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 Posted: Fri Feb 26, 2021 7:10 pm
The coffee made Jace moan. The noise he released when Holden’s fingers went to his temple was something like that, but softer, and far more intimate. “Oh,” he said, little more than a whisper, “Whatever you want, Holden. I trust you.”
It was hard to say no after he was doing--whatever he was doing--right now.
Jace had accepted the utensils but had only made it a few bites in when Holden had really gotten into his hair. The fork nearly toppled from his fingers and he had to set it down. He drew his hand back and found it far too easy to settle on the bird at his hip.
“Maybe I did have it a little too tight,” he relented, but wow, he couldn’t remember his hair coming down and feeling so good before, ever. “--What are you doing? You have to teach me. That feels better than--” than what? Than Q’s acupuncture needle? Better than the warm burn of something just spicy enough to get you going? Better than coffee in the morning?
A slew of legal terms assaulted his brain and left him with all of two brain cells left, so the only thing he could finish with was another soft, breathy sigh of contentment as he slumped back just a bit, closer to Holden, as he dug his fingers into the soft little bird, petting its plush pelt.
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Posted: Fri Feb 26, 2021 7:19 pm
Holden gave a soft, delighted laugh. “You… need to get your hair done somewhere very nice sometime, it’s indulgent to let someone else do this… its just a light scalp massage.” He bit his lip, so tempted to lean and peck a kiss to the curve of Jace’s neck. SO… so tempted. Especially when Jace leaned back against him, so….warm, and trusting, He spread his fingers working them in a gentle rub across scalp. “Sometime… I will wash your hair and do this, but… in the name of getting you fed, I will offer to do more of this, after you eat.” “You can lay back on my lap….and I’ll massage your whole head, I’d say you deserve some pampering. We can put something on as background noise, and it will be like a spa day, but just for you. I He curled his fingers and gave a very gently tug, because as he at least knew from Q, the scalp was rife with acupressure points, and simple things like this could trigger them. He wasn’t a professional by a long shot, but he’d read quite a lot of books that suggested this too. “And shoulders… I could rub your shoulders too if you want.” He leaned his head forward to rest against Jace, finding that relaxing too, or at least, distracting from that -sound- he made, the one he was very much wanting to play on repeat, or to draw out again.
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Posted: Fri Feb 26, 2021 7:37 pm
Jace didn’t think he could trust someone else to touch his hair; it was too personal. He’d always felt uncomfortable going to salons to get his hair cut--being made to close his eyes and lean back, to willingly give himself over to strangers and just trust them.
With Holden, it was different.
He had goosebumps covering his skin from the sensations, and when he was told to eat...
“No, I want this,” he said, not quite a protest and not quite a plea.
...But Holden hadn’t eaten yet, and Jace didn’t want to inconvenience him. It was hard to think about anything but his fingers in his hair, the way he pulled on it, so lightly.
“...But, I suppose it doesn’t seem fair for me to make you work when I’ve dropped in. You’re probably hungry too. Don’t let me keep you from your food, Holden,” he insisted, and thought, maybe, he could handle a few minutes without Holden’s touch. He didn’t want to come across as too desperate, anyway.
...No, actually. He didn’t really care right now.
He was just glad he was here.
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Posted: Fri Feb 26, 2021 7:44 pm
“I am very comfortable and I have eaten this cold before.” He said with a smile in his voice. “Mostly because I forget, and that’s why I am not allowed to bring projects to the kitchen.” He laughed softly and massaged his fingers across Jace’s temples again, working down to rub thumbs against the likely knots in the top of his neck. “But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try it warm. Unless you’d like this a while longer? I can always ask Brother to heat it back up, I just don’t want you to go to sleep hungry either.” He added worriedly. “But I don’t mind this at all…” How could he? How could he ever mind? He wanted to keep doing this, but he also wanted to just, wrap his arms around Jace’s waist and bury his face in his neck and… Well, he just…wanted more hands, for so many reasons. “Maybe I’ll just have to be the one who washes your hair some time, warm water, all that clean feeling. And then I don’t have to let anyone else touch your pretty hair.”
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Posted: Fri Feb 26, 2021 8:12 pm
”I had a few bites,” Jace protested, but even that was hard between the temple massage, the thumbs at his neck, all of this.
“I can eat it cold,” he decided, because if Holden said that was okay, that was completely okay. He could wake up in the middle of the night and eat it if that was alright--he’d eat it tomorrow morning, even, if he could get away with it.
With Holden’s permission on the matter, he leaned back against him, wondering when Holden got so warm. Or was he just cold? He felt numb, like he’d been on autopilot for so long and just being in here was slowly bringing him back to life.
