ysabetwordsmith (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
ysabetwordsmith) wrote2013-03-26 12:31 am
ysabetwordsmith) wrote2013-03-26 12:31 am
Story: "Touching Moments" (Part 2 of 8)
This 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. Skip to Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8.
"Touching Moments" Part 2 of 8
"Good enough," Bruce said as he sat down. He lifted a hand to Clint's back, slowly and carefully, letting the other man track the motion. "Hmm ... you were drawing the bowstring with your left hand today?" Clint nodded. "I can feel it. There's a diagonal line pulling through your back muscles. Something about the harness must have twisted you out of alignment. That can't be good for your aim either."
Clint held still while the fingers crept back and forth. "Okay, ow," he said, flinching away when Bruce's hand reached his left shoulderblade.
"Between the edge of the bone and your spine?" Bruce asked.
"Yeah, there's a knot there or something," Clint admitted.
"Thought that might happen, the way the straps laid," said Bruce. He moved his thumb very precisely, tracing something that he could apparently feel but Phil could not see. "Wow, this tendon is not happy with whatever you did on the range. I could pluck it like a guitar string."
"I'm not happy either," Clint said. Bruce touched a different spot, closer to the shoulderblade, and Clint flinched even harder. "Ow! Take your complaints to Tony. He's the one wanting feedback on the gear."
"We will," Phil said. He'd make sure Tony got the notes whether Clint and Bruce remembered or not. He had complete confidence in Tony's ability to fix whatever crimp or imbalance had caused the problem. Phil also took extra care with Clint's safety because, unlike some of the other team members, Clint didn't have any resistance to injury or quick healing.
"I've got a massage table in my quarters if you want to come up," Bruce said. He flattened his hand against Clint's back.
"Uh, that's a no," Clint said, his cheeks pinking. "I don't really mix well with massage tables. Unpleasant associations. Came up during a mission but it's not job-related at the heart of it."
"Geisha-ninjas working out of a massage parlor," Phil clarified, "and doing nobody's professional reputation any good whatsoever."
"I like the skin contact, a lot, but I need it to be ... safe," Clint said. "I don't like sex. I don't get attracted to people that way. I don't want anyone touching my junk."
"That's all right, Clint," said Bruce. "I get that you're asexual. I don't have a really strong sex drive myself, and the Hulk just makes everything ... kind of weird. Betty and I have fooled around some, but we discovered that we actually, um, get more bang for our buck with Tantra. You don't have anything to worry about from me."
Clint twisted around to look at Bruce. "Don't get me wrong, you're okay, I totally trust you not to manhandle me. If you think you can fix my back, go for it. Just, not on a table, because that was not fun."
"No problem," Bruce said smoothly. "I can work anywhere. Floor okay for you, if we throw down some cushions?" Phil wasn't surprised that Bruce had focused so much on portable techniques he could use without a need for specialized tools or supplies.
"Yeah, sure," said Clint.
"Phil, would you spot for us? Just in case we step on another land mine walking down memory lane?" Bruce asked. "Edgy as Clint feels right now, I think he'll have an easier time relaxing with you there."
"Of course," Phil said at once, "whatever you need." He'd tried getting Clint to work this out with one of the physical therapists at SHIELD who also did massage therapy and had, by all reports, quite good hands. That turned into an argument over the importance of a massage table in professional treatment. Clint came out tenser than he went in. Phil silently concluded that he should have vetted the therapist's head as well as hands, and that it wasn't worth pushing for something that would probably never recur in Clint's line of work. If Clint was willing to try again with Bruce, that was a definite improvement. Phil would do whatever he could to encourage them.
Bruce appropriated a few floor cushions from the common room and towels from the bath, then led everyone to a spare room. "This should do. We can lock the door and not tie up the really public space," he said.
"JARVIS, if anyone comes looking for us, let them know we're busy unless it's an emergency," Phil said as he closed the door behind them. The lock clicked and flashed amber.
Bruce expertly flipped the cushions into position and draped a towel over them. "Okay, this will work better with your clothes off, but you don't have to --"
Clint's clothes hit the floor before Bruce even finished speaking. He stretched belly-down on the cushions, pillowing his head on his forearms. "I'm good with it," he said.
"Spies can't afford to be too body-conscious," Phil said to Bruce. He settled onto the floor cross-legged near Clint's head, resting a hand on the closest forearm to help him stay present in the here-and-now. The muscles remained firm underhand, even though he could tell that Clint was trying to go along with this project.
Bruce knelt gracefully beside Clint, placing one hand over the nape of his neck and the other at the base of his spine. Clint shivered. "Relax," Bruce said, his voice low and coaxing.
"I'm trying," Clint said. "I just really don't like people right behind me. It's not like a switch I can flip off and on."
"We'll get there," Bruce said. "Look, you're not afraid of me in combat, are you? Even when I'm big and green?"
"Of course not," Clint said instantly.
