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[hippie_ninja]

This is Jesus. Leave a message.

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[braveoff]

[ Jesus pulling out the tube earns him a raised eyebrow, even after he explains. ]

You thought ahead to bring that?

[ It's asked fondly, though, and Drake's smile has stopped wavering. He leans in again to bump their foreheads together affectionately, just for a moment... then pulls back and tips his head towards the bedroom. ]

I'm not gonna say no. What kind of tricks?

[hippie_ninja]

He reaches out, hand taking Drake's to tug him back and kiss him fondly before he lets him go. "I've had this plan...a while." But then the festival happened and he hadn't seen Drake.

[braveoff]

Drake's not about to say no to the kiss either, though it does make him even more curious what Jesus has in mind. Especially when he uses the word plan.

"You've had a plan?" He's still feeling raw and unsteady, but this turn of events is already lightening the mood a bit. "Come on, then. Only one way for me to find out, right?"

Back to the bedroom they go, and Drake pulls his shirt off on the way to the bed and sets it on the dresser. Then lies down on his stomach, folding his arms and resting his head on them to glance back at Jesus. Is this what he meant?

[hippie_ninja]

It is, and Jesus straddles his hips, careful not to rest his full weight on him. He just wants Drake relaxed; that's the extent of the plan so far.

"I took a massage class once," he explains, warming the lotion in his hands before he starts smoothing it over the muscles of Drake's back. "But, obviously, there wasn't much use for it. Now there is."

[braveoff]

"I don't know what you're talking about," Drake murmurs, closing his eyes and trying to preemptively convince his body to release some of the tension coiled in his shoulders. "There's always use for making somebody feel better. Didn't I tell you how I learned?"

[hippie_ninja]

"You know massage?" More lotion, more soothing strokes over Drake's muscles. "You never told me you know how. I would've remembered."

[braveoff]

"Mm, it doesn't come up much 'cuz it's not the sexy kind." He's only half-joking, but it'll make sense in a moment. "The original head of the Guard I wound up co-leading was a knight. I guess it's the kind of thing that got lost to time? But according to him, massage was an important part of taking care of your army during a war. Even just in tournaments, too, but then it would be the squires working out the knots before they could cause problems. Prevent actual injuries. Let them sleep better so they could fight again the next day. Anyway... he taught me a lot."

[hippie_ninja]

"Then I guarantee you know more than I do," but he works his way along Drake's spine, molds his thumbs along his scapulae. "But the kind I know isn't sexy, either."

[braveoff]

Drake hums noncommittally, because most of what Henry taught him was combat skill. They might be about even in terms of practical massage knowledge, he can't say just yet. "I figured you meant the relaxing kind. But there's definitely use for that."

[hippie_ninja]

"Well, I'm aiming for that," he admits; he isn't looking for knots right now. "But I learned on dancers. A lot of muscle tension in them."

[braveoff]

That seems like the kind of experience Jesus could have adapted before now if he'd wanted to, but Drake can also see why people in his world wouldn't have been comfortable with the idea of relaxing. Here, though?

"I still don't see why you'd say there's been no use til now... but I'm not complaining about being the now," he says, voice now a low rumble. Because it does feel good even if he's not actually relaxing yet.

[hippie_ninja]

"As long as you don't mind me being rusty," he says, leaning down to kiss just behind Drake's ear, before he sets about kneading at his back instead of simply rubbing.

The truth is he hasn't worried about anyone else relaxing as much as he does Drake, after Tumenalia.

[braveoff]

"I don't," Drake reassures him, smiling softly at the kiss. In a way it means more that Jesus thinks he's rusty but is willing to shake that off for him? Not that he believes it'd be an issue, being out of practice. All this kind of thing requires is paying attention to the other person... and that's not something he's ever seen Jesus have a problem with.

[hippie_ninja]

"How's the pressure? More?" He doesn't know if Drake will be honest with what he wants, or if he's just grateful to have this at all, but he's hoping.

