Story: "Touching Moments" (Part 4 of 8)
Mar. 28th, 2013 12:08 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, Part 3. Skip to Part 6, Part 7, Part 8.
"Touching Moments" Part 4
Bruce poured out more oil and slicked Clint's back again. Then he returned to the long, slow, lengthwise strokes. Clint responded happily.
Phil cocked his head. "Is he ... purring?" he said.
"Hm? Oh, yes. Some people do that," Bruce said, looking down at the world's greatest marksman who was rapidly turning to pudding under his hands. "Though in this case it sounds more like chirring. You know, that sound some birds make when they're brooding eggs or chicks? I heard it plenty in the jungle."
"Hawk ... eye," Phil said pointedly.
"Mm?" Clint said.
"Shush, go back down," Bruce said to him. "Phil and I were just admiring your happy sounds."
Clint sighed, clearly letting himself drift away to whatever blissful place Bruce's hands were taking him. Bruce spend a long time just stroking him gently, soothing the muscles back into their usual pattern.
Phil's time sense told him this had gone past the two-hour mark. It was rare to see Clint so carefree and content. "Remarkable," he murmured.
Bruce flicked a glance at him. "I could use your help with this next part," Bruce said. "He may not like it. Just keep him steady for me."
"Tell me what you need and I'll do it," Phil said. Bruce had gotten Clint this far. Phil felt certain that Bruce could finish the job, even if it took a little extra coaxing.
"Hey, Clint," Bruce said softly. "I'm going to fix this tendon that's bugging you." He laid two fingertips lightly over the spot. "First I need to get at it, though, and for that you have to follow my lead. It's not going to be much fun. We'll get back to the fun stuff in a few minutes. Okay?"
"Mm," Clint said.
"Okay, give me your arm," Bruce said. He trailed his hand slowly along Clint's left arm, clasped the wrist, and tugged gently downward. Clint allowed the motion -- until Bruce lifted his hand toward the small of his back.
"Wha...?" Clint protested. His eyes popped open. He tensed as much as he could, which amounted to little more than a ripple under Phil's mindful grasp. Bruce paused, holding the same position.
"It's all right," Phil said, stroking his free hand through Clint's hair. "You're perfectly safe. Relax and let Bruce work." Clint went limp again, eyes closing.
Bruce tucked Clint's wrist just above his hip, holding it in position with a knee braced against the outside of the arm. Then he scooped a hand under the left shoulder. Clint must have done something that Phil could neither see nor feel, because Bruce said, "Let go. Don't try to help. Let me have the weight."
Phil rubbed a thumb over Clint's right forearm, slow soothing circles. He watched Bruce rotate Clint's whole shoulder between his hands, one cupped underneath and the other spread over the shoulderblade. Forward and back. Up and down. Round and round, first clockwise and then counterclockwise. Phil could see Bruce's lips moving slightly, counting something. Counting the rotations, Phil guessed.
Clint heaved a sigh of relief.
Bruce smiled. "Little better, yeah?" he said. "That's good." He settled Clint's shoulder back onto the cushion.
"Mmmm," Clint commented.
Bruce leaned forward to whisper in his ear. "This is the hard part," he warned as he clasped Clint's arm again. "You can trust me." He lifted carefully, one hand on the wrist, one supporting the elbow, angling Clint's fingertips up toward his right shoulder.
"Bruce," Phil said evenly.
"Yeah, I know what it looks like, think about what it does," Bruce said, casting a glance at Phil. "I need to lift the shoulderblade up in order to reach the tendon enough to rub out the tension. It runs underneath the bone, and that's where it tends to knot up, right at the edge on one or the other side."
What it looked like -- what it was -- Phil knew, and Clint knew, was an arm lock. Both of them had torn men's shoulders out of socket with just such a move, done at speed and with force. It could wreak permanent damage on delicate nerves and connective tissue. Clint depended utterly on his arms. Bruce was asking him to put his vocation, his livelihood, very nearly his life into Bruce's hands.
"I trust you at my side in battle, Clint," said Bruce. "I know you'll take care of me when I'm not even really there to take care of myself. I trust you with the arrows you spent half the morning practicing, and I want you in perfect shape to aim them every time. Let me do this for you."
Bruce waited, and Phil watched with a gimlet eye. Bruce wasn't putting any pressure on Clint's arm as long as there was any resistance at all.
