Sam & Anish...

"Your brothers told me what you did to Theo." Mr. Baumann was frowning at his eldest son with disappointment in his eyes. Sam flinched and lowered his eyes, not able to look at the expression for more than a few seconds before it stung his chest with feeling.

"I didn't mean to exactly. I just got carried away. The kid is such a push over; I mean seriously dad... he didn't even try to fight back!" He mumbled to his father. He heard the tsk and scratched his head, blushing furiously about it all.

"That is no excuse and you know it. He is not as strong as you are. You boys have years of being taught to be outspoken and working out to get the way you are. You can't blame him for not being the same as you. I think you need to make it up to him. Also, I'm putting you to work at my clinic. When you go back to school it will be in the evenings and on weekends. I will give you a schedule, so you had better be there." He warns Sam before slamming out the door. Sam cringed and wandered into the kitchen for a drink. There was nothing in the fridge worth having.

It was true though. He had been rougher with little Theo than he should have been and had been paying for it ever since. Rafe and Gabe had ganged up on him and done a number on his face and favourite shirt. His professors had been looking at him like he was a delinquent ever since. Theo had been looking at him like he was terrified and avoiding him like the plague when he did see him.

He had been pretty much banned from the house while Theo was there. Not that it was that big of a deal not to hang around his own house, but it was getting annoying how mad everyone was at him. Dan wouldn't even let him come in his room since it happened. Even his mom shook her head disappointedly. He knew he f*cked up, he just didn't know how to fix it now that it was done.

Maybe this whole 'working for dad' thing would be the answer. He could get on good terms with everybody and then maybe they would forget the fiasco. It was worth a shot, so he decided to head over on the very next day his father had marked for his hours. First thing in the morning he drove over to the clinic and checked in with the front desk.

They sent him to the back for a change of clothes and to check in with the duty nurse on staff. He pulled on a set of plain scrubs and went to the desk where he was told the duty nurse was located. Seated behind the surface covered in clipboards, office supplies and medical paraphernalia was quite possibly the most beautiful man he had ever seen in his life.

"Take a picture, it will last longer." The man quipped as he scrawled something on a clipboard and handed it to a woman on his right. Sam blinked and shook off his daze long enough to introduce himself.

"Sorry. I am Sam, here reporting for duties?" He straightened up as the man looked him over with a critical eye.

"I'm Anish, your duty nurse. I'm putting you on bed pans. Here's a list, help them piss and then clean them up. Should be easy. Carol can show you where the supplies are, help you out." He was passed a clipboard and pointed to an older woman in a blue set of scrubs with smiley faces on them down the hall. He nodded and went off to introduce himself to Carol.

She was a rather stern woman, but she was patient in teaching him the ropes. He was going through the list in no time on his own, trying to be nice to the people he was assisting. After all, it must be sh*t not to be able to piss by yourself. So he figured anyways. One old woman seemed not to mind so much as long as she could give his muscles a squeeze.

It was exhausting work, but he began looking forward to going because more often than not... Anish was there. He liked how the bigger man took charge of the floor and kept everything working like clockwork. He was no nonsense. He was gruff and seemed to have little to no interest in Sam. He was a challenge, and that turned him on to no end.

It was getting so he spent a fair bit of time imagining what it would be like to make the man smile. Or perhaps he should just work on getting him to say more than a couple sentences a night to him. Sam wondered what it would take to catch his eye. He had yet to see the man smile at anyone and never saw what the man so much as ate for lunch, let alone anything personal about him coming from those lips.

The best he could manage for now was to keep being as helpful and uncomplaining as possible for him. Get in, get the job done, go home. He could do that at least. He even made a few friends on the floor, including Carol who wasn't very easy to please. Anish did not so much as glance in his direction though. Not that he saw anyways.

"Sorry Sam, Mr. Witten threw up all over the floor in his room. Could you go clean that up before you start your rounds today?" Anish looked mildly annoyed and Sam nodded eagerly to please him. He grabbed the supplies and went to the room to survey the damage. It was everywhere. It would take a while to clean all of it up and the sick man lay in bed feebly, apologizing as Sam began scooping up the chucky stuff with his dust pan.

"You don't have to apologize Mr. Witten. It happens to the best of us you know." He told the old man. He got to mopping up the floor and then took a disinfectant spray and cloth to the various table lags, chair legs and the bottom of the bed for good measure. The patient explained that he reacted badly to his new medicine and Sam chatted to him as he finished cleaning up.

