Series/Sequel: This is an interlude in my untitled Tyr/Harper series and takes place sometime after Stimulating, but before the events of Scrambling.

 Summary: There is absolutely no plot in this. It's all PWP. Harper gets sore, gets a shower, and then gets laid.

 Notes: Not beta read. Written pretty fast. This is a little more sappy and fluffy than my usual stuff (sorry). But what can I say, springtime makes me all soft and fuzzy.
 

* * *

 Crap. Ouch. Pain. Damn. Shit. Ow.

 His muscles were cramping, his shoulder was screaming, and he was damn glad that as he weaved his way down the corridor, nobody passed him. Crap. Why did these halls have to be so damn long?

 The lights were too bright. They made his head pound harder.

 Finally, he got to his cool, dark room, where no one would see him aching. A few steps to the bedroom, a few more to the shower. He shrugged off his shirt, wincing; kicked off his shoes, regretting the jolt of pain the movement sent through his body; and slowly unzipped his pants, stepping gingerly out of them.

 Naked. Good. Step into shower, one leg after another. Good. Hot water. Warm, wet, warm. Yeah. The spray pounded against his shoulder, soothing the kinks and aches. Perfect, gotta love this shower thing and the ship's abundant water supply.

 Getting Tyr to help improve his fighting skills was killing him.

 At least by now his body wasn't screaming after every session. Days like today though, when Tyr pulled new stuff on him and got a little more vicious, he just wanted to crawl into the bed and not move for a week. He forced himself to shower though, because the first time he'd come straight from a workout to flop into bed, he'd spent the following day stiff as hell.

 The hot water eased the pain a little, beating out the worst of the aches. He'd be moving slow tomorrow, but at least he'd be able to move.

 He leaned his forehead against the wall and just let the water beat across his shoulders and run down his back. Soothing. Mmm. Warm. Not warm enough. He adjusted the water to a hotter temperature, and let his eyes close against the steam. Good. That shoulder was going to hurt tomorrow, no matter how long he stood here. He shifted slightly so it caught more of the brunt of the spray, trying to deaden the inevitable.

 Shifting twinged at his hip, and he winced as he realised just how badly Tyr had wrenched it when kicking him to the ground. Ok. He really had to start requesting Tyr use mats when he going to go hardcore on his ass.

 He wanted to lie on hot sand and let the sun beat into his sore muscles. The sand's heat would soak into his skin too, soothing him. He could imagine it so clearly. Cloudless day. Empty stretch of flawless beach with dank forest behind him. The surf was a muffled crashing, a counterpoint to the occasional cries of birds hidden in the trees.

 The cloth behind his back was soft, and thin enough to let the afternoon heat of the sand through. The sand moulded to his body, cushioning his shoulder gently. The sun was warm, wringing cooling beads of sweat from his skin. He was warm, he was safe, he was content. Yeah. It was perfection.

 He stuck with his mental holiday until he felt loose enough to stop the water flow and step out of the shower and into the steamy room. He should try and convince Dylan that the Andromeda really needed a good old fashioned sauna for days like this.

 The fuzziness of the room matched the fuzziness in his head. Grabbing a towel, he gingerly dried himself off, careful not to move too fast or stretch too far. Dropping the towel, he dragged himself to his bed, glad that for once he'd cleared it of miscellaneous circuitry and tools earlier in the day.

 Soft bed, warm blankets, they were exactly what he needed. He curled onto the side with the less painful shoulder, sinking into the mattress. He didn't sleep immediately, instead dozing and drifting, thinking warm thoughts. He wondered if Tyr's incredible body heat might help sooth his aches, then half-smiled in self-ridicule at his fanciful thought.

 He smiled some more when, a few minutes later, he heard Tyr's distinctive footsteps enter the room. He didn't move. He was just too comfortable where he was. Instead, he sighed a little when a warm hand cupped his shoulder. He uncurled slightly a few moments later and let himself be pushed onto his stomach, wincing slightly at the pressure.

 "You should say when it gets this bad."

 He wanted to shrug, but he couldn't get up the energy.

 "Should you go to the medical bay?"

 And let Trance see him like this? Slowly he opened his mouth, managing a mumbled, "Nah."

 "You may have more extensive damage than you think."

 Too bad. He wasn't going to medical.

 Big hands pulled the blankets down to around his waist, and he stiffened, grunting out a protest. The air was too cool against his skin.

 Moments later, he sank back down into the mattress as Tyr's fingers probed his shoulder and upper arm. Yeah. Felt good. More. He managed a small sigh.

 He should have kept his sighs to himself, because those warm hands moved away from him. Damn.

 Oh. Ok. They were back. They were slick. Oooh, yeah, they were kneading his shoulder. Thumbs worked into hollows and then slowly rotated his shoulder joint. Fingers spread wide and applied heavy pressure, then backed off to slowly glide across his skin. More finger pressure, and then hard pressing with the base of Tyr's hands. It was good. Very good. It made him wonder if Tyr had ever done anything but be a mercenary for hire.

 Tyr Anasazi, Kodiak pride, personal masseur. At your service.

 The thought made him laugh lightly and he started to turn so he could make some smart ass comment. He stopped himself when his body protested and he realised that annoying Tyr now would mean an end to the massage.