"Okay, so hold onto that awareness. Let me have your back. I promise I'll take good care of it," Bruce said.
"I'll try," Clint said.
"Imagine a place you find safe and peaceful," Bruce said. "Let yourself drift a little. We can take all the time we need for this." A wrinkle formed between his eyebrows, as if he wasn't satisfied with what he felt under his hands.
"Clint, think about sitting watch in a forest, not for a target, just establishing a baseline for the local sound environment," Phil murmured. With no more hint than that, JARVIS brought up an ambient recording with a barely audible whisper of leaves and birdsong. Clint sighed and settled a little deeper into the cushions. Phil pressed an attentive thumb into Clint's forearm and felt the muscles soften slightly.
"Ah," Bruce said on a happier note. "That worked." He tugged a bottle of oil from his pants pocket.
* * *
Notes:
A massage table is a great tool if you do a lot of bodywork. If you're going to splurge on anything, get the extra padding and extra weight allotment; and remember that the difference between a $100 table and a $400 table is about twenty minutes of setup time. It's not an accident that one of the few things Bruce has willingly spent money on is something that benefits not just him but other people. Still, some folks aren't comfortable giving or receiving bodywork on a table, for various reasons. Exercise mats or floor cushions do fine, and some people like to work on a bed or couch. There are tips for doing basic bodywork on the floor.
Clint is asexual. As an entertainment trope, this is often handled awkwardly or ignored. Clint has a high degree of skin hunger, but his sexual orientation and profession make it hard to fulfill. He also has some tactile defensiveness about genital contact and certain other kinds of touching or proximity. So it's a delicate balance to meet those needs safely.
Tantra is a Hindu practice commonly associated with love, intimacy, and sex. Some of its techniques aim to delay or even avoid orgasm. Some people are turned on more by friction, others more by intimacy. Even sexual people may discover that there is something else they enjoy more than sex. All of that is okay.
Trust is a crucial issue in bodywork. This is especially true for survivors of abuse or other betrayals of trust. It's important to respect each other's boundaries. With the Avengers, everyone has trust issues -- and some have trouble not just with trusting other people but with considering themselves trustworthy.
In sports, a spotter is someone who stands by to assist if needed so nobody gets hurt. An emotional spotter does the same for personal issues.
Some people have trouble relaxing. There are simple steps for relaxation. Different techniques may work for different people. Guided meditation is popular.
[To be continued in Part 3 ...]
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. Skip to Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8.
"Touching Moments" Part 2 of 8
"Good enough," Bruce said as he sat down. He lifted a hand to Clint's back, slowly and carefully, letting the other man track the motion. "Hmm ... you were drawing the bowstring with your left hand today?" Clint nodded. "I can feel it. There's a diagonal line pulling through your back muscles. Something about the harness must have twisted you out of alignment. That can't be good for your aim either."
Clint held still while the fingers crept back and forth. "Okay, ow," he said, flinching away when Bruce's hand reached his left shoulderblade.
"Between the edge of the bone and your spine?" Bruce asked.
"Yeah, there's a knot there or something," Clint admitted.
"Thought that might happen, the way the straps laid," said Bruce. He moved his thumb very precisely, tracing something that he could apparently feel but Phil could not see. "Wow, this tendon is not happy with whatever you did on the range. I could pluck it like a guitar string."
"I'm not happy either," Clint said. Bruce touched a different spot, closer to the shoulderblade, and Clint flinched even harder. "Ow! Take your complaints to Tony. He's the one wanting feedback on the gear."
"We will," Phil said. He'd make sure Tony got the notes whether Clint and Bruce remembered or not. He had complete confidence in Tony's ability to fix whatever crimp or imbalance had caused the problem. Phil also took extra care with Clint's safety because, unlike some of the other team members, Clint didn't have any resistance to injury or quick healing.
"I've got a massage table in my quarters if you want to come up," Bruce said. He flattened his hand against Clint's back.
"Uh, that's a no," Clint said, his cheeks pinking. "I don't really mix well with massage tables. Unpleasant associations. Came up during a mission but it's not job-related at the heart of it."
"Geisha-ninjas working out of a massage parlor," Phil clarified, "and doing nobody's professional reputation any good whatsoever."
"I like the skin contact, a lot, but I need it to be ... safe," Clint said. "I don't like sex. I don't get attracted to people that way. I don't want anyone touching my junk."
"That's all right, Clint," said Bruce. "I get that you're asexual. I don't have a really strong sex drive myself, and the Hulk just makes everything ... kind of weird. Betty and I have fooled around some, but we discovered that we actually, um, get more bang for our buck with Tantra. You don't have anything to worry about from me."
Clint twisted around to look at Bruce. "Don't get me wrong, you're okay, I totally trust you not to manhandle me. If you think you can fix my back, go for it. Just, not on a table, because that was not fun."
