#but also the sore muscles and hair pulling (nonsexual)

[acasualcrossfade]

Whumpril Day 4: Ache

Written for @whumpril challenge

Warm Shower for Aches and Pains

Stranger Things: Steve Harrington

words: 683

TW: nudity, nonsexual shower scene Steve winced as he nearly collapsed into the driver’s seat of his car, his entire body throbbing. At first he’d been grateful for the job at the quarry; it gave him enough money to actually start saving up for adult things, like retirement and insurance. The job was full time but with longer hours, so he had at least three or four days off a week. 

This week he’d done an extra shift instead of his usual three and it was hell on his body. The knot that had taken home between his shoulder blades twinged in agreement. His back and arms and legs were sore from hauling concrete, and he had various cuts and calluses from handling heavy equipment and piping. And in the last hour of his shift, things picked up and he found himself nearly jogging to keep up with the other haulers. 

He hurt all over.

He parked in the driveway when he got home and fumbled for his keys. He’d never been so happy to be home. The pain even radiated to his fingers as he flipped the key in the lock. He leaned heavily on the front door to push it open, using some of it to bear his weight. And it wasn’t just his body that was sore, the back of his ears burned from wearing the tight safety goggles and glasses. Steve dragged himself through the door way and then slipped off his work boots. They were clouded with dust and he caught sight of it as he toed off each of them.

In his work clothes and socks, Steve padded up the stairs to the bathroom. He hadn’t stopped thinking about the hot shower he was going to take all day. Just the mere thought of the hot water against his skin almost made him want to climb into the shower early. He’d done it before but figured the shivering wasn’t worth it. 

The familiar tile welcomed him as he stepped in, and Steve turned on the shower. Steve made sure the knob was turned to the highest setting before gently pulling off his shirt. Lifting his arms felt like cruel and unusual punishment, and he could feel the way his back and torso stretched and twinged. Even muscles he didn’t know existed were somehow also in pain. 

As he undressed, small pieces of gravel and rock fell from the fabric and popped comedically against the tile floor. He caught his reflection in the mirror and frowned. His hair was spotted with dust and debris, and there was a streak of sediment on the side of his neck.

So much for not taking work home with him.  

Steve sat heavily on the toilet and took a minute to listen to the sound of the water. The rush of the water was soothing after a day of the jarring metal jabbing of the drills, and the roar of the truck engines. The white noise loosened something behind his ears and his head pulsed.  For the first time, he realized that the pressure in his head was a headache. He sighed and winced, rubbing his forehead slowly. 

Was he allowed to stay in bed all day tomorrow? 

The thought was tempting.

Steam billowed from the shower and Steve could already feel his body starting to loosen. He pulled off the last of his clothes, letting them fall before stepping into the humid heaven. 

The water beat harshly on Steve’s sore body, but after a few seconds, his muscles melted and he audibly groaned. He felt the throbbing soreness dissipate and he took a chance to carefully roll his shoulders and upper back. The water hit the back of his neck and he hummed in relief. 

He stepped fully under the spray, letting the water run down from his head. Warmth seeped into his scalp and Steve felt his headache dissipate slightly. His wet hair stuck to his ears and covered his eyes, and he flicked it back to give it a rinse.

The steam engulfed him and Steve sighed. He was never going to leave this shower.

[writefightandflightclub]

what do you think Nathan would do if his girl wasnt in the mood for sex... like, nonsexual intimacy with Nathan Bateman,,, what would that he like I wonder

Thanks for the ask, Anon, and sorry it took a while to respond! I’m not sure if this is exactly what you wanted but I hope you like it! :D If you don’t, I’m sure you will at least enjoy the GIF :P

Affection (Nathan Bateman headcanons)

GIF: @yoongifilm

So, I think Nathan has all sorts of non-sexual ways to be intimate. Intimacy can be so many things! Sure, he’s got quite a high sex drive, but if his partner isn’t feeling it he’ll never push. He knows when he can tease a little to win you over and when it’s clearly a hard nope.

Nathan can be reluctant to show affection and emotions, especially in “typical” ways, but if he cares for someone and they engage him in the right way (and put in the work to decipher him) he really opens up (I mean, compared to before, still not a ton :P).

So, what are some of the ways he will get intimate, and spend his time with you?

First of all, Nathan isn’t a small talk kinda guy. He prefers deep, passionate discussion, and he loves the intimacy of a deep conversation with you, over dinner, out on the deck looking at the moon and stars, or curled up somewhere cosy in the house under a blanket. He loves how your mind works differently to his, how you alert him to some of his blindspots, and how you surprise and challenge him. He also loves that you can keep up with him, and he loves that he can express himself fully without judgement. The two of you have had so many lengthy discussion on philosophy, ethics, AI, art, music, humanity, the meaning of life, that movie you watched the other night that you have conflicting theories about... the list goes on. Nathan loves knowledge, and there are so many topics he’s interested in and passionate about (learning about you now being one of them, and when he’s interested in something, he goes all in!).

