AN: Literally one little throwaway line at the end of story mode about them feeling stiff and this comes to my mind. Sonic is twenty, Mario is twenty-five, I'm going to hell byyyyyeeeee

~Sensual~

The events of the day had understandably taken their toll on Mario and Sonic. After all, it wasn't every day you were sucked into a video game and forced into an uncomfortable pixel body that restricted most of your movement thanks, Egghead. I'll be sure to kick your ass twice as hard for that one.

Which is why the plush mattress felt like absolute heaven when they finally made it back to their shared hotel room. Sonic sighed in pure bliss as he sunk into the soft bed, stretching his arms over his head and letting his body relax. Mario meanwhile rubbed at his left shoulder on the opposite bed, wincing ever so slightly.

"My arms are still stiff," he complained, digging his fingers into the offending areas. "And I can't quite reach the sore spot." He eventually gave up and flopped onto the bed, causing Sonic to tilt his head towards his roommate.

"Do you wanna painkiller?"

"No, it's not too bad. Just a bit uncomfortable, that's all. I'm sure it'll be gone after a good nights rest."

Sonic hummed and turned his attention to making shapes on the textured ceiling before he chuckled. "Or I could give you a back rub," he joked. "Y'know, help loosen up my fingers a bit as well."

When Sonic didn't get a response he assumed Mario had drifted off to sleep or was ignoring him, either was possible, until after a minute he received a quiet, almost shy reply. "Would you mind actually?"

Sonic blinked twice and sat up, eyeing Mario as the latter rolled over on his side to face him. He did look miserable and it took all of two seconds for Sonic to make up his mind. How could he say no to those gorgeous eyes after all? "Of course not. I just need ya to sit up is all."

Mario obliged and Sonic made his way to Mario's bed, sitting cross-legged behind him. Sonic prodded around the area with his fingertips for a bit before Mario gave a confirming "there, right there" and got to work.

Sonic had honestly meant this as a joke. And now he was massaging the shoulder of his best friend who he did not have a crush on for five years, not in the slightest! He dug his fingers into the muscle a little deeper, trying to actually focus on his task and not get too carried away with the thoughts he usually kept hidden in his mind.

It was a bit difficult though when Mario sighed in relief, and that one little sound gave way to the flood of scenarios Sonic kept for when he was alone at night. He was glad Mario was turned away as he didn't need to see the blush forming on his face as he struggled to keep the blood from rushing somewhere else. "Is this good?" Sonic hissed out, changing his rhythm to rub tiny circles on Mario's back instead.

"S-si." Mario confirmed, leaning back a bit more into Sonic. He was completely relaxed at this point, sighing in content every time Sonic hit a pleasure point. "I can tell this isn't your first time. Your hands are far too skilled for you to not have done this before."

"Not your first time either?" Sonic questioned, vaguely aware of how dirty this conversation sounded out of context like it was any better with context. He sure hoped no one was eavesdropping. "I'm almost jealous, but I have a feelin' that I'm performin' much better." He ended that sentence with a particularly hard dig into Mario's shoulder and from the way Mario's body reacted he was sure his eyes had rolled in ecstasy. Sonic continued to work at the knot, changing tactics every now and again according to Mario's instruction. "It's so tight," he grunted. "That pixel body did a number on you."

"You've almost got it," came Mario's strained reply. "Just a bit more..."

Sonic took a moment to flex his fingers before giving the stubborn tension in Mario's back one last hard roll. He finally felt something change under his fingers and Mario's shoulders went limp meaning there had finally been success. He massaged the area lightly a few more times before removing his hands entirely and watching as Mario took a few deep breathes before he finally turned to face Sonic. "That felt amazing. Grazie." he panted. Sonic averted his eyes from Mario's flushed face, something else to file away for his fantasies. Hell, half of what had come out of their mouths was going to be filed away for a later time.

"No biggie dude. Just helpin' out." he quickly lept off the bed, giving Mario a smile. "I'm, uh, gonna go hop in the shower though, hygiene an' all that. Glad I could help!"

Sonic quickly zipped into the adjoining bathroom, hoping that a nice cold shower would at least quell his thoughts until Mario was out of the room. As he adjusted the water he thought to how he'd ended up in this situation in the first place.

Maybe he'd thank good ol' Eggman instead.

AN: I'm sorry you had to read that.

~Steel