Clint breathed out, and must have given some subliminal signal of acceptance, because Bruce shifted again. "Trust me," Bruce coaxed.
Bruce moved slowly, incrementally, easing wrist toward opposite shoulder with sublime care. Clint was limber. He'd worked in the circus, and he'd gotten even better after he left. By the time Bruce stopped, the back of Clint's left hand rested on the bottom edge of his right shoulderblade, fingers in a loose curl, completely vulnerable. The left shoulderblade had lifted away from the ribs underneath, its edge clearly visible even under the dense layer of archery muscle. It looked cool, and a little creepy.
Bruce glanced up at Phil. "If you can hold him like this for me, that will free up both my hands," he said.
"All right," Phil said. "Clint, I'm taking hold of your wrist. Keep steady." Phil wrapped his hand around Clint's wrist, feeling the thick cords of muscle and tendon under his fingers. Something shimmered through his awareness, a quiet awe at the way Clint trusted himself so fully to both of them. Phil could also feel the ... surprisingly slight pull when Bruce let go. Clint's arm rested at the exact limit of its natural extension in this direction. Phil's admiration of Bruce's knowledge of human anatomy, which was already high, ticked up another notch.
* * *
Notes:
During a massage, it helps to use different strokes. You can see the descriptions shifting through the story here.
Here is a basic shoulder massage. This is an example of shoulder rotation. There are many variations.
See a simple image of shoulder anatomy.
There are many different massage positions for the body and parts of the body. The wrist-behind-waist pose looks something like this.
An arm lock is a grappling move to control and threaten the elbow and/or shoulder joints. It really can do serious damage. The hammerlock version places the wrist behind the back and pushes up toward the opposite shoulder. A crucial drawback to arm locks is that they're only secure if the opponent is fully pinned. Otherwise they rely on the opponent's vulnerability to pain -- and an upright opponent may accept a broken or dislocated arm for the sake of reaching a backup weapon. You can imagine where Clint's head is going here.
The subtle differences between the massage move and the combat move lie not just in the intent but in the dominant person's hand placement. For fighting, the hands move to control the shoulder, elbow, wrist, and/or finger joints -- pushing and twisting to lock them by pressing against nerves and tendons or forcing the bones to a stopping point. For massage, the hands move to support the weight of the arm as it shifts, often with one hand under the outside of the elbow and the other grasping the wrist or forearm.
Touch is a vital part of communication. Basic emotions carry well even between strangers; in close relationships, more nuance is possible. Nonverbal communication includes touch and other aspects. Actions speak louder than words, especially for building trust in relationships. People communicate love and trust in different ways. Both Bruce and Clint are people who express more through actions than through words. Bruce talks science, Clint snarks, but that's not their language of intimacy; touch is. So the important conversation is actually between Bruce's hands and Clint's skin. Patience and gentleness say "you can trust me" while presence and relaxation say "okay."
[To be continued in Part 5 ...]
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, Part 3. Skip to Part 6, Part 7, Part 8.
"Touching Moments" Part 4
Bruce poured out more oil and slicked Clint's back again. Then he returned to the long, slow, lengthwise strokes. Clint responded happily.
Phil cocked his head. "Is he ... purring?" he said.
"Hm? Oh, yes. Some people do that," Bruce said, looking down at the world's greatest marksman who was rapidly turning to pudding under his hands. "Though in this case it sounds more like chirring. You know, that sound some birds make when they're brooding eggs or chicks? I heard it plenty in the jungle."
"Hawk ... eye," Phil said pointedly.
"Mm?" Clint said.
"Shush, go back down," Bruce said to him. "Phil and I were just admiring your happy sounds."
Clint sighed, clearly letting himself drift away to whatever blissful place Bruce's hands were taking him. Bruce spend a long time just stroking him gently, soothing the muscles back into their usual pattern.
Phil's time sense told him this had gone past the two-hour mark. It was rare to see Clint so carefree and content. "Remarkable," he murmured.
Bruce flicked a glance at him. "I could use your help with this next part," Bruce said. "He may not like it. Just keep him steady for me."
"Tell me what you need and I'll do it," Phil said. Bruce had gotten Clint this far. Phil felt certain that Bruce could finish the job, even if it took a little extra coaxing.
