Chapter Text
He'd fallen asleep exhausted, his body worn out by the running he'd done yesterday. His legs were trembling when he'd climbed the stairs, which was to be expected. What wasn't expected was how tired the rest of him was; his arms were shaking, his back felt like his upper body weighted a hundred pounds more than it did and he was used to, and his chest ached like he'd had a coughing fit. He felt like he'd fallen asleep the moment he hit the pillow.
He'd woken up worse. It felt like he hadn't slept a wink, like he'd been tossing or turning - or, more likely, throbbing and aching - all night. His body didn't quite feel as exhausted as it had, which was good. Unfortunately, all that meant is that he woke up aching. He wasn't a stranger to feeling sore after a workout, not after dating Ash. But he wasn’t used to it feeling like he had a case of the flu. It felt like someone had balled up barbed wire and jammed it in his muscles, aching when he didn’t move and aching much worse when he did. Hell, until he took his temperature, he was worried that he did have the flu; the feeling of heat was apparently just him feeling hot rather than him being hot.
It was only then, after he confirmed he was just suffering and not dying, that he finally checked his phone. That was when he discovered well over a hundred notifications left waiting for him. Most were not from Ash, although she was the most-represented individual. No, most were from damn near everyone else on his contact list: His parents, Alex and Sam, everyone on the team. Most were some degree of where are you and call your girlfriend. He gulped as he saw the string of notifications from her, then picked up the phone and did just that.
“Your mom told me you were sleeping in,” Ash answered, not even waiting for his hello. “Sorry I went all panic mode. I’ve just never had you not answer me after the sun’s up, y’know? You’re always up with the dinosaurs.”
Brian blinked. Holy crap, it was a sliver after ten. He didn’t know if he’d slept this late since he was out of diapers.
You okay?” she asked, the concern evident in her voice.
“Not really,” he yawned. “I feel like I got run over by a truck, but without the cheat skill. Like, I haven’t felt this bad since I caught an early flu.”
“Aw, you pushed yourself really hard yesterday, huh,” she murmured. “I’m sorry you’re hurting, Brian.”
“Not your fault,” he replied. “I’m the one who did it.”
“Mmm, I’m not gonna argue with you, but I’m still responsible,” she replied. “No, hold on,” she interjected, as he tried to deny her statement. “Doesn’t matter why you’ve got a workout hangover. I’m kinda your personal trainer, and more importantly, I’m your girlfriend who doesn’t like to see you hurting when she can help. That means it’s my responsibility to take care of you.”
“As much as I like the idea of you taking care of me,” Brian replied, “Weren’t you going to go hang out with the team today?”
“Yeah, but we’re meeting up at like three or so,” she replied. “That’s plenty of time to take care of you. Okay?”
“Okay,” he eventually said. “I’m not going to fight if you want to help me not feel like crap.”
“Mmm, you might,” she admitted. “See, you know what the best way to not ache so bad when you’ve got a workout hangover?”
Brian sighed. "Well, I'm guessing the answer isn't sex."
———
Just because the answer wasn’t sex didn’t mean it wasn’t sexy.
“It's like I told you," Ash said, as the two of them walked down the stairs of the local rec center, the smell of chlorine obvious and abundant even from out here, "the best way to deal with all those muscle aches is exercise. But we also don't wanna risk making it worse, y'know? Lucky for us, swimming is full-body, low impact, and relaxing too."
Brian nodded along, doing his best to listen. He really was. But, well, it was kind of hard to concentrate on anything Ash was saying. Not when she was walking around in a swimsuit. Objectively, he knew this was silly. Brian regularly saw her naked. Hell, she usually worked out in much more revealing outfits. But the moment he saw her in the ruby red triathlon suit she was strutting around in, he couldn’t look away. He didn’t know what it was about it: The way it clung so tight to her body, almost like it had been painted on, like she was wandering around naked? How it seemed to mold to each muscle, almost emphasizing them, while still calling attention to her powerful arms and legs? The practicality, the confidence in her body needed to pick the best swimsuit instead of the showiest? He wasn’t sure what it was, but he was hooked by it.
At some point, she’d out a hand on her hip, a long-suffering look on her face. “So, you listen to anything I’ve been saying?” she asked.
"Get sore to feel less sore,” he responded, managing to peel his eyes away from her.
Ash just she sighed and tousled his hair. “You’re damn lucky you’re cute,” she grumbled, not even bothering to hide the smile on her face. “Anyway, we’re gonna take it easy with some nice slow laps. We’re not starting a swimming program here. If you’re getting sore, slow down, okay?”
