Story: "Touching Moments" (Part 3 of 8)
Mar. 27th, 2013 12:12 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithThis story is a sequel to "Love Is for Children," "Eggshells," "Dolls and Guys," and "Turnabout Is Fair Play."
Fandom: The Avengers
Characters: Phil Coulson, Clint Barton, Natasha Romanova, Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, Steve Rogers, JARVIS, Betty Ross.
Medium: Fiction
Warnings: No standard warnings apply.
Summary: Clint messes up his back while testing some new archery equipment. Bruce offers to fix his back for him.
Notes: Asexual character (Clint). Aromantic character (Natasha). Asexual relationship. Teamwork. Flangst. Fear of vulnerability. Trust issues. Skin hunger. Hurt/comfort. Non-sexual touching and intimacy. Non-sexual ageplay. Cuteness. Personal growth. Family of choice.
Begin with Part 1, Part 2. Skip to Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8.
"Touching Moments" Part 3
Clint propped himself up on his elbows. "That better not leave me smelling like perfume," he said, eyeing the oil in Bruce's hand.
"It's just apricot," Bruce said. He opened the bottle and held it out to Clint. "Here, smell first. Acceptable?"
Clint sniffed. "It doesn't smell like apricots. Doesn't smell like much of anything, really. It's fine."
"The oil comes from the nut meat, not the fruit, so the scent is very subtle," Bruce explained. "I snagged this from the bathroom. Now lie back down."
Clint returned to his former position. Bruce oiled his hands and slid one slow stroke up the length of Clint's back. "Oh wow," Clint said. "Your hands are so warm."
"Side effect of the gamma," Bruce said quietly.
"Yeah, I know that sucks and all, but from my perspective this is one part that doesn't," Clint said.
"Oh, I'm a big fan of how Hulk saves your life when you fall out of buildings," Phil said.
Bruce ducked his head at that, but Phil could see him smiling, just a little bit. That was good. Phil wanted him to get more comfortable with his condition instead of seeing it exclusively as a liability. In that regard, convincing Clint to trust Bruce at his back would also help convince Bruce that he himself was worthy of trust.
Bruce created a steady rhythm, doing nothing more complex than running both flat hands up Clint's back and then down the sides to start over. He wasn't even leaning into the strokes so there couldn't be much pressure behind them. Just the same dreamy, patient motion over and over again. It let Clint sink down very gradually toward relaxation. It also gave him something easy and predictable to focus on. That helped establish that having Bruce behind him was safe, even pleasant. Bruce was humming, too, a soft simple tune that sounded vaguely familiar.
"Is that -- Bruce, are you humming the frog song?" Clint said.
"Hm? Oh. I suppose I am," Bruce said. "I'm kind of surprised you recognize it."
"Well, there was this mission in Mexico City," Clint said. "We infiltrated a crime ring peddling military-grade explosives. They had a fireworks shop as a front, and I kinda set it on fire ..."
"... while standing on the roof of said facility," Phil finished. "We couldn't get to our pickup point quickly, so I took him to a curandera that I knew."
"And that's where I learned the frog song," Clint said. "She sang it while she wrapped up the burns on my legs. It just stuck in my head, I thought it was cute."
"It is cute," Bruce said. "Works, too -- Hispanic kids usually settle down if I sing it to them. They like it."
"Or maybe they're just shocked that the gringo doctor even knows it," Clint said.
Bruce chuckled. "That too," he said. Then he sang out loud, his gentle voice surprisingly sweet over the old Spanish words:
"Sana que sana,
Colita de rana
Si no sanas hoy
Sanarás mañana."
Phil could see that Bruce matched the movement of his hands to the rhythm of the song, long smooth glides up and over and down.
"S'nice," Clint said. "Sounds pretty."
Bruce sang it twice more, slower and softer each time. It wasn't a lullaby, but it worked much the same way. Phil watched Clint's eyes flutter shut. Under his hand, the powerful muscles had gone lax.
"Clint?" Bruce said softly.
"Mm," Clint replied without moving. Phil smiled.
"Good, now that I've got him nonverbal, I can start working," Bruce said to Phil. He slid his hands down to Clint's hips and pressed his thumbs up along either side of the spine.
"Mm?" said Clint. His eyes blinked open, blue and hazy with peace.
"Shh," Bruce soothed. "You don't need to think about anything, including what I'm doing. Just lie there and let me work."