"Thanks Sam, it looks good in here." Carol said as she came in with a clipboard. Sam nodded and left to get to his other chores. It was a long day, but he got everything done. As he was about to leave, he looked at the clock and noted he was almost a half hour later than he usually stayed. He walked out to the hallway and there was a small girl behind the desk talking to Anish.

There it was. Anish was smiling. It was this gentle look that went right to his eyes and spread across his face as the little girl used her hands to emphasize her story. He heard a lilting song of strange words come from his mouth and got a chill at the sound of the foreign language spilling out. It was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his life, up until then.

He blushed when he was caught staring at the pair and looked away embarrassed about it. Sam was sure Anish probably didn't appreciate his gawking all the time, especially with the little girl next to him. He tried to walk out quietly but heard a shriek and looked over to see a small black spider running on the floor near the desk. He walked over quickly and stomped it with his boot.

"There! I got it for you princess. I have saved you from the evil spider." He declared seriously, taking in the little girl's wide eyes. He bowed just for good measure and was about to leave when she took his hand and shook it gratefully.

"Thank you so much! Are you my Uncle's knight? You are almost as big as he is!" She smiled at him and giggled when he struck a pose.

"I am. Verily I work these castle halls, protecting princesses such as yourself on King Anish's behalf." He gestured to the halls on either side. Anish snorted and rolled his eyes. His niece was grinning from ear-to-ear, any thought of the spider gone.

"My name is Chandra. What's yours?" She asked with her head tilted. It was hard not to smile at those big brown eyes and cute black pigtails. He grinned at her.

"My name is Sam. I have to go home and help my mom with dinner now. It was a pleasure to meet you Chandra." He waved to her and continued on his path out of the clinic. It really had been a pleasure to meet the little girl, mostly because he got to see Anish smile but also because he was finally a hero again.

*

Sam was starving. Anish wasn't at the front desk and he was going to be late if he stopped to eat. He decided that trying to work on an empty stomach was a bad idea though. Especially if he was going to be lifting and dealing with smelly stuff then it was best to eat first, before he lost his appetite. He told the nurse at the desk that he would be back in ten minutes tops and she nodded okay.

Sam opened the door to the break room to smell the most wonderful thing he had ever had the pleasure of smelling in that clinic. He moaned and his mouth watered as his feet wandered in the direction of the food. He looked in surprise as Anish lifted his head from his container and regarded him with a raised brow. He gulped and took an involuntary step backwards at the challenging look in his eyes.

"Is that... Is that curry? It smells so good." Sam asked quietly. Anish grinned and shook his head slowly.

"It's Malai Kofta. You can't have any. You are late today." He went back to his meal and Sam pulled himself away to the vending machine with various sandwiches with one last longing glance over his shoulder. He put in his money and slid the compartment for an egg salad sandwich reluctantly. It would have to do. He sat down across from Anish and watched as the man chowed down on the amazing smelling meal.

"I'm so jealous. I hate myself even more now for forgetting to eat before I came." He whined. Anish snorted and glanced in his direction. When he was nearly done, Anish wiped his mouth and sat back to look at him.

"Thank you for being kind to my niece the other day. She likes you and wishes to come and see you again." He said to Sam seriously, gauging the response. Sam smiled and swallowed the slightly dry sandwich down.

"It was no problem. I'd like that. She seems like a good kid." He replied, keeping his head down.

"What's the deal with the bruises?" Anish asked Sam after a long pause. He blushed and shrugged his shoulders.

"My brothers. We had a fight. It was my fault though. I deserved it." He said shortly. Sam did not want to go into detail on that one. Anish didn't pry any further but nodded in understanding and seemed to relax a bit more with him.

"It is good that you can admit when you are wrong. You should get going though. There is a little more work for you today. We are moving some new patients in so we will need you to change some sheets and get things cleaned up for them." Anish commented as he put away his nearly empty container. Sam couldn't help a longing look in its direction but he headed out to the front desk with only a nod.

It seemed like the two incidents had broken some kind of unspoken barrier that had been up on Anish's side. He spoke more often to Sam than he had before, mostly still about the patients and the job, but it felt easier and more pleasant between them. Sam realised that it might change if he knew the whole story, so he kept half a mind about getting too happy about the attention.