Looking around, it was like he could see color again for the first time, feel human for the first time. He didn’t want to lose that and seemed like he was trying to melt into Holden’s touches. He shifted to hold the bird in his lap, arms wrapped loosely around it as his thumb continued to stroke over the soft fabric.
“Whatever you’re doing to my hair, where did you learn to do that?” He was used to Holden’s good hugs, or the way he seemed to expertly hold hands, but this? This was a whole new tier, how long had he been missing out on this?
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Posted: Fri Feb 26, 2021 8:19 pm
“Eh? I’m honestly just improvising.” Holden admitted. “I read a lot, and they write things like this… so I thought it must feel good because they write it in so many ways and situations.” So many situations… he was never going to be able to stop blushing if he didn’t stop imagining some of them. “Here… Let me try your shoulders okay? Tell me if it hurts though?” He added. He gently smoothed his hands down, drawing them over the curve of Jace’s neck, feeling the handsome way it was shaped and sliding out over his shoulders to rub there, a gentler machination than he did for his Brother when he got a knot, but somehow… it was just more… It was just different to touch Jace like this. His hands faltered and he slid them back up into Jace’s hair, breathing in the scent of his shampoo, his cologne. “You smell nice.” He murmured before he realized he was saying it aloud.
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Posted: Sat Feb 27, 2021 6:50 am
Jace melted under his touch; his eyes closed and he let out a soft sigh. “For a hundred and eighty dollars, I’d better smell nice,” he hummed. He rolled his neck a bit and shifted positions to lean forward just slightly, leaving his back and neck completely exposed to Holden. He couldn't remember someone touching him like this, or feeling good.
He didn’t like people in his blind spot, but Holden didn’t give him the same uncertain, tingling sensation, like there was some threat he needed to watch out for.
Instead, he felt safe, and it was hard not to just throw himself over Holden’s laugh and tell him to touch everything.
He was too tired to even be embarrassed of the implications, but he could swear, for the briefest moment, he smelled marshmallows.
“I don’t think you could hurt me, Holden. You’re seriously improvising? ...I was almost jealous that you’d been practicing on someone else.”
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Posted: Sat Feb 27, 2021 7:20 am
“Unless you count a much more aggressive version of this on my Brother? No, I don’t make a habit of giving people scalp and shoulder massages.” He said with a delighted smile. He ran his hands down the exposed back, feeling a little like someone who was privileged to not just be shown a cat’s fluffy tummy, but to be able to touch it as well. Only it was..muscles and bone and… so very not his Brother. “I should… look into some kind of massage oil if you like this.” He said hesitantly. He imagined something that could warm, like a tiger balm that spread more easily so he could let that soak into the deepest tensions. “Tell me if anything feels… better than anything else.” He added thoughtfully. “Or if anywhere feels like it needs a little more attention, okay?”
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Posted: Sat Feb 27, 2021 8:24 pm
The idea of there being an aggressive version of this just blew Jace’s mind, because this was the absolute gentlest, kindest way anyone had touched him, ever.
Even as tired as he was, he felt a smug satisfaction at the idea that he’d elicited some sort of special treatment from Holden, who didn’t make a habit of doing things like this for people.
“Your hands on my neck,” he said after a few seconds. “Whatever you keep doing there. I can’t tell if it’s putting me to sleep, or if it’s what’s keeping me awake.” It felt so good that he didn’t want to sleep through it. He wanted to sear the sensation into his mind so he could replay this in his head any time he was feeling stressed, just to know that something as wonderful as this existing in the world
Briefly, the idea of Holden’s hands, and massage oil, sent a shiver down his spine, but the unpleasant image of Callan, lathered up for a photo shoot or something, chased away whatever private, intimate thoughts might have otherwise manifested.
“I wish I’d had you behind my desk while I was studying last week. I’m not sure if I’ll ever work out those kinks now, but if I’d had your hands on me back then…”
...He wouldn’t have been able to focus on anything but those hands, who was he kidding?
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Posted: Sat Feb 27, 2021 8:37 pm
“Wellllll…. how soon are you needed home? We could totally make up for the week you didn’t have me behind you?” He offered. He hoped that wasn’t a bad shiver… but it was hard to be sure honestly. “At least here, no one else gets to judge how well I’m doing this, just you.” He murmured and nuzzled just a little against Jace’s shoulder even as he massaged shoulders. Working thumbs into tense muscles and tense sections of back and shoulder. “You should try and take a few more bites of food though!” He added suddenly remembering that was important and often forgotten too. “If I’m not jostling you too much, I’ll accept alternating mouthfuls of food…if that will make you feel better about eating while I do that?” He’d like to take a bite alright, a nibble of shoulder…. or neck… both of those sounded more appetizing than anything else. He told himself very quietly to ‘be good’ and wished that was actually helping. Still… If Jace relaxed, if he got good food and sleep… ah… that would be wonderful.