"No problem," Bruce said smoothly. "I can work anywhere. Floor okay for you, if we throw down some cushions?" Phil wasn't surprised that Bruce had focused so much on portable techniques he could use without a need for specialized tools or supplies.
"Yeah, sure," said Clint.
"Phil, would you spot for us? Just in case we step on another land mine walking down memory lane?" Bruce asked. "Edgy as Clint feels right now, I think he'll have an easier time relaxing with you there."
"Of course," Phil said at once, "whatever you need." He'd tried getting Clint to work this out with one of the physical therapists at SHIELD who also did massage therapy and had, by all reports, quite good hands. That turned into an argument over the importance of a massage table in professional treatment. Clint came out tenser than he went in. Phil silently concluded that he should have vetted the therapist's head as well as hands, and that it wasn't worth pushing for something that would probably never recur in Clint's line of work. If Clint was willing to try again with Bruce, that was a definite improvement. Phil would do whatever he could to encourage them.
Bruce appropriated a few floor cushions from the common room and towels from the bath, then led everyone to a spare room. "This should do. We can lock the door and not tie up the really public space," he said.
"JARVIS, if anyone comes looking for us, let them know we're busy unless it's an emergency," Phil said as he closed the door behind them. The lock clicked and flashed amber.
Bruce expertly flipped the cushions into position and draped a towel over them. "Okay, this will work better with your clothes off, but you don't have to --"
Clint's clothes hit the floor before Bruce even finished speaking. He stretched belly-down on the cushions, pillowing his head on his forearms. "I'm good with it," he said.
"Spies can't afford to be too body-conscious," Phil said to Bruce. He settled onto the floor cross-legged near Clint's head, resting a hand on the closest forearm to help him stay present in the here-and-now. The muscles remained firm underhand, even though he could tell that Clint was trying to go along with this project.
Bruce knelt gracefully beside Clint, placing one hand over the nape of his neck and the other at the base of his spine. Clint shivered. "Relax," Bruce said, his voice low and coaxing.
"I'm trying," Clint said. "I just really don't like people right behind me. It's not like a switch I can flip off and on."
"We'll get there," Bruce said. "Look, you're not afraid of me in combat, are you? Even when I'm big and green?"
"Of course not," Clint said instantly.
"Okay, so hold onto that awareness. Let me have your back. I promise I'll take good care of it," Bruce said.
"I'll try," Clint said.
"Imagine a place you find safe and peaceful," Bruce said. "Let yourself drift a little. We can take all the time we need for this." A wrinkle formed between his eyebrows, as if he wasn't satisfied with what he felt under his hands.
"Clint, think about sitting watch in a forest, not for a target, just establishing a baseline for the local sound environment," Phil murmured. With no more hint than that, JARVIS brought up an ambient recording with a barely audible whisper of leaves and birdsong. Clint sighed and settled a little deeper into the cushions. Phil pressed an attentive thumb into Clint's forearm and felt the muscles soften slightly.
"Ah," Bruce said on a happier note. "That worked." He tugged a bottle of oil from his pants pocket.
* * *
Notes:
A massage table is a great tool if you do a lot of bodywork. If you're going to splurge on anything, get the extra padding and extra weight allotment; and remember that the difference between a $100 table and a $400 table is about twenty minutes of setup time. It's not an accident that one of the few things Bruce has willingly spent money on is something that benefits not just him but other people. Still, some folks aren't comfortable giving or receiving bodywork on a table, for various reasons. Exercise mats or floor cushions do fine, and some people like to work on a bed or couch. There are tips for doing basic bodywork on the floor.
Clint is asexual. As an entertainment trope, this is often handled awkwardly or ignored. Clint has a high degree of skin hunger, but his sexual orientation and profession make it hard to fulfill. He also has some tactile defensiveness about genital contact and certain other kinds of touching or proximity. So it's a delicate balance to meet those needs safely.
Tantra is a Hindu practice commonly associated with love, intimacy, and sex. Some of its techniques aim to delay or even avoid orgasm. Some people are turned on more by friction, others more by intimacy. Even sexual people may discover that there is something else they enjoy more than sex. All of that is okay.
Trust is a crucial issue in bodywork. This is especially true for survivors of abuse or other betrayals of trust. It's important to respect each other's boundaries. With the Avengers, everyone has trust issues -- and some have trouble not just with trusting other people but with considering themselves trustworthy.
In sports, a spotter is someone who stands by to assist if needed so nobody gets hurt. An emotional spotter does the same for personal issues.
Some people have trouble relaxing. There are simple steps for relaxation. Different techniques may work for different people. Guided meditation is popular.
[To be continued in Part 3 ...]
no subject
Yes...
That's true for most of the Avengers, really.
>> it's definitely going to take a while for him to trust even though he's trying.<<
Sooth. This activity helps, though, and it's building on groundwork laid in previous ones.
>>lovely update. can't wait for more.<<
Thank you!