He felt like he needed to confess to the man, at the same time he was hesitant to bring it up at all. He wanted an outsider's advice. He wanted some reassurance that this man wouldn't think he was a monster after he knew the truth. He wanted someone to tell him it was okay to make mistakes, that he wasn't a bad person because he regretted it and wanted to make things right.

It took weeks of prevaricating on the matter before Anish got fed up with the started conversations that led to nowhere and the feeling that hung in between them. He told Sam to either stay behind and have a chat with him or drop whatever had him so uncertain and forget about it for good. Sam was somewhat grateful for the push, since it meant he had an opening to talk or opportunity to change his mind.

"So? Spill it." Anish sat at the break table after Sam's shift and watched as the man hesitated with a look of terror on his face.

"Uh, I could use some advice." He scratched at his arm nervously and bounced his leg as he looked away from the serious gaze of his co-worker slash boss. Silence again as he searched for the words.

"Go on." Anish sat back and waited.

"So, I told you I messed up and my brothers were mad at me... Truth is, the whole family is mad at me. I was really rough with my brothers' boyfriend. I hurt him because I wasn't being careful... or considerate really. I want to make it up to him. I really do. But no one will let me near the kid anymore." He admitted. Anish frowned and shrugged.

"There is nothing you can do until both your family and the boy are ready to accept your apology. Just keep being good and considerate to everyone else. When they seem more responsive, then you can be ready with your regret." He didn't even hesitate to rebound back. It made Sam feel... well both helpless and hopeful.

"You think they will forgive me?" He asked shakily. Anish shrugged again.

"I think there is a good chance, but it is up to the kid and your family. They love you. Your father already is giving you a chance by having you here, right?" Anish responded. Sam nodded slowly.

"Yeah. I think he was trying to make me more sympathetic to people who are weaker than me." He rubbed his mouth thoughtfully.

"Well, if it helps, I don't think that is your problem. I think you just get distracted from what you should do with what you want to do." He leveled a look at his subordinate and Sam tilted his head to the side in question.

"I don't get it. When...?"

"Like when you couldn't enjoy your own sandwich because you were too busy staring at my lunch. You see what you want and can't see past it. I think you should give up on what you want." Anish stared him down seriously and Sam gulped. There was an unspoken meaning to his words that did not escape him. It was so hard to do that though.

He glanced over at the beautiful man who was telling him to give up, and it made him so sad... but he was right. It was his own selfish desires that had gotten him into this whole deal in the first place. It was not what he wanted, but maybe it was what he needed. He nodded wordlessly to let him know that he was listening, that he had heard him, and Anish narrowed his eyes before leaving the room.

Sam wasn't ashamed in the least for the tears that came to his eyes. They were there because he was only human.

*

It was the first time Sam had given up on a challenge. It wasn't easy, but he did his best to keep it friendly and professional for the next months. He saw him less with his schooling taking up more hours of his day. He had to check his eyes from roaming too often in Anish's direction though while he was there. Chandra came a few times after school with her book bag and black braids flying every which way as she gestured.

Sam looked forward to her youthful enthusiasm and admiration for yours truly, her saviour. He was finally accepting that he didn't have any hope of getting Anish around thanksgiving weekend. He had given up, completely. His father and mother were showing signs of forgiving him and complemented him on being a big help these past months. Theo didn't flinch the last time he had seen him, rather looked sorry for him.

It was slightly embarrassing but much awaited change in everyone's demeanor. It meant there was an end in sight. His patience had paid off, and Anish had been right. The man always seemed to be right, much to Sam's chagrin. He was perfect. So perfect it hurt. It occurred to Sam more than once that the man was completely out of his league, and had been doing him a favour by not getting his hopes up.

So instead he focused on his school and doing his job right. He was becoming friends with Anish, the little that he did see him. Such that he was introduced to a couple more family members as they passed through the clinic to see Anish. His sister was a tiny, brash woman that made Sam grin as she tried to boss her gigantic brother around. She kept telling Sam she was older so it was alright. He secretly agreed with her, as an elder brother himself.

His dad mentioned that he should probably focus on his exams and final assignments, so he was off the hook for working at the clinic as of the next week. Anish watched his reaction carefully, but he felt he took it well. He thanked all the nurses on the floor for their patience with him and brought in baked goods from his mother to put in the break room on his last day. Anish had an oatmeal raisin cookie and complimented her.