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Posted: Sun Feb 28, 2021 8:17 am
Jace nearly groaned, exasperated with the idea of having to move. Still, if it meant Holden would keep doing it…
“Alright,” he finally agreed, and reached for the food. He dug his fork in and took a bite for himself. As he chewed, he got another forkful ready and held it over his shoulder, as if inviting Holden to eat it. It wasn’t like they hadn’t shared food before, and with siblings, he was used to food thieves enough that it didn’t bother him. Holden was important enough to him, he wasn’t just any friend, so what did it matter if they shared forks? He was too tired to reach for the other one, anyway.
“Mom doesn’t expect me back until tomorrow,” he admitted. “Check out at the hotel’s at eleven, and after that, she couldn’t blame me for getting lunch before hitting the road. A three hour drive, factor in traffic, maybe I have to stop for gas,” his voice trailed off.
“I mean, I could probably get home at four tomorrow? I should text Xander,” he admitted, a shadow of guilt across his face. “I think he texted me to ask how it went but I…”
His lips pursed. “...I don’t even remember if I texted him back.”
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Posted: Sun Feb 28, 2021 10:35 am
Holden leaned forward and took the offered mouthful, swallowing it perhaps a little faster than he might otherwise have so he could offer to help in regards to notifying Xander. “If you grab my phone, I can voice to text him? That way it won’t maybe draw as much attention as a text from you?” Plus, then he could report that he had kidnapped Jace and would not return him till tomorrow, which pleased him very much. “But I’m sure he understands too, you were studying so hard, I am amazed you had room in that brilliant brain to remember the drive here!” He slid his hands up again to massage his scalp again before drifting back to shoulders. “I can… massage your lower back too… if you want?” He bet it hurt from all the driving, he bet a lot of things did.
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Posted: Mon Mar 01, 2021 6:50 am
Thoughts of texting Xander were fleeting and hard to focus on; he’d nodded to Holden and even reached blindly for his phone despite not having any idea of where it was, before promptly giving up. “You can massage anywhere,” he said tiredly, nearly even wantonly.
He missed the implication and was taking another steadfast bite of food, already preparing a second one for Holden before he spoke again.
Holden’s compliments were sweet and appreciated, but he wasn’t sure he remembered the drive here at all. Still, he wanted to keep the compliment, so he kept the rest to himself. He was pliant under Holden’s touch and clearly desperate for it; he moved to meet everywhere his fingers touched.
“He’s a good brother. He’s so annoying. But he’s a good brother. I feel like I haven’t seen him in months. Is that what happens when you get a boyfriend? --Has your brother ever dated anyone?” he asked, holding out the food for him. “What are you even supposed to do about that?”
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Posted: Mon Mar 01, 2021 8:33 am
He gave a soft laugh. Xander would get an update…eventually. He’d make sure that Jace'sannoying’ adopted Brother was aware he was safe after he took care of Jace himself. He started kneading his way down along the length of Jace’s spine. “Hmmm… Well… rather than addressing the idea of my Brother Dating, because I will absolutely threaten to break the kneecaps of anyone who hurts him because he’s the best big brother anyone could ask for… but…” He massaged the small of Jace’s back thoughtful, so many thoughts… “Ah… I sorry I lost… my train of thought for a moment. I suspect between him starting dating, and…you studying that’s a good part of not seeing each other.” He leaned forward and took the new mouthful of food and thought about what he could say next. “I suppose you could always… find, someone to…date.” He hated himself for saying it, Jace might like… girls… or he might like NO one, both of which were absolutely fine but… gosh.
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Posted: Tue Mar 02, 2021 7:19 am
For as relaxed as he felt, Jace couldn’t quite figure out why his heart was pounding so much. It wasn’t uncomfortable, he might even admit that he liked it a bit.
Holden was small and looked harmless enough, but the idea of him mercilessly breaking kneecaps to spare his brother of heartbreak almost made him laugh. Jace could imagine it a little too easily--only, the image shifted from busting kneecaps to a fluffy little bird pecking at them relentlessly, swooping and chirping angrily as it assaulted them.
The fork lowered for a second as he just enjoyed the sensations; he had to force himself to get another bite for himself. He didn’t realize his face was burning red at the idea of him dating anyone, and he wondered if that was a byproduct of the coffee or the sleeplessness, but he was happy Holden was to his back so he didn’t have to explain the sudden heat to his face.
“I shouldn’t try to meet anyone new,” he suggested quickly. “That would mean I had less time to spend with you. And him,” he added quickly. “And everyone else. Don’t you think?”
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