Brown nodded. “Would now be the time to mention I don't know how to swim?" he asked. He was surprised he was able to wait long enough for her eyes to go wide and her jaw to drop before he couldn't keep a straight face anymore.
"Look," she huffed, "if you don't wanna see me in a swimsuit anymore...”
"I absolutely want to keep seeing you in that swimsuit," he responded without a second thought. “Please let me keep seeing you in that swimsuit.”
“Better keep up, then,” she murmured, as she strutted towards the lap lanes with long, exaggerated strides, the sheer, sleek fabric covering her rear pulling taught and tight against her with every step.
Brian may have been joking about not knowing how to swim, but there was a hint of truth to it as well. Oh, he could tread water for a long time, and propel himself through the water. But after watching Ash’s smooth, graceful movements, her entire body seeming to effortlessly cut through the water, his own ungainly movements reminded him of some kind of drowning animal. If he was trying to keep up with her, he’d be feeling mortified right now at how bad of a job he was doing in comparison to her. But even if the goal of the day wasn’t easy exercise, he wasn’t actually slowing her down. Unlike running, she could just swim around him every time they passed, cheering him on breathlessly or giving him a little tap as she jetted past him. Plus, he thought, as he watched the movements of her legs and rear through his goggles, he couldn’t beat the view.
“Okay,” she finally said, once he reached the end of another slow, leisurely lap, “break time.” Then she pulled herself out of the pool, water pouring off of her tight red suit, then turned and offered him a hand. She smiled when he took it, pulling him up, not letting as she lead him over to the hot tub. He sighed as the hot water enveloped him, driving away the icy chill of the pool, bubbling over his sore and aching muscles and soothing both the aches and fatigue he’d built up. “So,” she asked, as she pulled him into her lap and wrapped her arms around him in a loose, gentle hug, “how are you feeling?”
“Still hurts,” he admitted. “But I think it does hurt less?”
“Good!” she cheered. “Yeah, this is my go-to for when I push myself too hard and need to relax. A nice swim, soak in the hot tub, repeat until I’m good sore. It’s good cross-training, too.”
“Ah, so that’s why you’re so amazing,” he replied, leaning back against her.
“Aw, c’mon,” she mumbled, “I’m not that good.”
“You’re like a fish in the water,” Brian replied. “I’ve never seen anyone swim as beautifully as you have.”
“Yeah, well, you clearly don’t watch a lot of swimming,” she mumbled. “I’m not saying I’m an amateur or anything, but it’s definitely just cross-training, not something I’m good at.”
“Disagree,” he said, as he reached up to stroke her warm cheeks. “You just have to deal with being amazing.”
“When’d you get all suave?” she asked, tousling his hair. “You keep flattering me like that, I’m gonna get a big head.”
“Oh, no,” he sighed, “not more to kiss.”
Ash chuckled and squeezed him, resting her head on his shoulders. “Y’know, I really love how into me you get,” she sighed. “Like, I know I’m good. But when I see the look in you eyes? See you staring at me in awe as much as drooling over me? It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy.”
“Does it count if I drool over the fact that you’re awe-inspiring?” he asked.
“I’m gonna count it,” she replied. “There’s a big difference between you staring at my legs ‘cuz they’re long and sexy, and wanting to watch me crush a watermelon.”
“Life goals,” he sighed, as he reached into the water and started to stroke her hips and thighs.
“So, uh, reminds me, you know what else is really good for sore muscles?” she asked.
“Based on the fact rubbing you is the reminder,” Brian replied, “I’m going to guess massage.”
Ash pressed her thumbs into Brian’s shoulders, and started to gently apply pressure, circling her fingers into the muscles of his shoulders. “Got it in one. C’mon, let’s go down one level,” she said, as she pushed herself from the hot tub stairs, immersing him up to his neck. He sighed at the feeling of warmth and heat surrounding him, then at the feeling of her strong hands gripping him, fingers in his sore and aching muscles. She squeezed and pulled at him much more gently then he’d expected, while still reaching much deeper than he’d imagined those kinds of gentle movements could reach; while at first the movements only made him ache worse, each time she moved on he felt a lingering feeling of ease, like his body had been squeezed tight in ways he never knew if was holding itself until it stopped. Given the fact that they were both in public, he struggled to hold back vocalizing the feeling; given the fact that her hands were very strong and she was very skilled, he wasn’t able to do a good job of it.
At least it’s clear that tie noises he’s making aren’t sensual, he thought. At least until he saw an of elderly trio sharing the hot tub with them scowling at him. “Massage,” he mumbled sheepishly, face hotter than even the water had been getting it. They did not seem to care.
