "I bet Mindy can hear that from our place."

"What?" Harp says, only pretending not to hear.

"I said, I bet Mindy—"

"I know, I know." Harp can't stop laughing and Parker crosses his arms, pretending to pout.

Since they can’t talk, Parker slides himself onto the tub to perch next to Harp, and reaches up to cup Harp’s face. He pulls him in for a deep, filthy kiss, and when they break, he holds Harp’s gaze and smiles softly.

It only takes a moment to dissolve the content of the salts in the bath, and sure enough Parker has made the right choice. The smell is subtle but warm and sweet—exactly what he'd want out of a winter evening. Harp shuts the water down to a trickle and eases in before Parker, finding a corner to brace his back against and then reaching out for him with a smile.

Harp loops his arms around Parker's waist and pulls him closer, appreciating all of the different temperatures at once, the cool tile against his back, Parker's warm skin against his chest, and the hot bath water lapping everything else. He feels content.

* * *

Parker letsout a sigh as he steps into the warm water of the bath and settles into Harp’s arms, laying his head back against Harp. He closes his eyes and makes another happy little noise.

"I'm really glad this is something you've enjoyed. I started to doubt myself and think, 'well, a hotel is just another closed space on a mountain and it's not that different from your house' and that maybe you'd been here, or maybe you wouldn't like it because it's old fashioned," Harp admits.

“It’s lovely, and it’s special,” Parker says, smiling goofily. “And, y’know, I would have been happy to spend the whole trip just sitting on my own couch, as long as you were there. And, hell, the last time we were on my couch, it worked out pretty well for me.”

"I'm glad you're patient with couches and talking and room service and... this," Harp says, shrugging even with his arms around Parker.

“Stop acting like I’m doing you some favor by being with you,” Parker says gently. “There’s nowhere I’d rather be, Harp. No person I’d rather be with.”

"Fine. I'll be completely smug and self-satisfied," Harp says, squeezing him and leaning back.

They slip into silence for a while, and Parker listens to the thud-thud of Harp’s heart, the occasional drip from the bathtub faucet. His eyes are still closed, the water is still hot, and he knows it wouldn’t be hard to drift off here, in Harp’s arms.

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