[braveoff]

Jesus is probably catching on by now that Drake doesn't tend to make those kinds of requests. Not for himself, anyway. Not even with Jesus, who tends to offer more than Drake would have asked for in the first place. It's just something he has to warm up to with everyone and even though Jesus is making faster progress at it than most people, he still worries about burning through that kindness by asking for too much. By even accepting too much.

That's not something Jesus needs to be concerned with at the moment, though. This is simple. A physical thing that isn't putting any strain on him, so there's no reason Drake would hesitate to speak up. He gives another hum at the question, this one half pleased and half thoughtful, considering.

"Yeah, but... slowly?" There's weeks of stress to work out of his muscles, and he can feel them resisting Jesus' efforts. It doesn't hurt yet but he's pretty sure if the other man increases the pressure too quickly he won't be able to help tensing up worse. Luckily Jesus is patient by nature, so Drake doesn't mind asking.

[hippie_ninja]

"Slow," he echoes quietly, focusing on warming Drake's muscles for now. "I can do slow."

He can feel the places Drake is most tense and for now he just touches on them, smoothing his hands over them, getting Drake used to him. "Just breathe slow for me."

[braveoff]

Not for the first time since they've met, Drake finds himself struck by how good it feels to just... be casually touched with affection. It's been years since he was around anyone like Jesus, who would just reach out to him or kiss him or seek contact at all, without it necessarily having some deep emotional weight. Drake loved Ephemera like he'd never loved anyone before, and every touch meant something and that was amazing. But he'd forgotten (or bottled up so he didn't miss Lup too much) how much he loves this, having a friend draping over his shoulder or taking his hand or like right now, simply wanting to help him work out some tension with no strings attached.

"M'breathing," he assures Jesus, grinning, but does start paying attention to how he's breathing. Slowing it down and drawing it out, smooth and even. And just that does make a difference Jesus will be able to feel, his body yielding to the warmth and pressure of the other man's hands.

[hippie_ninja]

"There we go," he murmurs, soft, pleased the moment he feels Drake finally yield to him. He increases the pressure, just a little, slow as can be.

"Want me to stay over tonight?"

[braveoff]

"Yeah. I like you here." That was true even before, but now... it's so much better when Jesus stays. "Is Nibbles gonna be okay?"

[hippie_ninja]

"He should be but d'you mind if I bring him over, too?" Nibbles is a survivor, like V, like Jesus, but it's also winter and he's hairless and Jesus never knows if he's warm enough. He frets a little, but it feels good--strange, but good--to fret over something so small.

[braveoff]

"You totally should," Drake answers, already thinking about how to make the naked cat comfortable at his place. "I'll take Sable to the pet store and we can get him stuff for here?"

A box, litter, food... probably way too many treats and toys, because he knows himself...

[hippie_ninja]

Drake isn't the only one who is continually surprised about being wanted around to the point a living space would get modified to accommodate him.

"Yeah?" He's grinning. "He doesn't take much--he won't take up much room. And if he gets in the way..."

[braveoff]

...Jesus. Buddy. That actually has Drake twisting his head a little further, to give him a Look.

"He's like six pounds, what's he gonna do? I'll just make sure there's nothing breakable out he'd wanna knock over."

Since. You know. He's a cat. That's honestly the only thing Drake's at all worry about, and not even because he cares about the glassware or whatever -- he just wouldn't want there to be shards on the floor Sable could get hurt on. She's not gonna chase Nibbles so it's unlikely they'll fight... what else could he do? Scratch at the couch? Who gives a shit?

[hippie_ninja]

"He knows how to open drawers and cupboards." Jesus locks up anything he doesn't want Nibbles to get at, because he comes home sometimes to every drawer and every door opened. "He likes to hide under the sink."

But he knows by looking at Drake this won't deter him and he smiles at him, fond and grateful and just enjoying the sense that he and the cat have a place here.

[braveoff]

"Sure, but he doesn't have opposable thumbs to use a can opener," Drake muses, settling back down. "S'ok. Unless he starts tossing glasses or food out of the top cabinets I don't really care, there's nothing like that in the bottom ones."