Pen and Ink week day 3: Soothe
Penny gives Gordon a massage. Rated M.
Gordon could hear the way his neck creaked as he lifted his arms above his head and stretched. Every one of his muscles protested and he winced as overused limbs screamed at him to just collapse onto the bed.
He would have loved to just curl up and go to sleep right there and then, but he still had work to do.
After a long, tiring rescue that was filled with too many close calls for his liking, all he wanted to do was swim a few laps in the pool and then maybe have a bite to eat and then just sleep for days. However, life was never so easy.
TB4 had come away from said rescue with enough scratches to give Brains an aneurysm if he took one look at the hull, and Gordon knew that before he could relax, he would need to take care of it.
The thought of sleep sounded too promising, though.
It took everything in him to turn bodily away from the bed and leave his room. He knew it was going to be a mistake to come and get changed out of his wetsuit up there, because he now never wanted to leave.
He forced his tired feet to direct him towards the door and peel it open.
He was more than a little surprised to see Penelope standing on the other side.
"Pen?" Gordon raised an eyebrow in confusion, but not displeasure. "What're you doing here?"
"Did you forget I arrived at the Island hours ago?" She tipped her head to the side with a smile, and if Gordon didn't feel so tired, he was sure he would have thought it was one of endearment.
"Ah, yeah. Sorry, Pen." Gordon rubbed his eyes into his skull in a hope they would grind away the forming headache. "It's been a long day."
Penelope then pushed past him without another word, and before Gordon could protest, she moved his hand from where it had been resting on the door and closed it right in front of him.
"What are you doing?" Gordon slowly spun around to face the woman who was now standing directly behind him.
"Take off your shirt."
"Penelope." Gordon could feel his cheeks heat up although he still wasn't sure why. They'd been closer, much closer, than they were right now, standing two feet apart. "This is hardly the time."
"Not like that, silly." A soft sigh escaped her lips as she pulled out the small bottle she had been keeping in the back pocket of her cropped skinny jeans. The liquid in the bottle was clear and had an oily look to it. "I'm going to give you a massage."
As much as Gordon would have jumped at the chance of having Penelope running her fingers over him a year ago, right now he had to keep his priorities straight.
"I can't." The part of Gordon from years ago, even months ago, that was in love with a woman who he was sure didn't love him back, mentally screamed at him for turning her down. However, now he knew how she really felt, he couldn't always let his heart make his decisions for him. "I have to go and make repairs to Thunderbird 4 before Brains decides to finally kill me for good."
"That's all taken care of." She gave him a cheeky grin that was almost a competition for Gordon's usual demeanour, and a small part of Gordon hoped that it was something she caught from him. That was probably wishful thinking, though.
"How come?" Gordon asked her, still not entirely convinced he would get out of his chores so easily, but then again, he guessed Penelope just had a way with people.
"Your brothers owe me a few favours. Now take off your shirt and lay down."
Gordon complied, not wanting to disobey her orders any longer. He didn't know why he had resisted for so long; for all he knew, he was one more 'no thank you' away from being ridden of her soothing touch forever.
Gordon shed his choice of hawaiian shirt for the day and lied down on his front on the bed. His arms slipped under a pillow and he hugged it close as his head rested on top.
Penelope climbed onto the bed after him, and Gordon tried his hardest to keep in the childlike whine when he felt her straddle his back and sit down on his legs. He probably failed.
He definitely failed when the cool oil hit his shoulders and Penelope's delicate hands started to spread the liquid over his tough muscles.
Her hands started to knead out all the knots in his back and he felt like jelly beneath her.
All the kinks of a day long rescue disappeared under her touch and in that moment, Gordon was so far gone that she could have asked him anything and he would have said yes if it meant she didn't stop.
"Does this mean I owe you a favour now?" Gordon mumbled into the pillow. Even his jaw felt slack and she hadn't even touched him there.
"Definitely." He shouldn't have been surprised that there was no hesitation to her answer. He didn't care anyway, he just wanted her to never stop as her hands reached a particular knot that sat just below his shoulder.
He was putty in her hands and as she worked, a tired feeling that he had worked hard to keep at bay all day started to wash over him.
He tried to resist it, but it was hard as Penelope's hands moved over his back methodically. Especially after she had gotten out all the kinks in his muscles and started to rub soothing circles into his back.
A kiss was planted on his temple and one hand started to brush softly through his hair.
"Sleep, Gordon," a voice so enrapturing whispered in his ear. "I'll be right here when you wake up."
As much as he would have loved to keep conscious enough to enjoy this, he couldn't deny a command from such a voice. Which is why he gave in and let his thoughts wash away along with the dissipating aches in his bones, if only so that when he woke, he could return the favour.