"So, you will have to come visit next Tuesday or Chandra will be disappointed." He commented casually as he munched away on it. Sam looked over somewhat surprised, but nodded faintly.

"Sure. I can come after my class gets out like I normally do. If I am late will you ask her to wait for me?" He asked hopefully. Anish nodded and then it was business as usual until he left at the end of the day. He was surprised how much he missed the harsh smells and the different people on the floor. He had come to really enjoy it there.

That's why he went with a bit of a skip on his step to visit Chandra and the clinic the next Tuesday. His father ran into him and reminded him that he wasn't working anymore, but he said he was there to visit. The surprise on his face was almost shaming to Sam, and if he wasn't so happy to be there it might have bothered him more. He ran up and chatted with the little girl as her father spoke to Anish.

She even got out a picture she drew in art class to show him. It was really cute, even if he couldn't tell that it was 'obviously a giraffe' like she told him when he fumbled. She was giggling and happy when she left and he felt better for coming to say hi. He even stopped by a few of the patients that didn't get regular visitors to say hi and tell some jokes.

He was told by Anish when to visit again, and agreed without a thought. He was being more agreeable than he ever had before, even compared to boyfriends and girlfriends in the past, even for his own mother. It was easy for him to do with Anish. The man was no nonsense, honest, and straightforward about being in charge. Not just at his job, but in general. Sam found it reassuring.

On one visit to the clinic, he figured he would get his advice on how to proceed with his apology to Theo. Anish suggested he use a bunch of the money he made working at the clinic to get him something really nice for Christmas and put the apology in writing. He thought it was a great idea, not surprising. He had a fair bit of money left after getting his text books for school, but not quite enough to get what he was thinking of buying.

Sam went to Dan that night and he agreed to chip in the rest to top it up. It was sure to blow Theo's mind. He was getting him a brand new game system, the top of the line one that just came out. Only one game and one controller came along with it, so he had his parents in on it to buy Theo a second game and told the twins to buy their own controllers if they wanted to play with him.

They just seemed shocked he would go so far for him, and pleased that he was trying so hard. It was nice to be back in everyone's good graces again. He could chat with his brothers easily and nobody was avoiding him. That's why it gave him pause when his phone rang with an unknown number one evening while he was watching tv with his brother Dan.

"Hello?" Sam asked hesitantly. He wouldn't usually answer calls like this, but it was local and the other two were out at the time. He didn't want to miss a call for help or something.

"Hello, is this Sam?" He heard a familiar voice say. He scrambled up from the couch and ran to his room to take the call.

"Yes, this is Sam. Who may I ask is speaking?" He didn't want to be wrong, but asked just in case.

"Ah good, this is Anish from the clinic. Your father gave me your number; I hope you don't mind?" The low voice on the other end of the phone was suddenly enough to make Sam's heart beat speed up and thud uncomfortably in his chest.

"Y-yeah, sure. What... what can I do for you?" He replied shakily. He cleared his throat nervously.

"Listen, I'm sorry to ask out of the blue like this, but my niece Chandra saw a spider in her room and now she won't go back inside until her knight comes to make sure the spider is gone." He sounded apologetic, annoyed and Sam could almost see the eye roll going on at the other end of the phone.

"Oh. Yeah sure. If... If it isn't too weird I could do that. Just tell me the address and I can be right over." He listened carefully as Anish told him over the phone and hung up. It was only around nine o'clock, and it shouldn't take more than fifteen minutes to get over there. He grabbed his keys and told Dan he was going to a 'friend's house.'

It wasn't precisely wrong. Although he wasn't exactly sure if it was right either. Do people who don't consider you friends invite you over to their houses at night because their niece is scared of spiders? He wasn't sure. He was pretty sure the answer was no. Then again, he had been hovering in that strange land of being a 'work friend' with Anish for so long, he wasn't sure if he could be transferred into the regular friend zone.

Either way it was somewhat humiliating to be friend-zoned by that god of a man. If it was anyone else, he probably would have cared. It was Anish though. The man that somehow managed to make him feel like he had to thank him for paying the least bit of attention to him. The man who managed to have him running out to his car and driving over at nine in the evening for a little girl.

It was only when he got to the large house and looked up at the lit windows that he second-guessed his decision to come. He got out of the car and walked up to the house when he saw the door open and a tall, dark figure standing there waiting for him. Anish was leaned casually against the doorframe and watching as Sam made his way to the porchlight.