“Don’t worry about them,” Ash murmured in his ear. “We’re not doing anything wrong.”
He looked over at the steadily growing scowls, then back up to Ash. “Okay,” he whispered. “Starting to feel really uncomfortable, though.”
Ash glared over at the three. “You mind?” she growled. When they looked mortified but angrier, she just huffed, grabbed Brian’s rapidly-reddening face, and tilted him up to meet her lips. At first, he was almost frozen while she gave him a long, sensual kiss, the sounds of grumbling and scoffing freezing his guts even through the water. But after a few moments, he began to return her kiss, first slowly, then eagerly. He didn’t know if it was because they were ruining his recovery day, because one of them had growled something about Ash’s ‘goddamn attitude’ in a very grandfatherly way, or if he was just too worn out to have any fucks to give. But the two of them laughed together as they stormed out of the hot tub, and before strong hands had found his aching body once again, and resumed her tireless work.
———
“I can’t believe we got kicked out,” Ash growled, as she raced down the highway, metal blasting from her speakers. “Like, dude, you caught those assholes in a lie, and you’re still gonna kick us out? What kind of bullshit is excessive PDA, anyway?”
“At least that couple vouched for us,” Brian mumbled, face crimson, heart pounding out of his chest. “I don’t even want to think of what would have happened if they’d believed we were having sex.”
“God, I know,” she growled, before cutting across two lanes of traffic for the exit she’d nearly missed. “Fuck off!” she shouted at the honking car, then huffed and squeezed the wheel with white knuckles.Like, at least come up with a believable lie, like I’m playing with your cock or something.”
“Hey, um, could you…” Brian began to mumble, fingers starting to dig into the armrests.
“Yeah, sorry,” she grumbled, as she tapped on her breaks, cutting a fifth of her speed. “Anyway, at least it’s just the ‘don’t do it again and don’t come back until tomorrow’ kind of getting kicked out. Not like those assholes.”
“They should have eaten way longer than a month,” Brian muttered. “Like, that’s the kind of thing that could get us arrested.”
“Yeah, well, I’ll take a victory when we get it,” she huffed. “Honestly, I’m just mad they ruined your day.”
“I’m doing okay,” Brian lied. He was still aching like anything, and the confrontation with the lifeguard and fear of getting arrested, let alone banned, had left him so tense that he’d felt almost like he’d undone all the progress he’d made. He knew that wasn’t the case; now that the tension was slowly draining away, he felt much more relaxed than he had this morning. It was still an awful feeling, though.
“You’re such a bad liar,” Ash growled. “Look, I’m sorry, okay?” she eventually mumbled.I didn’t mean to-“
“I mean, I did start kissing you back,” he said. “Would I have done it again?” He thought for a moment, remembering the feeling of her lips on his, the wave of confidence he felt when she’d been all over him without any shame whatsoever. “Honestly? Yeah,” he admitted.
Ash chuckled glumly, a hand drifting from the wheel to his knee. “I’m still sorry,” she said. “That was helping you, and-“
“Helped,” he replied.
“Fine. Still feel bad I got pissed and screwed it up for us,” she mumbled.
After a few minutes of silent driving, she flicked her gaze over to him. “You wanna keep going?” she asked.
“Another Rec Center?” he asked.
“If you like. Personally,” she murmured, “I was thinking maybe something a little more private.”
“I’ve seen your shower,” Brian replied, “and my tub isn’t really any bigger. Unless you know someone with a hot tub…”
She shook her head. “But we don’t need to use it together,” she replied. “You want a nice, warm, wet massage, Brian?”
After barely a moment’s thought, he nodded. “I don’t think I’ll ever say no to anything you offer containing the words ‘warm’ and ‘wet’.”
“I’m gonna take that as a challenge,” she chuckled.
The moment they’d gotten to his place and shut the door, she’d grabbed his wrist. “Strip,” she commanded him.
“Here?” he asked.
“Here,” she confirmed, as she pulled her coat off in one smooth motion, revealing the only thing she’d worn beneath it was that ruby swimsuit. “Then up those stairs,” she continued, as she headed to the closet to hang it up.
“Mind if I put my clothes in the wash?” he asked her, as he shimmied out of his pants; unlike her, he’d fully changed on his way out.
“Yup,” she replied. When he started heading towards the laundry room, she grabbed him again. “I said I minded,” she huffed. “I’ll take care of everything. You just get up those stairs, let me watch that sexy little ass of yours, get the water running, and go on in.”