Clint closed his eyes and sighed, surrendering himself to Bruce's care. Bruce used his thumbs on the long vertical muscles. He moved just his fingertips in tiny circles over the whole surface of the back, mapping out the knots. There seemed to be two main ones, slightly offset, below the shoulderblades; and the one higher up between shoulder and spine that Bruce had first found back in the kitchen. Then Bruce stroked over the sore spots with his palms. Clint huffed under the gentle pressure.
"Easy," Bruce said. "I'm going to push a little harder to work the kinks out. I'll go slowly. Just let it happen."
Slow it was. Phil felt certain they'd spent over an hour at this already, well more than the usual length for a professional session. He wondered where Bruce had garnered such a lavish supply of patience. It was working; Phil could feel Clint melting into the cushions under that relentlessly tender touch.
Clint became more vocal, just breathy little sounds at first. Bruce listened intently, his head cocked, eyes half-lidded with concentration as he interpreted the different notes and navigated his way over Clint's back by feel. It was a lovely thing to see. When Bruce got up onto his knees to put his weight behind the heels of his hands, Clint gave a deeper groan, a peculiar mix of pleasure and pain.
"Is that the right spot?" Bruce asked.
"Huh," Clint said heavily. He sounded almost drugged. Bruce leaned over him and worked the tight muscles until Clint stopped groaning. The feedback turned to sweeter moans of satisfaction.
Endorphins, Phil thought. No wonder Clint seems drugged. Bruce's grasp of biochemistry evidently included manipulating the body's own private pharmacy. That was impressive.
"His toes are curled," Bruce said to Phil. "Is this a good sign for Clint? Because that one varies."
Phil jerked his gaze down there, and yes, the long supple toes were curled right down to the balls of his feet. Phil's jaw dropped. "Very good sign," he said. "I haven't seen that in a while. Clint doesn't get much pure physical pleasure." Both his asexuality and his espionage made it more challenging for Clint to meet that particular need. Sometimes the skin-hunger built up to intense levels. It was a key reason why Clint and Natasha slept together, but Natasha was far less demonstrative than Clint.
"Well that's eminently fixable," Bruce said. He looked miffed at this shortcoming in Clint's life. Phil felt vaguely guilty about not having addressed this before, but honestly, their options had been limited. If Bruce was willing to fill the gap for them, he had Phil's enthusiastic support.
* * *
Notes:
Apricot kernel oil is ideal for bodywork due to its light texture and scent. This is especially true for people with sensitive bodies and/or feelings.
Learn how to give a very simple backrub with basic strokes.
A curandero is a folk doctor, variously an herbalist, magician, or other sorts of specialty. Curandera is the feminine form. They remain popular, especially among people who can't afford a hospital visit.
Gringo is a Spanish term for someone who isn't Hispanic, often with not-very-complimentary connotations.
"Sana que sana" is a folk song, customarily performed while tending minor childhood injuries. In English it means:
Heal, heal,
Little tail of the frog,
If you don't heal today,
You'll heal tomorrow.
Patience is a virtue based on waiting for the right opportunity rather than rushing ahead. There are tips for overcoming impatience and cultivating patience. Consider simple meditation techniques and short or long guided meditations on patience.
Endorphins are neurotransmitters which can be activated by a variety of pleasant or painful experiences. They alter the state of consciousness, producing a kind of natural high. Clever people can learn to manipulate them, although different methods work for different bodies. Pay close attention to the levels and timing, because an endorphin rush builds in stages.
"Skin hunger" is a need for healthy touch, higher in some people than others. Primates can go insane or even die without enough physical contact. Consider the famous "cloth mother/wire mother" monkey studies and the lesser-known ones about how orphanages can kill babies.
[To be continued in Part 4 ...]
Fandom: The Avengers
Characters: Phil Coulson, Clint Barton, Natasha Romanova, Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, Steve Rogers, JARVIS, Betty Ross.
Medium: Fiction
Warnings: No standard warnings apply.
Summary: Clint messes up his back while testing some new archery equipment. Bruce offers to fix his back for him.
Notes: Asexual character (Clint). Aromantic character (Natasha). Asexual relationship. Teamwork. Flangst. Fear of vulnerability. Trust issues. Skin hunger. Hurt/comfort. Non-sexual touching and intimacy. Non-sexual ageplay. Cuteness. Personal growth. Family of choice.
Begin with Part 1, Part 2. Skip to Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8.