"Hey, Clint," Bruce said softly. "I'm going to fix this tendon that's bugging you." He laid two fingertips lightly over the spot. "First I need to get at it, though, and for that you have to follow my lead. It's not going to be much fun. We'll get back to the fun stuff in a few minutes. Okay?"
"Mm," Clint said.
"Okay, give me your arm," Bruce said. He trailed his hand slowly along Clint's left arm, clasped the wrist, and tugged gently downward. Clint allowed the motion -- until Bruce lifted his hand toward the small of his back.
"Wha...?" Clint protested. His eyes popped open. He tensed as much as he could, which amounted to little more than a ripple under Phil's mindful grasp. Bruce paused, holding the same position.
"It's all right," Phil said, stroking his free hand through Clint's hair. "You're perfectly safe. Relax and let Bruce work." Clint went limp again, eyes closing.
Bruce tucked Clint's wrist just above his hip, holding it in position with a knee braced against the outside of the arm. Then he scooped a hand under the left shoulder. Clint must have done something that Phil could neither see nor feel, because Bruce said, "Let go. Don't try to help. Let me have the weight."
Phil rubbed a thumb over Clint's right forearm, slow soothing circles. He watched Bruce rotate Clint's whole shoulder between his hands, one cupped underneath and the other spread over the shoulderblade. Forward and back. Up and down. Round and round, first clockwise and then counterclockwise. Phil could see Bruce's lips moving slightly, counting something. Counting the rotations, Phil guessed.
Clint heaved a sigh of relief.
Bruce smiled. "Little better, yeah?" he said. "That's good." He settled Clint's shoulder back onto the cushion.
"Mmmm," Clint commented.
Bruce leaned forward to whisper in his ear. "This is the hard part," he warned as he clasped Clint's arm again. "You can trust me." He lifted carefully, one hand on the wrist, one supporting the elbow, angling Clint's fingertips up toward his right shoulder.
"Bruce," Phil said evenly.
"Yeah, I know what it looks like, think about what it does," Bruce said, casting a glance at Phil. "I need to lift the shoulderblade up in order to reach the tendon enough to rub out the tension. It runs underneath the bone, and that's where it tends to knot up, right at the edge on one or the other side."
What it looked like -- what it was -- Phil knew, and Clint knew, was an arm lock. Both of them had torn men's shoulders out of socket with just such a move, done at speed and with force. It could wreak permanent damage on delicate nerves and connective tissue. Clint depended utterly on his arms. Bruce was asking him to put his vocation, his livelihood, very nearly his life into Bruce's hands.
"I trust you at my side in battle, Clint," said Bruce. "I know you'll take care of me when I'm not even really there to take care of myself. I trust you with the arrows you spent half the morning practicing, and I want you in perfect shape to aim them every time. Let me do this for you."
Bruce waited, and Phil watched with a gimlet eye. Bruce wasn't putting any pressure on Clint's arm as long as there was any resistance at all.
Clint breathed out, and must have given some subliminal signal of acceptance, because Bruce shifted again. "Trust me," Bruce coaxed.
Bruce moved slowly, incrementally, easing wrist toward opposite shoulder with sublime care. Clint was limber. He'd worked in the circus, and he'd gotten even better after he left. By the time Bruce stopped, the back of Clint's left hand rested on the bottom edge of his right shoulderblade, fingers in a loose curl, completely vulnerable. The left shoulderblade had lifted away from the ribs underneath, its edge clearly visible even under the dense layer of archery muscle. It looked cool, and a little creepy.
Bruce glanced up at Phil. "If you can hold him like this for me, that will free up both my hands," he said.
"All right," Phil said. "Clint, I'm taking hold of your wrist. Keep steady." Phil wrapped his hand around Clint's wrist, feeling the thick cords of muscle and tendon under his fingers. Something shimmered through his awareness, a quiet awe at the way Clint trusted himself so fully to both of them. Phil could also feel the ... surprisingly slight pull when Bruce let go. Clint's arm rested at the exact limit of its natural extension in this direction. Phil's admiration of Bruce's knowledge of human anatomy, which was already high, ticked up another notch.
* * *
Notes:
During a massage, it helps to use different strokes. You can see the descriptions shifting through the story here.
Here is a basic shoulder massage. This is an example of shoulder rotation. There are many variations.
See a simple image of shoulder anatomy.