Brian was breathless by the time he reached the top of the stairs, and it had nothing to do with his athleticism or lack thereof. He didn’t know why, but that command from Ash - the tone of her voice, the way she’d refused to grant him the little consolation he’d asked for - left his heart pounding, and sparks dancing down his chest. He stirred the rising water with nervous energy, waiting for the heat to get to the level he liked it; once it did, he slipped into the bath, waiting with bated breath for Ash to arrive.
She kept him waiting for much longer than he thought she would, to the point he was starting to get nervous something had happened to her. Turns out she was just building up anticipation. Once the water level had risen to the point where he’d turned it off, she slowly sauntered in, still wearing nothing but that ruby swimsuit. She knelt on the bath mat, looming over him, a hungry look in her eyes. Then she reached out with one hand, angling his chin up so he was looking her in the eyes instead of at her abs beneath the red fabric, and pressed her lips to his. Like usual, he parted his lips to welcome her tongue, only to almost wiggle back in confusion when he felt a jet of water squirt onto his mouth. She kept him for just a moment, long enough to fill his mouth, then pulled back, a wicked smile on her face, waving a bottle of water in her other hand. “Gotta hydrate,” she murmured, before taking a long swig, and moving her lips back to his. He didn’t pull away.
It was a while before they’d finished the bottle together, kiss after kiss flooding his mouth with cool water barely warmed by her own heat. Each time after the first, she’d lingered, nibbling his lips, caressing his tongue with hers, pressing her forehead or nose to his. It felt so bizarre that a little bit of him still wanted to recoil, but he pressed away that impulse, reaching for her each time she took too long. There was something so intimate about it, something deeply soothing. He didn’t know if he could do it with anything but water, but as it was, when the bottle was empty, he felt almost disappointed.
But not for long. She reached out to him once again, this time with both of her hands, guiding him back until he was almost fully immersed, only his head and the tops of his shoulders above the water. “Lemme take care of you, okay?” she murmured to him, letting her hands slowly glide up and down his chest. He sighed at the blissful feeling of skin against skin, softer and warmer than ever because of the still-warm water. He shivered as her fingertips traced up and down his sides, sending little trails of sensation that lingered until it felt almost like both sides of his body were lit aflame. She glided her hands around his stomach, a soothing feeling that made his cares and tension just melt away. She smiled at the way he twitched and writhed as she brushed them across his hips, so sensitive right now that he spasmed time she went too close to his hipbones. And she chuckled as he whined with need as she slipped right past his groin without a moment’s notice, dragging her close-cropped nails across his inner thighs. “Now, whatever could you need?” she asked him, a smug look on her face, barely concealed heat in her voice.
“I need you to touch me,” he told her. “Can you touch me?”
“I am touching you,” she murmured, hands now digging gently into the backs of his knees. “Tell me what you need,” she repeated, with a bit more force, a bit more head.
“Please touch my cock,” he begged her.
“Mmm, that wasn’t so bad, was it?” she asked, as she brushed him with a single finger, watching him with almost intense interest as he bobbed and bounced with each touch of her finger. “Huh, it’s kinda buoyant,” she remarked, playing with him like he was an actual toy instead of just calling him one. “Didn’t know they floated like that, either,” she hummed. “Y’know, this is kinda fun, Brian. You mind?”
“You are so adorable right now,” he murmured, as the feeling of her fingers against him sent jolts of pleasure running up his body. “You’ve really never tried playing with a guy underwater before?”
She shook her head. “I’ve never been with someone who just let me have fun with them before you,” she admitted. “You just let me do whatever I want to you.”
“That’s - oh my God - because I trust you,” he replied. “I know whatever you want to do, you’re - mmm - going to take care of me.”
“You sure about that?” she asked, a wicked grin crossing her lips as she started pumping him. “Oh, wow, it floats even better when it’s hard.”
“I didn’t say you weren’t going to hurt me,” he gasped. “I, um, I like it sometimes. When you bite me, or-“
She dug her fingers into his inner thigh, the sudden shock of sweet pain drawing a gasp from him. “I get you,” she murmured. “God, I love that you’re mine, Brian. My toy. My plaything. My boyfriend,” she growled, as she started rubbing him faster and faster, the intense feelings of pleasure, of aching need for her, building with each moment. “You wanna come for me, Brian?” she asked. “You want me to take care of you and make you come?”
He nodded, gasping and panting as she stared into his eyes, ravenous hunger in them. Then, in the back of his mind, he heard her growl, ‘tell me what you need.’ “Can I - mmm - can I come in you?” he begged her.