"Touching Moments" Part 3
Clint propped himself up on his elbows. "That better not leave me smelling like perfume," he said, eyeing the oil in Bruce's hand.
"It's just apricot," Bruce said. He opened the bottle and held it out to Clint. "Here, smell first. Acceptable?"
Clint sniffed. "It doesn't smell like apricots. Doesn't smell like much of anything, really. It's fine."
"The oil comes from the nut meat, not the fruit, so the scent is very subtle," Bruce explained. "I snagged this from the bathroom. Now lie back down."
Clint returned to his former position. Bruce oiled his hands and slid one slow stroke up the length of Clint's back. "Oh wow," Clint said. "Your hands are so warm."
"Side effect of the gamma," Bruce said quietly.
"Yeah, I know that sucks and all, but from my perspective this is one part that doesn't," Clint said.
"Oh, I'm a big fan of how Hulk saves your life when you fall out of buildings," Phil said.
Bruce ducked his head at that, but Phil could see him smiling, just a little bit. That was good. Phil wanted him to get more comfortable with his condition instead of seeing it exclusively as a liability. In that regard, convincing Clint to trust Bruce at his back would also help convince Bruce that he himself was worthy of trust.
Bruce created a steady rhythm, doing nothing more complex than running both flat hands up Clint's back and then down the sides to start over. He wasn't even leaning into the strokes so there couldn't be much pressure behind them. Just the same dreamy, patient motion over and over again. It let Clint sink down very gradually toward relaxation. It also gave him something easy and predictable to focus on. That helped establish that having Bruce behind him was safe, even pleasant. Bruce was humming, too, a soft simple tune that sounded vaguely familiar.
"Is that -- Bruce, are you humming the frog song?" Clint said.
"Hm? Oh. I suppose I am," Bruce said. "I'm kind of surprised you recognize it."
"Well, there was this mission in Mexico City," Clint said. "We infiltrated a crime ring peddling military-grade explosives. They had a fireworks shop as a front, and I kinda set it on fire ..."
"... while standing on the roof of said facility," Phil finished. "We couldn't get to our pickup point quickly, so I took him to a curandera that I knew."
"And that's where I learned the frog song," Clint said. "She sang it while she wrapped up the burns on my legs. It just stuck in my head, I thought it was cute."
"It is cute," Bruce said. "Works, too -- Hispanic kids usually settle down if I sing it to them. They like it."
"Or maybe they're just shocked that the gringo doctor even knows it," Clint said.
Bruce chuckled. "That too," he said. Then he sang out loud, his gentle voice surprisingly sweet over the old Spanish words:
"Sana que sana,
Colita de rana
Si no sanas hoy
Sanarás mañana."
Phil could see that Bruce matched the movement of his hands to the rhythm of the song, long smooth glides up and over and down.
"S'nice," Clint said. "Sounds pretty."
Bruce sang it twice more, slower and softer each time. It wasn't a lullaby, but it worked much the same way. Phil watched Clint's eyes flutter shut. Under his hand, the powerful muscles had gone lax.
"Clint?" Bruce said softly.
"Mm," Clint replied without moving. Phil smiled.
"Good, now that I've got him nonverbal, I can start working," Bruce said to Phil. He slid his hands down to Clint's hips and pressed his thumbs up along either side of the spine.
"Mm?" said Clint. His eyes blinked open, blue and hazy with peace.
"Shh," Bruce soothed. "You don't need to think about anything, including what I'm doing. Just lie there and let me work."
Clint closed his eyes and sighed, surrendering himself to Bruce's care. Bruce used his thumbs on the long vertical muscles. He moved just his fingertips in tiny circles over the whole surface of the back, mapping out the knots. There seemed to be two main ones, slightly offset, below the shoulderblades; and the one higher up between shoulder and spine that Bruce had first found back in the kitchen. Then Bruce stroked over the sore spots with his palms. Clint huffed under the gentle pressure.
"Easy," Bruce said. "I'm going to push a little harder to work the kinks out. I'll go slowly. Just let it happen."
Slow it was. Phil felt certain they'd spent over an hour at this already, well more than the usual length for a professional session. He wondered where Bruce had garnered such a lavish supply of patience. It was working; Phil could feel Clint melting into the cushions under that relentlessly tender touch.
Clint became more vocal, just breathy little sounds at first. Bruce listened intently, his head cocked, eyes half-lidded with concentration as he interpreted the different notes and navigated his way over Clint's back by feel. It was a lovely thing to see. When Bruce got up onto his knees to put his weight behind the heels of his hands, Clint gave a deeper groan, a peculiar mix of pleasure and pain.
