Work Text:
She didn’t have an intense job like her boyfriend. She wasn’t on her feet all day. She wasn’t running into combat and dodging bullets. She sat in a dull office cubicle that was decorated with pictures of her and Jack. The most activity she’d get was walking to get lunch on her break. And half the time, she packed her lunch, cutting the walk almost entirely.
So while Jack groaned with sore muscles, she stayed quiet about the aches she had. She knew what her doctor boyfriend would say. That she needed to get some activity into her day. He’d offer to go to the gym with her, but she… hated the idea of that. Hated the idea of looking stupid in front of him while running on a treadmill or trying to use a machine she didn’t know how to use. Plus, after a soul-sucking day of work, all she wanted to do was go home and chill. Read. Turn on a movie. If Jack had the rare night off, she’d hold onto him all night. She only had so many hours in a day that could be taken for herself, and she wasn’t enticed by the idea of working herself to the bone like Jack.
But that didn’t mean the aches didn’t exist. She often found herself pressing into her lower back and wincing. Her pelvis cramped and felt like a month-long period sometimes. Anytime she’d try to relax and fall asleep without Jack’s presence there to distract her, she’d end up lying awake. The sensation of her aching back against the mattress was annoyingly dull. No matter how much she stretched out, it was like her body was wound up tight.
Even Jack noticed it now and again. He’d climb into bed on a Saturday off and wrap his arms around her as she laid down. Her shoulders against his chest. He couldn’t help but notice the way they were hitched up so high. So he’d let his hands fall on them and dig his thumbs into her scapula, rubbing in deep, slow circles. She’d groan, and as he moved lower down the musculature of her back, she’d start to get more vocal. Not your standard ‘oooo that’s nice’. But a-
“Ah. Fuck. Ow.”
“Right there. And there-” He’d press his thumb into the spread of muscles across her mid back, “Jeez, sweetheart, you’re so tight.”
She braced as he massaged her back. His flat palm wrapped around her sides. “Heard that one before.” She joked.
He rolled his eyes. “Yeah. Yeah. Just lemme take care of you.”
“Heard that one too.”
He gave in to laugh at that one and pressed his forehead against her shoulder.
“You are so…”
“Amazing? Stunning? Hilarious?”
He pressed a kiss to the top of her shoulder, “Yes.”
And then they got much too distracted, loosening her muscles in another way.
One day, she had had enough. She was cranky and grouchy from a lack of sleep. Jack was out doing a SWAT shift, so she had the house to herself. She looked up ‘yoga for beginners’ on the living room TV and pushed the coffee table up against the couch.
The video started, and she sat on the floor with a skeptical brow as light piano music played.
“Welcome to a quick fifteen-minute yoga to brighten your day and stretch your muscles. Let’s start with some neck circles.”
She followed along, moving her head. Even just doing this, she worried about doing it wrong.
“Now lets take our hips wide, if you can, and walk our hands down.”
She got on her knees and widened her legs apart. She stretched forward one hand at a time. Her eyes closed as she took a deep breath. Each vertebrae felt stretched, finally popping some space between them.
“Let’s get into a table position-”
What the fuck was that? She looked up and saw that the instructor was simply on her hands and knees. She adjusted and followed the movements on screen to interchange between ‘cat’ and ‘cow.’ She felt a little awkward, but she wanted to see it through.
“Shake it out. Now let’s walk the hands forward again for poppy pose. Melt your forehead down to the mat. Some gentle engagement for the core.”
She was back on her knees. Her arms stretched over her head, and her back arched down. This stretch didn’t feel as good as the others, but she still closed her eyes, getting lost in the sensation of her back loosening. She took a deep breath. Inhale… annnnnddd….. Large exhale….
“Sweetheart, you gotta straighten your back-”
She shrieked and rolled over onto her side helplessly. Her eyes widened at the sight of Jack standing at the doorway with his duffel over his shoulder. She had gotten so invested in the session that she failed to notice the sound of the front door. Jack’s footsteps were usually so heavy that she could hear them from the bedroom, but of course, today she hadn’t heard them. So now he stood in his fitting black T-shirt and camo pants that made her absolutely feral… and she was sprawled on the floor in bike shorts and a pajama tank top. Not even a sports bra or yoga pants.
Jack started to chuckle and rub his chin. “What? What’s going on?”
“You startled me!”
“I’m sorry, sweetheart. I thought you heard me.” He slowly stepped closer, “You’re doing yoga.”
She pushed her palms out to somehow shield herself from his view.
“Don’t. Don’t look at me.”
He put his hands up in innocence, “You could’ve asked me for help. I used to do yoga, you know?”
She reached for the remote and paused the video.
“You did yoga?”
His head bobbed a bit with pursed lips before he let out a,
“Yeah. Getting myself to move after the leg was difficult.” He explained, “My therapist recommended yoga, and I tried it and liked it. I don’t do it as much anymore, but there was a point where I did it every morning.”