Ash slowed her movements, looking down at him, her wicked smile broadening. “I don’t think I can make it work in this suit,” she admitted. “Lemme just take this off, and-“ But before she could finish, he shook his head vehemently, and she burst out laughing. “You really wanted to fuck me in this all day, didn’t you?” she asked.
“Was there - oh fuck - was there any doubt?” he asked. “You’re so incredibly sexy.”
“And you’re so goddamn cute,” she growled, as she took one step, then the other, into the tub. “Hold still, okay?” she asked, as she gingerly lowered herself down, one hand gripping the tub, the other planted against the wall so firmly he could see the tension in her muscles. Once she managed to position herself above him, knees gripping his sides, she released the tub, putting a hand on his shoulder; the other then slipped into the water, grabbing him, rubbing him against that ruby red swimsuit he couldn’t keep his eyes off of. It was even closer to her than when they’d dry-humped, now only a single, incredibly smooth layer between them. It felt almost - almost like he could push into it, into her, just a little bit. But each time she ground herself against him, he slipped away, leaving him yearning for more. And each time she came back to him, grinding herself against him, pressing him into her, her eyes growing hazy as she stared into his and let him savor the sensation of that smooth, almost slick material against him.
It took forever for him to get close, so long the water had lost all its heat. The two were panting for breath together, the sweat running down their bodies obvious even in the tub. And he didn’t mind for one moment. It felt so good it almost hurt, so good he almost couldn’t stand it. It felt like she’d been edging him, not quite giving him what he needed even though he was so desperate for it, and even though she was so desperate for him that under ordinary circumstances she wouldn’t have been able to hold back. She, on the other hand, had no such issues; he’d lost track of how many times she’d spasmed against him, crying out in bliss, grinding herself frantically while he held himself and rubbed against her suit. By the time he finally felt his own orgasm building, her face was flushed garnet, and her desperate cries had almost become one long wail of ecstasy. The residue of chlorine scented with lavender and vanilla filled his lungs, then he whispered the words, “I’m coming.” And as his hips shook and his body rocked against hers, as he coated the front of suit with his orgasm, she cried out once more, frantically grinding against him to draw out their mutual orgasm, before finally sinking down into him in a boneless heap.
———
“You know you don’t have to keep taking care of me, right?” he asked her, as her fingers dragged against his scalp, lather coating his hair.
“You feeling one hundred percent yet?” she asked. When he shook his head, she chuffed, and murmured, “then I’m gonna keep doing it.”
“Okay,” he sighed, as he melted against her now-naked body, letting her touch work its magic. “Just, you know, wanted to make sure you knew that.”
“I appreciate it,” she murmured back, “but it doesn’t mean I’m gonna stop.”
“Will you let me return the favor when you’re feeling crummy?” he asked.
“I love that you’re asking that like it’s a favor I’m doing you,” she chuckled. When he started tapping his feet, she huffed, and said, “yeah, Brian, you can take care of me when I need it too.”
“Speaking of,” he asked, “how are you for time? I, uh, haven’t had a phone anywhere near me for a while.”
“Oh, I set some alarms,” she replied. “Hey, you wanna come with?”
“I thought you were just going to spend some time with the team,” he admitted. “You know, separate time?”
Ash shrugged. “You’re sore, they’ll understand. Besides, we only got a little winter break left, y’know? Then it’s homework and reasonable bedtimes and all that crap.”
“If it’s really not a big deal,” he replied. “So,” he eventually said, “swimsuit sex. Add it to the repertoire?”
“Brian,” she murmured, “I’m gonna need to buy me a sex swimsuit. Y’know, one I can squirt in without it all running down my thighs. And one you can get that nice hard cock into.”
“I have mixed feelings about us managing to start a sex toy collection,” he mumbled, as she finished washing the last of the soap from his body. “Switch?”
“Well I don’t,” she chuckled, as she stood there, waiting as he turned around. Instead she just closed her eyes, smiling, as he filled his hand with shampoo. “Sorry, Brian, turns out you got a kinky one.”
“I, um, I think I’m okay with that,” he mumbled. “It’s a little overwhelming sometimes, but-“
“Just ‘cuz we fucked doesn’t mean I’m not gonna take things at your pace anymore,” she promised him. “And, uh, if you’ve got things you wanna try? I’ll give almost any of ‘em a go at least once.”
Brian blinked. “I thought we established that with the swimsuit thing.”
“Aw, you’re so adorable,” she purred. “You really thought that was your idea?”
Brian slowly nodded. “I was the one who asked you to keep wearing it.”
A mischievous smirk slipped across her lips. “Brian, why do you think I didn’t take it off in the first place?”