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Pangzi had been complaining about his back more and more lately. Not out loud for real for real, more in joking asides, laughing it off like he was play acting getting older. But Xiaoge saw the times no one was looking, or rather, when Pangzi thought no one was looking, and Pangzi would rub at his lower back and make a face of obvious discomfort.
Xiaoge tried to help, by making sure he was there, for example, to lift the heavy pan of duck out of the oven before Pangzi could.
“Xiaoge, you know I had that, what’s going on with you ah?” Pangzi said as Xiaoge ducked around him to get the bowl of vegetables that Pangzi had been aiming for out of the fridge.
Xiaoge didn’t say anything as he put the bowl on the counter so that Pangzi could sort through them, but he didn’t bother ducking away as Pangzi wrapped an arm around his shoulders in a hug. If anything, he leaned into it, long used to Pangzi’s physically affectionate nature.
That night, Xiaoge stole Wu Xie’s phone, googling for anything that might help Pangzi and his seemingly chronically sore back. Of course, he could have used his own phone, but it was more fun this way. Wu Xie liked it when Xiaoge used his stuff.
That was when he stumbled across massage, and really, he should have guessed. At least he had spent enough time with Hei Xiazi to have picked up a thing or two, but just in case his skills and memory were rusty, well his memory always was, but his body usually remembered, but just in case, he looked up a couple videos and techniques.
A week later, after dinner, while Wu Xie was washing dishes, when Xiaoge felt confident enough that he had learned what he needed to and his package of massage oils had been delivered, he took Pangzi’s hand and silently led him to the closest bedroom.
“Eh what’s this Xiaoge?” Pangzi asked.
“Take off your clothes and lie down on your front,” Xiaoge said. He thought if he just offered to give Pangzi a massage, Pangzi would proclaim that it wasn’t necessary, that he didn’t need it, probably even offer to give Xiaoge one, which would really defeat the whole purpose of treating Pangzi to something nice.
Pangzi looked at him skeptically before shrugging and taking off his clothes and lying down. Xiaoge felt a warm satisfied feeling in his chest at this trust, like he always did whenever Pangzi or Wu Xie blindly followed him.
Pangzi liked to sunbathe naked, so the sight wasn’t too unusual Xiaoge thought as he studied Pangzi’s naked back. He pulled out the oil he had stashed in his pocket and then looked down at his own clothes. The oil would be annoying to get out of them, and Wu Xie would probably complain when he had to wash the clothes, so he took his own clothes off too before getting on the bed and straddling Pangzi’s back.
“Xiaoge, eh? What are you up to back there?” Pangzi asked, pushing partially up as if to turn around.
Xiaoge pushed him gently down and Pangzi obediently followed the pressure of his hand until he was once again laying flat on his stomach. The warm feeling of being trusted increased.
“Not that I’m complaining,” Pangzi started, voice muffled by a pillow, “But what is all - oh right there, yeah don’t stop.” Pangzi let out a groan and stopped trying to move.
Xiaoge smiled as he spread more of the oil he had warmed between his palms on Pangzi’s lower back and kneaded it in. The oil had a slight sandalwood fragrance and Pangzi’s skin was warm and smooth and Xiaoge’s hands easily glided in the oil.
Pangzi groaned again as a knot in his lower back released, leaving behind a wake of pain free area rushing to his head in a sense of lightness, he hadn’t known a massage could feel so good, or that Xiaoge was so talented.
“Hey I thought I heard a noise- um should I come back later?” Wu Xie’s voice wafted uncertainly out from the doorway that neither of them had bothered to close. None of the three of them really had any hang ups about nudity so it hardly mattered.
Wu Xie should never sound so uncertain, so Pangzi reluctantly got up on his arms and turned to look at Wu Xie, even though that made Xiaoge stop his massage.
“Eh Tianzhen? Come in come in. Maybe you can get my shoulders. Did you know our Xiaoge was this good with his hands?”
“Um,” Wu Xie said hesitantly, so Pangzi just waited for his Tianzhen to finish his thought. “You know I’m not into…” Wu Xie made a jacking off motion at his crotch instead of completing the sentence.