She nodded. That made sense. When she thought of Jack being active, it was usually with weightlifting or being on his feet all day… or casually getting shot at while helping SWAT. But he had to get to that point by starting somewhere.
He crossed his arms, “Get back in that position.”
Her cheeks blushed a bit, and she hesitantly started to get on her knees again.
“Don’t make fun of me.”
He walked over and kneeled next to her.
“Wouldn’t dream of it, sweetheart.” He said, then observed the hardwood floor, “I’ll get you a mat. I’ll dig for my old one later.”
That made her blush even harder. Part of her wanted to protest. That they should wait and see if yoga is something that sticks to her routine. But the idea of Jack buying her a cute little yoga mat felt really nice.
Once again, she leaned forward and put her forehead close to the floor. Her arms stretched above her head. This time, she felt Jack’s wide palm against her lower back, his other going under her stomach. He straightened out the arch in her back to be an even straight line.
“Don’t arch, baby. You’re gonna hurt yourself.” He murmured, “Deep breath.”
She deeply inhaled and noticed that Jack did it with her. On her exhale, she made sure to vocalize it a little more. She couldn’t help the small giggle that came out.
“Never heard you complain about my arch before.”
“That’s very different.” He mumbled, making her laugh. “What’s hurting today?”
She sighed, rolling out of the position, “Lower back.”
He padded his fingers along the left side of her lower back, and she grimaced. Even though it hurt, part of her liked the fact that he felt free to touch her. He could really touch and grab wherever he wanted, however he wanted. Though in these circumstances, he was near clinical. Old habits.
“On your back.” He said
“Yes, sir.”
He rolled his eyes as she giggled, but obediently lay fully back on the floor.
“You love to cause trouble when I’m trying to help.”
“But it’s right there. I can’t just let the joke go to waste.”
He took her right leg, “Let’s get your right leg up and cross it over your left.”
Nodding, she shifted her leg over her left. His hand suddenly landed on her right side. His callouses could be felt on the skin of her stomach, under her tank top.
“Ah ah ah-” He tutted, “Keep that back on the ground. It’s a supine twist.”
She inhaled a deep breath. The stretch intense. It felt like her sides were opening up and her muscles were spreading apart– in a good way.
“If it’s too much, let your other knee fall… There you go. Better?”
She nodded with relaxed, closed eyes. Her breathing was starting to naturally deepen. With her eyes shut, she didn’t see the small smile on his face. The look of absolute admiration in his eyes. The truth was, Jack liked seeing his girl relaxed. He wasn’t oblivious to the fact that she had consistent aches and pains. And he liked seeing her take initiative in fixing it.
Plus, seeing her in a little tank top and bike shorts had him mesmerized.
After a few deep breaths, he rubbed his hand up and down her twisted leg.
“Alright, other side.”
He let go to let her find the position herself and nodded proudly when she did it with proper form.
“Atta girl. Bet that feels so good.”
She hummed, “Mmm… how am I supposed to go back to videos when doing it with you is so much hotter?”
He chuckled at that. “We can do this together more often. I’ll join you next time. Stretch out my bones.”
He leaned down and kissed her forehead. A small content smile brightened her face as she felt more relaxed than she had in a very long time.
Within the next few weeks, Jack had gotten her a pink yoga mat. One of the nice ones that don’t disintegrate under wear and tear. He had dusted off his old grey one and started doing yoga with her on his days off. Sometimes she’d even wake up to him stretching before sliding into bed post night shift.
After showing consistency, he surprised her with some clothes that were actually meant for yoga. Athletic leggings and low-rise yoga pants. Matching sports bras. It was equally as much of a present for him as it was for her, as he quickly found out that he loved seeing her in them. He didn’t use to understand her fixation on his uniform and why specific clothes got her going… until he saw her casually in the kitchen wearing the form-fitting leggings that held up her ass and the little matching top.
After he’d get back from work, her eyes would blink heavily as she’d see the outline of Jack’s figure against the balcony window. The orange sunrise made him nothing but a silhouette. And after a little bit of just watching, she’d start to groan.
“Jack… Go to sleep.”
He’d let out a final exhale before climbing into bed.
“You know… some people do naked yoga.” He mumbled into her ear, half asleep himself.
“Sex?”
“No.” He chuckled against her hair, “Just yoga, but you’re also nude.”
She huffed out a dazed laugh, having just woken up.
“I think I’d prefer my yoga clothed.”
“Boo.” He kissed the spot under her ear, “'Cause I’d like to see you try it.”
His eyes fluttered shut. The heaviness of his body started to take over as he draped over her back like the shell of a tortoise.
“Mmm…” She also started to succumb to sleep, “Maybe if it led to something else.”
“Oh, you know it would.”
And as seductive as their words were, there was nothing more sexy than them both falling asleep, pain-free in each other’s arms. Totally and utterly relaxed thanks to their latest routine.