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It seemed that hobbies such as reading books in a hunched over position, drawing at a desk, and smoking a bowl while lying in bed led to Connor’s bones making ungodly cracking sounds whenever he stretched. Usually, he was alone in his room when those noises occurred, so it never really struck him as something worth pointing out.
Until he met Miguel, who only ever cracked his knuckles, and was simultaneously disgusted and fascinated to hear Connor’s neck pop like a kernel in a microwave.
Connor’s sleep schedule had been extra fucked as of late, and so he spent more time in his muscle-atrophying positions, and therefore, his body was beyond sore. They were both stoned, sitting in Miguel’s bedroom, and Connor had innocently stretched his arms above his head and let all the tension release in his shoulders, twisting his spine from side to side…
“Was that your back?”
Connor’s lips twitched at the horrified expression on Miguel’s face. “Yeah, it was.”
“Jesus, that sounded like it hurt,” Miguel replied.
“It actually feels good,” Connor shrugged. “It hurts to not crack it.”
Miguel shook his head. “You need a chiropractor. Or at least a massage or something.”
It was Connor’s turn to pull a face. “Pass.”
“What’s wrong with a massage?”
“I don’t like people touching me,” Connor replied simply.
“You like when I touch you,” Miguel countered.
Though his boyfriend’s tone didn’t indicate an innuendo, the words still made Connor’s cheeks flush. “I mean I don’t like most people touching me,” he corrected. “Especially strangers.”
It was one of the main reasons Connor avoided the doctor, the dentist, the barber. Other than submitting to the mortifying ordeal of being known, a stranger also had to make awkward physical contact with him? No way. He would gladly suffer through an illness than let cold, clammy doctor hands poke and prod at him.
“I could give you a massage, if you want.”
Connor’s cheeks reddened. “You don’t have to,” he said.
“I know I don’t, but I offered because I want to…That is, if you’re okay with it.”
Well, Miguel was right: Connor didn’t mind when Miguel touched him. Quite the opposite, actually. And lately, the ache in his neck, shoulders, and back had settled deep, and his usual methods weren’t making it go away.
So, he shrugged. “Do you even know how?” he asked.
Miguel grinned. “How hard could it be?”
And so, Connor had shed his hoodie, leaving him in a faded All Time Low t-shirt. Miguel had seen him shirtless a few times before, but it still made his stomach do flips, and not in the cute kind of nervous way, but in the ‘so-anxious-I-might-puke’ way, so Miguel was more than willing to deal with a fabric barrier.
Connor sat cross-legged on the mattress, and Miguel settled right behind him, kneeling. He brought his hands up to rest gently on Connor’s shoulders. Although his instinct would normally be to flinch, the touch brought forth no reaction other than a small exhale through his nose.
“Where does it hurt?” Miguel asked.
Connor shrugged. “I can’t really pinpoint it, I’m just sore everywhere.”
Miguel gave a sympathetic hum. “So just tell me if it feels good then, okay?”
Connor nodded.
The initial press of thumbs into his muscles made Connor tense, but he quickly let himself relax. It did feel good, and he rarely allowed himself to be taken care of in such a way.
Miguel took Connor’s comfortable silence as encouragement, knowing his boyfriend always got quiet during intimate moments, whether it be from shyness or just being awkward, he wasn’t sure, but he’d learned to adapt to it.
After a bit, he moved from Connor’s shoulders and started on his upper back, and Connor all but melted.
“Good?” Miguel asked, smiling.
Connor nodded. “I thought you said you’d never done this before.”
“I did. I also said it couldn’t be that complicated. Clearly, I was right. Either that or you’re just easy to please.”
The long-haired teen gave a soft chuckle at that.
It was odd to see Connor so zen. He was normally high-strung and nervous, bouncing his legs or letting his gaze flitter around rooms. But as Miguel massaged, he felt the tension both literally and metaphorically leaving his boyfriend’s body.
It wasn’t until Miguel’s touch strayed to the back of Connor’s ribs that he seemed to squirm.
“You okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Connor replied, but Miguel could hear his tone change.
“Did I hurt you?” he asked, worried.
“No, I just…It’s stupid.”
Miguel’s hands returned to resting softly on Connor’s shoulders. “I doubt it’s stupid. If you don’t want me to touch you somewhere, you can tell me.”
Connor turned his head so that he could sort of see Miguel’s face, and Miguel was surprised to see the pink blush spread across Connor’s face.
“I’m just kind of ticklish,” Connor admitted. “So you gotta be careful.”
It was Miguel’s turn to melt. “Noted,” he said, fighting back his grin. He didn’t want to abuse the knowledge that Connor had given him and risk ruining the sweet moment, but it was tempting.
Instead of going back to Connor’s ribs, Miguel’s hands went to his neck.
“You’re always cracking your neck and it’s so goddamn loud,” Miguel said. “Maybe I can help.”
Connor’s shoulders scrunched. “There too,” he muttered, obviously meaning it tickled, but the way he avoided admitting his sensitivity another time was too cute for Miguel to handle.
“Just relax,” Miguel said, petting his hair. “If it’s too much, I’ll stop, but I bet it’ll feel good.”
His touch started out rough, trying to throw Connor’s nerves off and stop blocking his touch, and it worked. Connor let out a low whine when Miguel at the knob of his spine, slowly working up the back of his neck.
It did feel good, even if he had to fight back the occasional nervous giggle when the touch lightened.
“Told you,” Miguel said.
Connor gave a huff in response, too blissed out to reply.
But when Miguel went to touch the side of his neck, Connor let out a surprised laugh and folded forward.
“Kind of ticklish?” Miguel repeated, grinning.
Connor was bright red by that point, turning around with a pout like a pissed off toddler. “Okay, maybe more than ‘kind of’. I feel better now, though.”
“Good,” Miguel said. He reached out to grab Connor around the middle and pull him back, pressing an obnoxious kiss to the side of his face. “But I’m not gonna let you get away that easily.”
His fingers quickly danced over Connor’s sides, and it wasn’t long until he was laughing, in that loud and bright way that Miguel so rarely heard.
“Are you sure you don’t need a massage here, too?” Miguel asked, teasing tone dripping from his words.
“I’m sure!” Connor replied, wriggling in his boyfriend’s arms.
Miguel had sort of been expecting to be shoved away, or at least for Connor to tell him to knock it off, but…Nothing. Huh.
That was an experiment for another day.
In that moment, he was just content to have Connor’s trust, to be affectionate with him and watch him relax, like he