So Many Striders - Now With Illustrations!

Dirk turns and looks at Hal over his shoulder. "Not if you're gonna make it weird dude. It's just really kind of hideously painful right now and I have very little impulse control while I'm this tired so yes. Please. I'll do you after if you want."

 

No joking about that any more, right, Hal's got it. He nods, lowering his hands to rest lightly on Dirk's shoulders, fingers sliding onto them first, followed by his palms. He's watched back rubs taking place and they look pretty easy, you just have to continually apply the appropriate amount of pressure to the right places, which Dirk was kind enough to point out for him. "Alright, turn your head back round and I'll get started. And yeah, I'd appreciate that, but the offer wasn't made with the expectation of it or anything."

 

Sitting up straight is difficult while this tired, but Dirk does his best to align his head with his hips so that his neck and shoulders can relax. Hal's light touch makes him frown slightly, he forgot that Hal has never done this before. He really needs to stop subconsciously assuming that Hal is working from exactly the same set of memories and experiences as him.

"As you like. I'm pretty sure Roxy views back rubs as a legitimate form of currency. Don't go flooding the market."

 

The light touch was an attempt on Hal's part to desensitise himself to touching Dirk before starting The Rub, an attempt that was doomed to be ineffective by virtue of too little time, too little contact. However, Hal perseveres, scooting along the couch to sit a little closer to Dirk, before digging his thumbs firmly into the back of his shoulders, rubbing them in circular motions. It feels a little awkward, but he's sure Dirk will tell him if he's doing it wrong.

"I promise to be responsible when creating new currency. No Weimar Republic here."

 

"Nerd." He leans back into Hal a bit, getting used to the sudden application of good pain to alleviate bad pain. "Okay, move in a bit. And down." He hisses. "Ow, ow! No, don't stop, it's good. Mh." There was a shooting pain down his arm and straight up into his skull. He could feel it in his elbow. "Try up a bit? Agh, fuck me, that's it. Could you go a bit harder? Owww, yessss." A sharp, bruised feeling starts happening but he can still feel the knot in his muscles on either side of his spine, particularly the left.

 

The first couple of times Dirk makes pain noises, Hal does indeed pause and reduce pressure, but Dirk seems pretty keen for him to continue, so he does. Dirk's instructions are rather... amusing, yes he's sure that's the word for it, what with how they sound rather like. Well. Instructions for something else entirely. He was told not to make it weird though, so he resists the temptation to make a smart-mouthed comment that would likely result in Dirk pulling away and refusing to let the innocent, brotherly massage continue.

"How's your back doing? Should I start moving down?"

 

"Um. Up might actually be better, for now at least. I can't not use my lower back muscles while sitting up unless." Dirk brings both his knees up to his chin and tries leaning forward against them. It kind of works. He pokes the muscle connecting his shoulder to his neck. "Hunching over computer parts like techo-Igor makes this hurt pretty bad. But yeah, try lower too and we'll see if it'll actually work without me laying down. Oh, and let me know if you need to stop."

 

"You look like L: World's Greatest Detective more than Igor right now. But arright, up it is. And I'll let you know." He won't until he really has to.

Hal lifts his hands higher, hovering for a moment to try to work out how to do this without wrapping his fingers around the front of Dirk's neck which really doesn't seem like an idea that will go down at all well. He settles for making his hands into fists, pressing into the shoulder-to-neck muscles with the first knuckles of his index fingers, which aren't nearly as easy a tool to use as his thumbs.

 

"Mm. That's not really working. You want to sort of pinch with your thumb and forefingers. Or move lower, that'd also be fine." Dirk hangs his head down and stretches his neck. He's already feeling a bit better. "Are you saying that because of the pose or because of the fucked up hair and raccoon eyes? Wow, I really am rocking the L look aren't I?"

 

"Oh- got it." He moves his hands to take more of a hold on the muscle as Dirk directed, squeezing it between thumb and fingers, which is easier to do when Dirk stretches his neck out. "Well, I was meaning the pose, but now you mention it the rest does rather add to the effect. I hope that doesn't make me Light, I've no particular desire to take over the world."