"Is that the right spot?" Bruce asked.
"Huh," Clint said heavily. He sounded almost drugged. Bruce leaned over him and worked the tight muscles until Clint stopped groaning. The feedback turned to sweeter moans of satisfaction.
Endorphins, Phil thought. No wonder Clint seems drugged. Bruce's grasp of biochemistry evidently included manipulating the body's own private pharmacy. That was impressive.
"His toes are curled," Bruce said to Phil. "Is this a good sign for Clint? Because that one varies."
Phil jerked his gaze down there, and yes, the long supple toes were curled right down to the balls of his feet. Phil's jaw dropped. "Very good sign," he said. "I haven't seen that in a while. Clint doesn't get much pure physical pleasure." Both his asexuality and his espionage made it more challenging for Clint to meet that particular need. Sometimes the skin-hunger built up to intense levels. It was a key reason why Clint and Natasha slept together, but Natasha was far less demonstrative than Clint.
"Well that's eminently fixable," Bruce said. He looked miffed at this shortcoming in Clint's life. Phil felt vaguely guilty about not having addressed this before, but honestly, their options had been limited. If Bruce was willing to fill the gap for them, he had Phil's enthusiastic support.
* * *
Notes:
Apricot kernel oil is ideal for bodywork due to its light texture and scent. This is especially true for people with sensitive bodies and/or feelings.
Learn how to give a very simple backrub with basic strokes.
A curandero is a folk doctor, variously an herbalist, magician, or other sorts of specialty. Curandera is the feminine form. They remain popular, especially among people who can't afford a hospital visit.
Gringo is a Spanish term for someone who isn't Hispanic, often with not-very-complimentary connotations.
"Sana que sana" is a folk song, customarily performed while tending minor childhood injuries. In English it means:
Heal, heal,
Little tail of the frog,
If you don't heal today,
You'll heal tomorrow.
Patience is a virtue based on waiting for the right opportunity rather than rushing ahead. There are tips for overcoming impatience and cultivating patience. Consider simple meditation techniques and short or long guided meditations on patience.
Endorphins are neurotransmitters which can be activated by a variety of pleasant or painful experiences. They alter the state of consciousness, producing a kind of natural high. Clever people can learn to manipulate them, although different methods work for different bodies. Pay close attention to the levels and timing, because an endorphin rush builds in stages.
"Skin hunger" is a need for healthy touch, higher in some people than others. Primates can go insane or even die without enough physical contact. Consider the famous "cloth mother/wire mother" monkey studies and the lesser-known ones about how orphanages can kill babies.
[To be continued in Part 4 ...]
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2013-03-27 08:27 am (UTC)Gods do I get the skin hunger issue. And the difficulty in finding in pleasure in certain circumstances. Never did quite manage to work it out on my end while I was still serving, and the one time I gave in to the need to touch someone ... I really should have had him brought up on charges but explaining? Explaining that he'd misread my signals, that I was what I thought at the time was broken? It was just easier not to ...
Thoughts
Date: 2013-03-27 04:51 pm (UTC)In this mood Clint is very huggable.
>>Gods do I get the skin hunger issue. And the difficulty in finding in pleasure in certain circumstances.<<
I think that most people just don't recognize this as a need. It's higher for some, lower for others, but always there. Primates tend to go insane if they don't get enough healthy touch. It's why the touch-phobic direction of society worries me. Touch is like food: you can't avoid all of it just because some of it is bad. You have to find the good stuff or you will starve to death.
>> Never did quite manage to work it out on my end while I was still serving, and the one time I gave in to the need to touch someone ... I really should have had him brought up on charges but explaining? Explaining that he'd misread my signals, that I was what I thought at the time was broken? It was just easier not to ...<<
Ghastly, but you're probably right that charges would not have helped. It's hard enough to win even a clear-cut case in that context.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2013-03-27 05:09 pm (UTC)I would be too, but a surprise hug might pull me out of a smilar state, so after everything that's happened to me, I tend to ask permission? Especially with someone I don't know that well, hence the asking permission.