“Aiyo Tianzhen, it’s just a massage. I know what you like. Keep your clothes on or change into something you don’t mind getting oil on and come help,” Pangzi said, knowing that they weren’t doing anything Wu Xie would be uncomfortable with and that Wu Xie would enjoy the intimacy of touching in this way.
At that Pangzi saw the slight tension in Wu Xie’s frame relax and Wu Xie’s real smile crinkle his eyes as he finally came fully into the room and Pangzi collapsed back down on the bed so that the massage could continue. He wondered why he had never thought of this and was distracted with thoughts of how much Wu Xie might enjoy a massage back, maybe even Xiaoge, though he sometimes had a complicated relationship with touch.
“Cold!” Pangzi complained as Wu Xie placed his hands on his shoulders and the cold oil was a shock.
“Sorry sorry,” Wu Xie said, as he started lightly rubbing oil on his shoulders. It was too much slick and not enough pressure, but still, it was Wu Xie, and Pangzi was just glad to have both him and Xiaoge touching him. How long had it been since they had treated him to something special? Definitely his birthday- they had cooked for him, and also they always showed they cared in little everyday ways, but still, it was special to be such the sole focus of both their attentions at the same time. He would have to find something equally special to thank Xiaoge for such a thoughtful idea.
“Wow your shoulders are tight,” Wu Xie said, and then there was another hand, Xiaoge’s presumably, since the hands had sadly left his lower back.
“Like this,” Xiaoge’s low voice said as he pressed down and around his deltoid, hand gliding with - “Ohh,” Pangzi groaned appreciatively as the hands dug in just right.
Wu Xie’s hand followed in Xiaoge’s wake, less confident, but yes, finally a good pressure and so Pangzi moaned again to encourage Wu Xie, which worked as his strokes got more confident and sure as Xiaoge went back to his lower back.
Pangzi kept up his groans, making sure they knew how appreciative he was every time one of them released a particularly gnarly knot, and after a period of time the worst of his knots were gone and he felt like a pile of putty and their hands were just rubbing aimlessly along his back. “What did I do to deserve both of you?” he asked rhetorically.
“What do you? You do more for us! Who cooked dinner?” Wu Xie asked.
“Mmm,” Xiaoge agreed.
“Who washed the dishes?” Pangzi shot back, smiling.
He didn’t get an answer to that, but Xiaoge did lean forward and kiss his back, before getting off of him.
“Roll over,” Xiaoge said.
Pangzi started to roll over instinctually before he realized he had a little problem. It hadn’t been anything close to a sexual massage and he didn’t feel aroused in the way he did when getting ready to have sex, but he couldn’t deny that he was at least a little hard, and he had told Wu Xie this wasn’t about sex and he didn’t want it to be about that, but he was worried if he rolled over that the wrong impression would be had, and really he just wanted to cuddle more with Wu Xie and Xiaoge.
“Maybe I just lie here like goo,” Pangzi tried.
“Why you being weird?” Wu Xie asked. Of course he would.
And well, if he didn’t tell Wu Xie now, then it would all be actually weird, so he rolled over on his back and said quickly, “Just ignore it, it doesn’t mean anything. I don’t even know why-”
“Parasympathetic nervous system,” Xiaoge said, interrupting Pangzi, then got a pillow and placed it over Pangzi’s crotch.
“Right, right,” Wu Xie said, nodding a bit too much, but he didn’t leave like he did when things were really too much and he needed a break, so Pangzi counted it as a success. “Should I get feet or chest?”
“Feet,” Xiaoge said, then started massaging Pangzi’s chest while Wu Xie went to his feet.
Pangzi had thought he was a pile of goo before this, but now he was a puddle of water. Now that he was on his back he could smell the warm scent of the oil, woody, with a hint of sweet, sandalwood maybe. He had no big knots on his front so it felt even more relaxing than when he was laying on his front and he found himself just drifting on the sensations.
Wu Xie looked up from where he was massaging Pangzi’s upper left thigh when he heard a snore and saw that Pangzi was asleep. He looked at Xiaoge and shared a small smile.
They would have to make this a regular thing.