 

"Ugh. I don't know that nonsense well enough to think of a character you could be. All I remember is the tired looking slouchy guy being handcuffed to the uptight looking sociopath. How did they shower?" Dirk is relaxing more and more. If he's not careful he's going to fall asleep in the most awkward, uncomfortable position possible.

 

The chain between the cuffs was pretty long, I imagine they took it in turns behind a curtain. I'm more concerned with how they went to the toilet honestly." He keeps rubbing Dirk's neck between finger and thumb, although he thinks the muscle is less stiff now than it was when he started. "How's that feeling?"

 

Dirk does his best not to make little pained noises since that seems to make Hal back off. "It hurts good. My head feels better already. You could move lower if you're up for it." His voice sounds hopeful. "The rest of my back is kind of fucked up too. But don't let me monopolize the sweet back rubs time." His head is starting to get into that fuzzy, happy, relaxed state that usually comes with massages or, one time, hair pettins. (He has let someone mess with his hair exactly once.)

 

"We can go lower. It's not like there's a set time when our broriffic back rubs session has to stop, after all." His hands are getting rather achey, but they're still not hurting as bad as his neck, back, legs, etc, so he just shakes them out as he shifts back along the couch. "If you've gotta lie down, I guess I should kneel on the floor so you can stretch out along the couch?"

 

"Nah. That'd be too uncomfortable for you. I'll just hunch here, planning Yagami-kun's downfall. If I'm braced against my legs it should be fine." His stomach growls loudly and he sighs. "I'm going to eat the world if the delivery guy doesn't get here soon. I'll eat the delivery guy." At least this nonsense was keeping them both awake.

 

Hal snickers and reaches down to place his thumbs on either side of Dirk's spine, as low as he can get before verging towards butt territory, otherwise known as Dirk's no-no area. He presses in, rubbing in circular, upwards motions. He's sure Dirk will tell him if he's doing it wrong. "Eat the delivery guy Frank-N-Furter style, or Hannibal Lecter style? There's an important distinction to be made."

 

Dirk's back arches and his entire body tenses. "OW fuck! That's my hip bone dude, don't dig into that. Gonna fuckin bruise." He hisses and relaxes again when Hal moves his hands. "Yeah, just a bit higher-" His sigh of relief turns into a groan at the very end. He slumps forward over his legs, Hal slightly squashing the breath out of him now and again when he presses hard into his back. "Pft. Why not both? Depends on the delivery guy though. 'All the things I'd do. Things I'd do for you. If I only knew, that's what you're into.'" Dirk snickers quietly to himself before yawning. He needs to look up that video later. Mmm... back rubs...

 

"Shit- sorry--" Hal jerks his hands up higher, and okay, this seems to be getting a better reception. He moves a little higher again, and Dirk groans. Which is a perfectly normal sound to make when you are receiving a back rub, and Hal isn't turning red and smiling awkwardly at all, and even if he is, Dirk can't see so it's fine. It's fine. He presses a little harder with his thumbs, working slowly up Dirk's back. "You're rambling a bit there, bro, I know that's not directed at me." Which is a shame.

 

"Mm? The delivery guy. I'm just sayin'. He can have some input on his fate. 'M notta monster." He rests his cheek on his knees, carefully not stabbing himself with his glasses. It's quiet for a little bit, pleasant. "Ah. Maybe I'mma jus sleep. Mh. 'M not that hungry anymore. We've, hst, moved beyond hunger. Just tired now..." A wave of dizziness washes over him and he buries his face in his knees.

 

"Yeah, okay, definitely rambling." He leaves off rubbing Dirk's back to poke him in the ribs instead. "C'mon dude, you warned me against crashing before food and you're gonna do it yourself? Way to set a bad example here. You fall asleep there and I'll end up sprawled on top of you, and Dirk? I snore. You don't want that."