>>I think that most people just don't recognize this as a need. It's higher for some, lower for others, but always there. Primates tend to go insane if they don't get enough healthy touch. It's why the touch-phobic direction of society worries me. Touch is like food: you can't avoid all of it just because some of it is bad. You have to find the good stuff or you will starve to death.<<
And poisonous is when you have a touch-phobic parent - my mother has flinched from my touch since I hit puberty, and was reluctant before then. Perhaps that explains why I have a tendency to glut on touch when permitted? (Which can be hazardous when others misinterpret it - as a result of running into those hazards, I rarely permit myself to freely touch anyone as much as I need. People misinterpret it and then things get messy and I'm fed up of everything being about sex!)
>>Ghastly, but you're probably right that charges would not have helped. It's hard enough to win even a clear-cut case in that context.<<
He said, she said - and I didn't have the descriptors for my sexuality at the time. It would have been humiliating.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2013-03-28 04:15 am (UTC)That makes sense.
>>And poisonous is when you have a touch-phobic parent<<
Yeah, that's a problem.
>> my mother has flinched from my touch since I hit puberty, and was reluctant before then.<<
0_o
>> Perhaps that explains why I have a tendency to glut on touch when permitted? <<
Well, yeah, starving usually makes people want to gorge. But then it's not good because your body isn't adjusted to that much input.
>>(Which can be hazardous when others misinterpret it - as a result of running into those hazards, I rarely permit myself to freely touch anyone as much as I need. People misinterpret it and then things get messy and I'm fed up of everything being about sex!)<<
Alas! I wish society had a healthier approach to touch.
(no subject)
Date: 2013-03-27 12:53 pm (UTC)Of course, now I want a massage by Bruce...
Anyway, well done.
You're welcome!
Date: 2013-03-27 05:38 pm (UTC)That's very much a running theme, looking at all different types of relationships and intimacy outside the sex/romance area.
>> Everybody focuses so strongly on lust or the eros form of love that they forget all of the others. <<
And this was a key part of why I wrote "Love Is for Children" in the first place. We need more stories that show the other options.
>>Of course, now I want a massage by Bruce...<<
Hee! I don't blame you. He could be very habit-forming.
>>Anyway, well done.<<
Thanks.
(no subject)
Date: 2013-03-27 09:00 pm (UTC)You're welcome!
Date: 2013-03-28 06:27 am (UTC)That's cool.
>> when i moved away i went two and a half years without a hug.. sigh<<
Not fun, no.
> now that i have children i can't imagine going fifteen minutes without someone hanging off my arms/neck/somewhere attached LOL..<<
They are lucky to have you.
>> thank you for this!very much feeling the love that went into this Whole universe!!<<
I'm so happy to hear that!
(no subject)
Date: 2013-03-28 05:31 am (UTC)Thoughts
Date: 2013-03-28 05:38 am (UTC)That's okay. It varies. Most humans need some amount of touch to thrive; for some it's low, for others pretty high. Also consider that people may rely on different types of connection. Clint has a high skin-hunger, partly because he doesn't do sex, which is how a lot of people get their happy touching. Phil enjoys touching -- but his primary connection is actually talking, which is why he lost his shit when everyone went radio-silent and the quinjet blew up that time.
>> I never really thought it was odd until I actually started high school and started hanging out at my friends' houses. Seeing my friends interact with their families was enlightening.<<
It can run in families. You're lucky that you're a match for your family. It's really hard when there's a wide disjunct between what one person needs and what other people need, and I know folks that's happened to.
>> I'm in my mid twenties now and kind of uncomfortable with people touching me most of the time though massages don't bother me.<<
It's good that you know your parameters though.
(no subject)
Date: 2013-03-28 05:28 pm (UTC)Yes...
Date: 2013-03-28 08:53 pm (UTC)I've been familiar with it for a long time. Some interesting resources include "Rogue and Skin Hunger" and "Skin Hunger." Though really, there's a difference between ordinary skin appetite (how much touch a person desires) and skin starvation (the negative feelings and impact when someone gets far less touch than needed).
>>Big problem for Clint with both his asexuality, and the issues and triggers.<<
And his job. It's not just his personal traits; there are security risks in making contact with random people. So for practical reasons, his options are mostly limited to SHIELD personnel or his teammates.
>> Bruce is awesome, he could become my favorite character if he goes on being like that : )! <<
Yes, he is learning more about how to handle his teammates for mutual benefit, and I do hope to keep exploring this.