When the two of you are in your safe bubble of intense conversation, you love the way his dark eyes animate and his hands wave to express himself as he talks to you. You love how when you speak he truly listens, and the way you can see him processing your input and adjusting his theories at a mile a minute. He’s incredibly cultured and well-read (and obviously a genius), and you’re in awe of him, and there’s also something special about him taking the time to share his knowledge with you. You love this kind of intimacy, especially when he gets excited about an idea and you see that rare and happy spark in his usually calculating eyes. It really shows how much he trusts you, even with classified ideas and some of his inner and more personal thoughts. Plus, you’re the only one who gets to share and see this side of Nathan, when he can be so closed-off to everyone else.

Sure, sometimes the discussion will get heated, and often you end up teasing each other and having some banter, but knowing that you also make each other laugh is also a really important part of your relationship. Nathan has a dark, singular sense of humour, which is a little hard to pin down, but now that you know him well, he can always bring a smile to your face. Even better if one of his cheap, crude comments draws that dirty, throaty chuckle from you that he likes so much.

Sometimes it’s physical affection. Whilst physical affection seems more important for you than it is for Nathan, that’s not to say it doesn’t feature. Your favourite thing is the way he has you sit on his lap as he taps away on his laptop, just so he can hold your body close to his and feel the heat and weight of you settle on him while he works. His lips will find your hairline to pepper unconscious kisses onto you at intervals, and every now and again his fingers will lightly and absent-mindedly wander over your skin. Strangely, you enjoy his physical touches a lot when his head is half in his work, as you can simply enjoy it without wondering if he’ll want to escalate things, or whether one or both of you will end up making a comment that will prickle the other. Like this, when you’re both quiet and still and just enjoying this closeness, you can truly appreciate his soft affection, and you can feel how much he likes having you around. Plus, he’s beautiful when he’s concentrating on something, bathed in blue light, his eyes intense one moment and then ever so slightly softening; for example, when you brush the buzzed hair at the nape of his neck, wriggle on his lap, or nuzzle closer to him. You love the little hums he emits, and you’d never point it out to him as you’re not even sure he knows he’s doing it. You feel utterly content, and, even better, you can tell how much it relaxes him too. He always seems to get his best work done when you’re soothing him.

I mean, to be honest, the fact Nathan allows you to be by his side at all, shows how comfortable he is being intimate with you, in ways he would never be with anyone else. He’s let you into his private space fortress, and into all of his secrets. Nathan can be quite introverted, and often needs to retreat from everything , going through intense periods of inspiration where he isolates. People can exhaust him... he’s just not good at peopling. Basically, there aren’t many people he could stand to be around constantly. You two, however, have developed a comfortable way of being, whether you’re working out together, hiking together, cooking dinner together, or working on opposite sides of the room, you have this blissful, comfortable silence with one another. You feel free enough to be yourself and you think he does too.

Nathan does care for you, and the way he notices a lot of little details about you is really touching. Sure, a lot of the times he might be an asshole, self-involved, and completely oblivious when you try to verbalise your feelings, but he’s a lot better at picking-up on a lot of your physical cues (he’s spent a long-time studying body language and he’s very in-tune with your body, which he loves, by the way). He might tend to a small wound that is worse than you let on mid-way through a hike, pulling you aside and carefully, wordlessly patching you up with a stern expression. He might notice you twinging from that niggle in your back and slip up behind you to rub your shoulders as you stir the food in the saucepan. He’s also very conscious of keeping you safe and healthy, and while you may not find love notes all over the house, sometimes the snack he leaves for you on the corner of your desk shows he cares just as much as something sappy would.

He’s not a super snuggly person, and he doesn’t really like lying down and “doing nothing” (even when you try to explain the benefits), but on the ocassions you can get him to stay in bed a little longer, or coax him breifly into a warm bath, he will wrap those strong arms of his around you and hold you close from behind, planting a soft kiss on your shoulder, his beard nuzzling and tickling at you. There is no better feeling than this. You think , over time, that Nathan’s even come to enjoy it more too, as, sometimes, when you fear that you’ve held him in place too long, it turns out he doesn’t want to let go, and will find some excuse to stay just that little bit longer. (The first time you convince him to be little spoon in bed as well, oh my GOD. He almost jumps up immediately and practically flees, however, you’ve noticed him backing himself up to you at night, on the rare ocassions he needs a little affection of his own. You are nice enough not to tease him.)

Also, Nathan’s not super tactile unless sex is involved, but he’ll let you do little things for him, like massage and oil his sore muscles, or run sweet-smelling oils through his beard, or even shave his head for him (the first time was hilarious). You know no-one else would get to do this for him, and so it always feels special to touch him and take care of him like this.

Basically, Nathan likes being around you.

And, on the occassions where he’s not pissing you off, you feel exactly the same.