There are many different massage positions for the body and parts of the body. The wrist-behind-waist pose looks something like this.
An arm lock is a grappling move to control and threaten the elbow and/or shoulder joints. It really can do serious damage. The hammerlock version places the wrist behind the back and pushes up toward the opposite shoulder. A crucial drawback to arm locks is that they're only secure if the opponent is fully pinned. Otherwise they rely on the opponent's vulnerability to pain -- and an upright opponent may accept a broken or dislocated arm for the sake of reaching a backup weapon. You can imagine where Clint's head is going here.
The subtle differences between the massage move and the combat move lie not just in the intent but in the dominant person's hand placement. For fighting, the hands move to control the shoulder, elbow, wrist, and/or finger joints -- pushing and twisting to lock them by pressing against nerves and tendons or forcing the bones to a stopping point. For massage, the hands move to support the weight of the arm as it shifts, often with one hand under the outside of the elbow and the other grasping the wrist or forearm.
Touch is a vital part of communication. Basic emotions carry well even between strangers; in close relationships, more nuance is possible. Nonverbal communication includes touch and other aspects. Actions speak louder than words, especially for building trust in relationships. People communicate love and trust in different ways. Both Bruce and Clint are people who express more through actions than through words. Bruce talks science, Clint snarks, but that's not their language of intimacy; touch is. So the important conversation is actually between Bruce's hands and Clint's skin. Patience and gentleness say "you can trust me" while presence and relaxation say "okay."
[To be continued in Part 5 ...]
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2013-03-28 05:38 am (UTC)Yay!
Date: 2013-03-28 05:54 am (UTC)Thank you! I was hoping to convey the very delicate dance of wanting to accomplish something, having to work through and around issues, in a way that makes positive progress. I like watching characters get to a point where they can let their guard down.
>> on a totally random note I got my laptop back and it's delightful.<<
Yay! I'm glad you're back in action with your laptop. One of my other friends just had their device go on the fritz. Le sigh.
>> I always enjoy reading this series and can't wait for more.<<
That's so good to hear. I'm into the next story now.
(no subject)
Date: 2013-03-29 02:04 am (UTC)(The image of Steve and Natasha's pysanky eggs came unbidden to mind today, at a moment when I needed beauty. Thank you.)
You're welcome!
Date: 2013-03-29 07:36 am (UTC)I'm so happy to hear that. That's what I'm aiming for.
>>(The image of Steve and Natasha's pysanky eggs came unbidden to mind today, at a moment when I needed beauty. Thank you.)<<
Yay! I love it when my stories stick in people's minds. I especially appreciate you telling me about moments like this.
(no subject)
Date: 2013-03-28 06:59 am (UTC)This is so sweet and quiet, and I'm in awe of Bruce's patience here. Most people would have gotten frustrated and walked away long ago. This is just... *draws hearts all over* So very sweet.
Yes...
Date: 2013-03-28 07:26 am (UTC)It's come pretty far, and I have another story in progress.
>> I have got to remember to log into DW more often! *headdesk* <<
That would help. Oh, and I'm doing my next Poetry Fishbowl on Tuesday if you want to come give me prompts. Theme will be "fantasy in other eras."
>>This is so sweet and quiet, and I'm in awe of Bruce's patience here. Most people would have gotten frustrated and walked away long ago. This is just... *draws hearts all over* So very sweet.<<
Well, I figure that Bruce started out self-taught and learned what he could from other people along the way, but probably had little if any formal education in this area. So he's got some patter and some standard practices. He didn't get one full sentence into that with Clint. Fortunately Bruce is flexible enough to work with an atypical recipient and figure out something different. In this case, Bruce is working with Clint's sniper tendency to zone out on his own senses in a consistent environment. Much of this is just a matter of slowing things down enough to fish out what patience Clint has, which isn't exactly stored in a standard place. The rest is just tiptoeing around his twitchiness by using a more subtle routine and responding to clues on the fly. Presto, archer pudding.
Of course, for Bruce, patience has long been a survival skill. He's just using it proactively rather than defensively here. As customary for a genius, he's good at taking things learned in one context and applying them creatively in other contexts.
I'm glad you're enjoying this! Feedback is candy.
Re: Yes...
Date: 2013-05-17 07:33 am (UTC):giggles: ^^
Re: Yes...
