Back at the barn, David pulled one of the equine First Aid kits from the tack room and headed to Marcus’s office. He had a full bathroom; more than once the interns had been allowed to wash down after an especially grimy day of work if they had a night class to attend.

The bathroom shower hissed and puffs of steam eased through the partly-open door. David stood outside, flushed.

Geez, this is making me nervous.

“Okay to come in?” he called. His voice sounded all right: casual.

“Yeah!”

David set the kit on the toilet seat. “We need to do a deep irrigation of that wound.”

“I’ve been letting the water rinse it off.”

“That’s not enough. I need to pull it apart and let the water really get in there. It’ll hurt like a sonofabitch.”

“Great.”

David stood in the steam for a few seconds, his lips pressed together, fingers clenched. Marcus poked his wet head past the shower curtain. “Are you gonna help or what?”

“Sure. Let me see what we’ve got here.” He tugged back the shower curtain.

Marcus turned away but not before David caught a glimpse of circumcised cock and black pubic hair. David let his gaze sweep over Marcus’s bulk: the broad shoulders mocha-brown and smooth; the V of his back easing into his waist; the tan line that ended just above his muscled ass.

David felt his cock swell, stretching against his underwear.

Not now. Do not let me get hard now.

The wound was cleaner now and pink water oozed down Marcus’s left side. David put one hand on Marcus’s right shoulder, pushing so that the water sprayed directly into the wound on the left.

“Ow! Fuck!” Marcus inched away.

“Sorry, but we’ve got to get this clean.”

Marcus turned his head to face him. “This is gonna suck, isn’t it?”

“It’s either this or you let me get you to the hospital.” David kept his hands on Marcus. The water was tepid; nice for a cooling shower but not sufficient for cleaning. “And this has to be hotter. Get ready.” He turned the water spigot towards the red.

Please don’t turn towards me, please don’t let me see your dick again.

Marcus squirmed when the hot water touched him then stood still. David saw part of his grimace and then kept his gaze on the wound. The pink slit of skin looked vulnerable against the stolid strength of the other man’s muscular back. David pulled the gash open.

“Ah, fuck!” Marcus cried out.

“Sorry.”

David let the water flush out the wound. He consciously kept his gaze on the injury, aware of the sharp scent of Dial soap, Marcus’s warm skin beneath his fingers, and the water sluicing over them. Splashes of wet pebbled his shirt and pants.

The minutes passed by, only the sound of running water between them. Did Marcus lean towards him, wanting to rest his head? Did he just need a comforting touch? David wasn’t sure.

David wasn’t sure of anything right now.

“Just like treating a horse cut, isn’t it?” Marcus asked after a few minutes. His normally deep voice was thicker, almost froggy.

“Same theory, yeah. Get it clean, sterilize it, stitch it. We’ve got Lidocaine so at least that part won’t hurt.”

“I could use some Lidocaine right about now. Or something else.” Marcus looked at him, eyes wide, pupils dark in the shower’s steamed light.

David’s imagination filled. Would those full lips feel soft, pillowy? What would Marcus's cock look like hard? And that muscled ass, the cheeks looking firm.

David’s cock filled, stirred to upright. His damp pants pressed against it, showing too much. He wasn’t sure if Marcus glanced down or not. David swallowed and turned to the shower controls. “Lidocaine’s about all I’ve got to offer. You can take a couple Tylenol if you want when I’m done.”