>> (plus, I'm getting more and more fascinated with his two sides and the possible evolution of the way he sees "the other one".<<
Although not the core of this series, that is a running subthread. Bruce feels shy and guilty about the Hulk. But he's gradually starting to see indications of improvement -- and part of that is carryover from all the teambuilding. Hulk runs on intuition and feelings rather than logic and thought. So game night is really, really speaking his language.
>> Another great chapter, and food for thoughts, thanks !<<
You're welcome! I'm glad you liked this.
(no subject)
Date: 2013-05-17 06:50 am (UTC)Being touchstarved is hard; poor Clint :( My skinhunger-levels are pretty high, which is a good match for the rest of my biological family but hasn't always worked out so well in other relationships... it can be a tough thing to balance, the not-driving-others-crazy vs not-going-crazy.
Thank you!
Date: 2013-05-17 06:58 am (UTC)*hugs*
I tried to find a recording but there weren't free ones online, just references to CDs and such. The little folk things often don't get recorded at all.
>> Being touchstarved is hard; poor Clint :( <<
Yea, verily.
>> My skinhunger-levels are pretty high, which is a good match for the rest of my biological family but hasn't always worked out so well in other relationships... it can be a tough thing to balance, the not-driving-others-crazy vs not-going-crazy. <<
Too true. This wound up being such a hot topic that I made whole posts about skin-hunger and touch starvation, then touch aversion. The discussions on those are terrific.
Re: Thank you!
Date: 2013-05-19 06:09 pm (UTC)Yeah, those are among the manymany links I've bookmarked out of the notes-and-comments here, to go back and look at once I run out of completed stories to gobble up :)
Re: Thank you!
Date: 2013-05-19 06:11 pm (UTC)Re: Thank you!
Date: 2013-05-21 02:53 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2013-08-28 06:18 am (UTC)Mmmm. Lime and sandalwood.
Thoughts
Date: 2013-08-28 06:37 pm (UTC)*chuckle* Yeah, Bruce can have that effect.
>> Mmmm. Lime and sandalwood. <<
Nice.
Wait till you see the description of his bath oil later in "Hide and Seek."
(no subject)
Date: 2013-09-05 11:37 am (UTC)O_O
Date: 2013-09-06 02:53 am (UTC)Re: O_O
Date: 2013-09-06 09:39 am (UTC)Re: O_O
Date: 2013-09-06 09:45 am (UTC)Re: O_O
Date: 2013-09-06 10:05 am (UTC)Exactly.
Chiming in very late
Date: 2013-10-07 05:08 am (UTC)It is very very good and right and getting me right in the feels.
For some reason, your footnote sections make me almost weepier than most of the entry content.
I have a pretty strong fawn response, too, and I give backrubs (though Bruce gives better ones; I'm mostly self-taught).
Not stopping here. Will be recommending to others.
Re: Chiming in very late
Date: 2013-10-08 11:01 pm (UTC)*laugh* I've done that with reading too.
People have described my writing as "flypaper for eyeballs." If you like more than fanfic, there is a great deal of my original material on this blog; use the Fiction and Poem tags to find more.
>> It is very very good and right and getting me right in the feels. <<
Yay! I'm glad you find this so satisfying.
>> For some reason, your footnote sections make me almost weepier than most of the entry content. <<
Some folks find that the nonfiction connects more readily to their personal experience, while others hit that from the fiction side.
>> I have a pretty strong fawn response, too, <<
You may get some use out of the references to appropriate boundaries, assertiveness, and self-worth that are scattered through the series.
>> and I give backrubs <<
That's awesome. I do too.
>> (though Bruce gives better ones; I'm mostly self-taught). <<
Bruce hasn't gone through a whole professional program. He's learned on his own plus found teachers or classes catch-as-catch can. He does have advantages because of his condition, though: permanently warm hands, and heightened senses.
>> Not stopping here. Will be recommending to others. <<
Yay! Recommendations are awesome. If you want more fanfic, there are crossovers with Schrodinger's Heroes.
(no subject)
Date: 2017-04-18 04:41 am (UTC)Umm, wow, that let loose a chunk of stress just thinking about that.
Thoughts
Date: 2017-04-18 04:48 am (UTC)Yay!
>> I'm so very not ace, but the long periods of little touch, and then being so far "under" that I couldn't hear the LMP's music, only their voice and the roar of the HVAC... <<
That can happen to a lot of people.
>> Umm, wow, that let loose a chunk of stress just thinking about that.<<
*hugs* I'm glad I could help. I wrote this story very much intending it to serve as vicarious massage.