Date: 2013-08-02 01:30 am (UTC)Because, YES, of course, but I wouldn't have been able to explain the comprehension of his unique way of being that concisely at all, IF at all.
*kisses fingertips * MWAH! just lovely.
Re: Yes...
Date: 2013-08-02 01:49 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2013-03-28 01:25 pm (UTC)Thank you!
Date: 2013-03-28 09:42 pm (UTC)Yay! That's good to hear.
>> Just wish your Bruce was real and a friend of mine. <<
Yeah, Bruce is gaining on Phil as the one people would most like to have.
>>I know exactly what Bruce is doing to Clint's back from the receiving end and no one has ever been able to make me relax enough that it didn't hurt like blue blazes.<<
That trick does work, but if you've messed up your back enough to need it, then it's always going to be at least somewhat unpleasant. Less so the more you can relax, but still. (Bruce's decision to take a ridiculously long time with the buildup also works: if you can get someone high enough on endorphins, they don't mind the ouchy parts as much.) On the up side, this is better than some of the alternatives.
Wow!
Date: 2013-03-28 03:09 pm (UTC)Re: Wow!
Date: 2013-03-28 11:01 pm (UTC)I'm flattered to have exceeded the ability of your vocabulary to describe.
>> Oh, and I love that Clint makes "bird" sounds. <<
This version of Clint seems to have a subtler connection to the avian motif than I often write him. I figure that, when he's working outdoors, he spends a great deal of time with very little to do until the target comes within view. There are always birds to watch and listen to, so he's picked up a few things about them -- much the way Bruce recognized the sounds from hiding out in the jungle.
(no subject)
Date: 2013-03-28 05:40 pm (UTC)Yay!
Date: 2013-03-29 03:01 am (UTC)Thank you! I'm glad you liked this.
>> I guess all the work Phil did with the team helped them getting to this point, where they can really rely on each other and not only in battle. <<
Precisely. It has taken them a while to learn how to interact in different ways, to compensate for strengths and weaknesses, to realize they have backup for all the difficult things and not just when something's trying to kill them. The effects of game night reach outside game night, and they're getting better at taking care of each other -- and letting themselves be taken care of -- in more and different ways.
>>Bruce is so competent and patient, he's awesome!<<
I think Bruce has come a lot farther than he realizes. He tends to focus on the hole instead of the donut, looking at his failures rather than his successes. But his friends see the good side of him, even when he doesn't.
>> Great writing, too, because Clint's so relaxed I can feel it : )! <<
Yay, then I did it right! I actually know somebody who used to do virtual massage in chat rooms. It was very popular as a relaxation technique. My hypothesis is that it's a bit like guided meditation. So yes, it really can work.
(no subject)
Date: 2013-03-28 07:38 pm (UTC)Thank you!
Date: 2013-03-28 07:45 pm (UTC)Hee! I'm definitely not library-safe reading. People make sound effects under the influence of my writing.
>> but yeah .. clint letting bruce and phil hold him like that is awesome... <<
Sooth. It's taken them a lot of time and work to reach that point.
>>seriously .. i wouldn't want anyone holding Me like that and i don't have his issues..<<
Well, it's never fun, but sometimes it is preferable to spending the next 2-3 days feeling like your arm is strung on with red-hot wire. Especially if you dislike painkillers and/or they don't work well for you.
One of the things I've learned about PTSD from observing people who have it is that sometimes there isn't a no-trigger option. You have to pick which trigger you're going to deal with, because every possible option has some kind of crummy drawback. But it helps when you've got friends who'll walk through the fire with you.
The Avengers are just starting to figure out that Bruce has some very interesting off-the-beaten-path solutions to problems.
(no subject)
Date: 2017-05-04 12:12 am (UTC)Yes...
Date: 2017-05-04 12:34 am (UTC)*sigh*
Date: 2020-02-03 04:37 am (UTC)Re: *sigh*
Date: 2020-02-03 06:20 am (UTC)That sucks. :(
>> I love body work, but have a high startle reflex and SPD so having a very gentle and patient massage therapist is KEY <<
Try searching for "survivor support" and "trauma-informed care." Some massage therapists advertise their specialties like that. Or check your local hospital, veteran's group, or rape survivor group and ask who they'd recommend.
>> And NOW I WANT A BRUCE <<
Aww.