 He was dazed, but he wasn't stupid.

 So, he lay there, enjoying the press and glide, relaxing and thinking that maybe his shoulder wouldn't hurt so much tomorrow after all.

 After a while, the movements stopped, which was disappointing but inevitable. Tyr's hands had to hurt after a while. Plus, it must be damn boring to watch him turn into a pile of goo. So, he was surprised when the blankets were pulled further down.

 "Does your hip hurt?"

 Hell yes. You made it hurt. "Mmmm."

 Hands moved to his side, sliding down and probing around his hip bone and upper thigh. Oh, that was nice. Really, really nice. Yeah. Tyr hurt it, he could fix it. Good deal. Maybe he could market that somewhere.

 Wow. He was pretty loopy.

 His hips, thighs and ass were now receiving the same treatment his shoulders had just experienced. If he wasn't so out of it, it would be arousing as hell.

 Ok. It *was* arousing as hell, even though he was out of it. Those hands, they were pulling out most of the aches, relaxing him, but oddly energising him at the same time. He wasn't about to start getting active here, but he felt more alert, less fuzzy.

 Tyr's hands moved away again, but before he had the chance to mourn their loss, he was being rolled slowly onto his back. Wherever the hell this was going, he was pretty sure he'd like it. He got even more certain when he realised that Tyr was naked.

 Maybe it was a Nietzschean faux pas to give a massage while fully dressed.

 Fingers were now ghosting across his hipbones, and moving down to the crease of his hip and thigh, and pressing deep. Oooh, this just got better and better. He looked up at Tyr and took in his look of concentration. Whoa. Nice image. That, and those fingers pressing and kneading made his cock stir, and he closed his eyes to prolong the moment.

 Mmm. Yeah. Nice. Warm. Good.

 Tyr moved his legs, stretching his muscles as he massaged, a strange kind of sensual physical therapy. Sighing, he realised that he could go for this more often. Hands occasionally brushed his cock, making him sigh some more and shift.

 The sporadic touches gradually got more frequent and deliberate, and he opened his eyes to grin up at Tyr. "Nice foreplay technique you have there."

 "Ensuring that muscles and tendons are not injured is not foreplay."

 Harper shook his head slightly. Tyr was always so contrary. "Then you have one hell of a bedside manner." He moved his arm, grasping Tyr's hand and bringing it to his cock. Happily, the Nietzschean didn't try to tease him, instead loosely wrapping his fingers around Harper and beginning a slow stroking and gentle squeezing. It was a nice contrast to the harder touches they both usually preferred.

 His hips tried to lazily meet Tyr's rhythm, but he winced at the twinge and a big hand moved to hold him down. "Relax. Enjoy."

 It was hard to ignore that kind of suggestion. Small shivers ran through him as Tyr's slick hand twisted and pumped, gliding over and around him. The hand on his hip squeezed gently occasionally, and Harper reached up to grasp Tyr's forearm, avoiding the sharp spikes.

 He could hear himself sighing and groaning, the sounds increasing when Tyr moved the hand on his hip to press lightly, then harder at the base of his cock. His back arched in pleasure, and he reached up to scratch lightly across Tyr's chest.

 Tyr's hand squeezed a little tighter, slowing its ascent. Harper groaned and felt his face scrunch tightly as the sensations overloaded and he came. Warmth pooled on his belly as Tyr slowed his hand and released him, again rubbing briefly at his sore hip.

 Aaah. Yeah. Warmth and lassitude spread through him and he licked his lips. He looked up as Tyr's face, almost impassive, but with a trace of self-satisfaction and hunger. He looked down. Oh. The guy must be hurting.

 He wouldn't be able to match that prelude and performance, but Tyr probably wasn't going to hold a grudge. He gestured vaguely, and Tyr slid down to the bed beside him. Grunting slightly, Harper pushed himself to his side, supporting his weight on his bad shoulder and arm. He reached out and traced a finger down Tyr's cock and then around the head. His hand wasn't covered in oil, but Tyr was leaking enough to provide decent friction.

 It was pretty flattering that the guy was so turned on before being touched much.

 He went for the same slow rhythm Tyr had established, partly because he was exhausted, and partly because he knew how good it felt. His shoulder started to give out on him, but that was ok, 'cause Tyr pulled him close and supported him, stroking his back. Plus, it meant he got warm skin under his lips and teeth.

 It was unhurried, Tyr's hips moving in slow counterpoint to his strokes. He liked the grunts coming from above him. Eventually, he increased the movement of his hand, and bit harder at the skin in front of him. It brought a deep noise, and slightly faster thrusts and then Tyr clenched him hard, climaxing in his hand and against his chest and belly.

 He had to be one hell of a mess, but he just couldn't get up the energy to do anything about it.

 Thankfully, Tyr pushed him onto his back, got up, returned and cleaned him up, and then got back into the bed with him.

 He was rolled onto his less sore side and Tyr's arm moved to lightly drape around him. That body heat felt damn good after all.

 "What was all that about, anyway?" He couldn't just appreciate it. No, his big mouth had to go and ask questions.

 Tyr sighed almost silently. "Good muscle conditioning requires proper post-exercise treatment. Over extending yourself means an appropriate cool-down."

 Cool down, huh?

 Nice.
 

End

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