OOM: Beckett's Room

[trigger_man]

 [After this.]

Jack makes a quick pit stop in his room to change into dry clothes, already feeling the burn on his skin as it warms up again.

Heading back out into the hall, he hesitates for a second outside Beckett's door.  After the awkwardness of him falling on top of her--and neither of them moving for a moment--this might not be the best idea.  But then he'd told her he'd be there in a moment, as as much as part of him has misgivings about it, there's part of him that wants to show that whatever that moment outside had been, it was just an aberration; nothing to see here, move along.

Taking a breath, he raps decisively on her door.

Comments

[fanofthegenre]

"Good thinking," she says, finishing off her own glass, though it's only to leave her hands free as she settles back on the couch again, leaving plenty of room for him to find his own seat.

"I might be rusty, too, all things considered. Keep an open mind."

[trigger_man]

Jack downs the rest of his glass, then takes a seat on the couch again, turning his back to her.

"Don't worry, I will."

[fanofthegenre]

"Okay."

She squares up behind him, flexing her fingers, and then settles her hands on him - gently, at first, not applying too much pressure so she doesn't overwhelm him, and then slowly, gradually starts to knead firmer on his shoulders.

[trigger_man]

Jack tenses for a moment, but slowly lets his shoulders relax as she starts to knead away the knots in his shoulders. The most noise he makes is a soft moan as she works out one particular tight spot or a slight hiss through his teeth as she hits the bad spot in his left shoulder that's still giving him trouble some days.

"That feels better than I remembered," Jack says after a minute or two.

[fanofthegenre]

"I'm surprised," Beckett admits, fingers gently pressing into the tender spots and working out other areas of tension a little harder. "I would've thought you'd be a lot worse than this."

Given what she's been able to piece together from his past, she was half-expecting his back to be completely shot - though she's relieved, more than anything else, as he loosens up under her hands.

[trigger_man]

"I'm not sure whether I should take that as a compliment or not," Jack says in a wry tone. "Trust me, I have my days."

[fanofthegenre]

"It's a compliment," she quickly interjects, hiding her smile behind his back as her fingers slide up to the back of his neck.

"It is."

[trigger_man]

"I'll take your word for it," Jack says. He lets his head tilt forward as she hits a spot that sends goosebumps down his spine. Not in a bad way, either.

[fanofthegenre]

"And, anyway, you're already halfway to feeling better just by letting me do this," she adds, her fingers slipping up and spreading out over the back of his head, moving through short strands of hair.

"Just try to relax."

[trigger_man]

"Trust me, I'm more relaxed than I've been in years right now." That's even with the small knot of anxiety in his gut from feeling her fingers moving over his head.

[fanofthegenre]

He can't see it, but there's a smile there, faintly flickering over her features before she drops her head to hide it and her hand slides back down to his shoulder.

"Good."

[trigger_man]

"Maybe you should considering moonlighting here in the bar doing massages; earn some credit on your tab."

[fanofthegenre]

"Oh, you're funny."

She breathes a chuckle behind his back.

"I can only imagine what the guys will say if they caught wind of that - no, once Castle told them about it."

[trigger_man]

"Well he'd have to tell them about the magic bar at the end of the universe first, but yeah, I can see that they wouldn't let you live it down," Jack says.

Closing his eyes, he takes a couple deep breaths, trying to relax, trying not to think about anything but what she's saying and what she's doing with her hands.

[fanofthegenre]

Beckett groans quietly, her hands stilling on his shoulders.

"That's a whole different conversation that should probably happen before one or both of them stumble onto it themselves."

[trigger_man]

"I don't think that's a conversation you can have beforehand, unless you're talking about discussing something with Castle."

[fanofthegenre]

"Guess not. Not unless you've seen it for yourself."

Her hands smooth over and down.

"Any other trouble spots?"

[trigger_man]

"Not really." Not that he's about to mention, at least. He has sore points and tight muscles, but he's not about to have her do a full-body massage, and he's not about to risk going past his comfort point.

He turns his head so he can see her, giving her a small smile. "Thanks, Beckett."

[fanofthegenre]

There's something in her look that signals she might be catching on a little sooner to what he'll admit to needing and what the real level of need actually is - but all she does is nod, giving him a pat on the arm and leaning back against the couch cushions.

"Don't sweat it," she says, turning her head and covering her mouth with the back of her hand to hide a small yawn.

[trigger_man]

"Tired?" Jack asks, sitting back against the couch cushions.

[fanofthegenre]

"Mmm. Relaxed," she says, smiling faintly, and draws her knees up, curling up next to him.

"Which, in most cases, leads to tired."

[trigger_man]

"I can go if you want to have a nap," Jack says, though he doesn't move to get up.

[fanofthegenre]

"It's late now, isn't it?"

Or it is when you're running on New York time. She might be considering her bed, but that's further away, and it's nice and warm here, in front of the fire.

"A nap will turn into sleep. Up to you, though."

[trigger_man]

"I think I'm too relaxed to move just yet. You can sleep if you want, though."

[fanofthegenre]

"Fine by me," she says, shifting her weight slightly to get into a position where she can rest her head, cheek pillowed on her hand.

The sound of the fire crackling causes her eyes to droop, the constant warmth emanating, no worry that it'll die down any time soon thanks to the magic of Bar - and she's dozing comfortably in no time.

If her head tips onto his shoulder in the process, it's a purely unconscious action.