"Thanks for coming on such short notice." He drawled as he showed Sam inside. There was a couple people watching tv in the living room as they passed and he recognized Anish's sister and Chandra's father sitting on the couch arguing about something good naturedly.

The two of them went up the stairs, passing a room with loud rock music playing and Anish banged on the door to tell them to turn it down. The volume decreased and they came up to a door with a pretty purple sign that said 'princesses only' on it and Chandra came bounding out of the room across the hall with a big grin.

"Sam! You came!" She trilled as she hugged his hip tightly. Sam felt a little bit of a blush come on but ruffled her hair and played along.

"Of course I came, fair princess. I was told you had need of a knight such as myself. Allow me to make sure the way is clear for you." He threw open the door and stormed inside, turning a glaring eye about the room. He checked the ceiling, the closet, and behind the bed while Chandra stood in the doorway with Anish watching. He carefully checked the table and the bookshelf.

"Well? Did you find anything?" She asked him. He brushed away a cobweb behind the dresser and shook his head.

"No, indeed your uncle has frightened the beasts away. I think that the death of their friend has made them move on this day. You are safe." He assured her flamboyantly. She giggled and hopped into her bed. He tucked her covers up around her and patted her head as she snuggled in with a stuffed toy.

"Goodnight Sam." She murmured to him.

"Goodnight Chandra. If you ever need me again, all you have to do is ask." He replied. She yawned and he moved with Anish out the door quietly.

"You really shouldn't encourage her." Anish said to him.

"I know. It is just so hard to say no to her." He responded ruefully. Anish shook his head and grinned.

"Honestly, there are four big, tough guys in this house already and she has me calling for back up when it comes to a spider." They both snickered at that and Anish pushed him into the room two doors down where there was a couch and a double bed set up against one wall. "Have a seat."

"Is this your room?" He asked reverently. Anish rolled his eyes and nodded.

"Yes, stop looking at me like that." He growled. He plopped down on the bed and sighed heavily.

"Sorry. Can't help it." Sam answered him. It was true. No matter how hard he tried, his eyes just wandered sometimes.

"We are both tops, so it wouldn't work." He mumbled. Sam looked over at the thoughtful expression on the man laying on the bed tiredly.

"I'd bottom for you." He said. They both looked a little surprised at the words that tumbled out. It was true though. He wouldn't take them back even if Anish asked.

"Don't tease me Sam." The beautiful man groaned and flung an arm over his head. Sam got up and waltzed to the bed purposefully. He climbed on top of Anish and stared him dead in the eye when he looked up at him with a frown.

"I'm not teasing Anish. I would do it for you. Not anyone else." He held his gaze for a long moment, Anish gazing at him in that calculating way of his that stripped Sam to the bone. He didn't waver. Suddenly he was being flipped over onto his back and stifling a swear word or two as he was pinned down. F*ck this man was strong. Cognac brown eyes glared into his sternly from close up.

"No backing out. No running away. As far as you are concerned, I am your god." He breathed only inches from Sam's face. His chest tightened with anticipation and he couldn't speak, so he nodded. Those lush dark lips descended onto his and he moaned at the spicy taste of them as they moved across his lips. The man was smothering him with his weight and Sam loved it.

It felt so real. He was powerless to stop what was happening and he didn't care. Even if he wanted to scream and run he couldn't. His chest was tight with feeling and his legs weak with desire. This was everything he had hoped for and more. He wanted Anish, so much he thought for a brief second that if it was a joke... he would simply keel over with longing.

Anish was dominating and demanding as he rubbed against Sam's body and bit his reddened lips. Their tight, hard muscles pushed and writhed on the bed, heating them both up so their clothes were a burden. There was no finesse when it came to stripping down, no pleasantries as they felt each other up, only keen hard want. It was a male jungle cat taking another as his lover.

It was thrusting hips, sweat and scratching. It was muffled grunts and pulled hair. It was stretching just enough to take it, and then not waiting a second more. It was months of pent up frustration and desire spilling out onto the mattress in the rush to the finish line. It was gentle chuckles and playful nips on the exposed flesh, claiming what was theirs.

Sam learned that night what it was to be claimed. He learned exactly how much of an asshole Anish could be, and how much of an asshole he already was. He found out how much he could take instead of give. He lost his 'other' virginity. But most of all, he got himself a boyfriend.