Work Text:
Amanda let out a gasp of pain as she shifted uncomfortably in the Porsche, then tried to cover it up.
"Amanda," Lee scowled at her, "you said you weren't injured!"
"It's nothing, honestly. Just a tight muscle. It's fine." She tried to reassure him, not meeting his glare, while simultaneously trying to calm her breathing because her leg hurt like hell. She had been hiding in a cramped cabinet before the team found her; not moving for what felt like hours in hopes of not being discovered, and her muscles were still shouting in protest. She had been relieved when Lee showed up and offered to drive her back.
Lee relaxed slightly as he briefly looked her over. "You can still tell me if something hurts," he grumbled quietly. "We're close to my apartment; we can stop and I'll give you a quick massage before we head back to the Agency."
"You don't need to do that, really," Amanda protested, somewhat alarmed at the prospect. She kneaded her thigh to try to loosen the tense muscle.
"You don't want to be in the office hurting like that. It'll help, I promise."
"Okay, thanks," Amanda agreed faintly, not wanting to argue despite feeling uncomfortable about the idea. She had felt so proud of being asked to do the drop after the Quickie Chickie thing had gone wrong; now she'd screwed things up again. She sighed quietly.
Soon they had parked at his apartment and he was coming around to her car door, offering his hand to help her out. Amanda tried to tamp down her unease at the thought of a massage; she wasn't sure she could handle something so intimate from Lee, but knew she needed it. I can be a professional about it, after all. Can't I? She wasn't sure.
Lee dropped the hand at the small of her back as they reached his door, and put it back after opening the door to escort her inside.
Amanda looked around the apartment, noticing that it was much cleaner than the last time she had been there. She shivered slightly as she recalled that terrifying moment those Russians had burst into the apartment, forcing her into that box at gunpoint. Her hand came up to her mouth, remembering the gag they'd used.
"Are you okay?" Lee was eyeing her with concern.
"Oh, I just haven't been here since…" she let her voice trail off and focused on the fish tank for a moment to give herself time to blink away the prickles in her eyes.
"Oh," Lee managed, squeezing her waist slightly and not trusting himself to say more. Her nerves were contagious; he remembered the moment he found out she'd been taken and gazed around the room hoping for a distraction. Finding nothing, he pressed onward and stepped further into the room.
"Ready for that massage?" He asked, clasping his hands together. He looked her over and noted that she was wearing jeans. "Hang on, let me grab something," he said as he went into the bedroom. Soon he returned with a pair of cotton running shorts. "Put these on; I know they'll be big but they have a drawstring. I'll go get a few things and meet you at the couch."
Amanda just nodded and headed obediently to the bathroom to change. Once there she took a minute to splash water on her face and take a few deep breaths to calm her nerves. Lee's here, it's safe, she reminded herself, not letting herself acknowledge the concern she had over how she would react to his hands on her. She went out to the couch, where Lee had spread out a towel and removed the back cushions so there was more room.
"Here, stretch your legs out," Lee directed. Amanda did as she was told, leaning against the pillows at the armrest, and Lee glanced at her for permission before running his fingers gently over her legs, feeling for hot or tight spots. He stopped on her right quad, feeling like steel band under her skin. Amanda squirmed slightly.
"Is that the worst spot?"
Amanda nodded wordlessly, and Lee pulled a hot water bottle in a flannel cozy off the coffee table and placed it on her thigh.
"It's pretty tight. Let's leave the hot water bottle here for a while and see if it loosens up a little before I try massaging it, okay?" Lee felt a jolt as he gazed into her wide eyes. It took him by surprise, and he started talking to distract himself. "Let me get you something to drink. Hydration will help too. Do you want water or juice? I think I've got OJ."
"Juice sounds good, thanks."
"Just try to relax, okay? Do you need another pillow or anything?"
"No, I'm fine," Amanda replied, leaning back into the pillows and closing her eyes to shut out the sight of Lee. She wasn't upset, just a little on edge, but Lee being so nice was more than she could handle right now.
He returned with the juice and encouraged her to drink it down, then settled near her feet with a bottle of massage oil.
"I'm going to start down here while the heat is on your quads. Is it okay if I use the oil?" he asked.
"Sure, that's fine," she replied, hoping her feet were in decent shape. She leaned back and closed her eyes again as he started applying the oil on her left foot. Soon she forgot about her anxiousness as she let herself relax into the sensations of the massage. She already knew Lee had gorgeous hands, and now she knew he had some magic fingers, too.
"Take long, deep breaths, okay?" He was focused on her feet, and probably didn't notice he was using his low, sultry voice – a voice that brought Amanda's anxiety back instantly. He briefly covered her left foot with both hands as he placed it gently on the towel, and picked up her right, rubbing the oil in and using his thumbs on the tight spots behind the ball of her foot.
Long, deep breaths, Amanda. You can do this, she told herself as she felt a ripple run through her body.
After a while, Lee put down her right foot and started rubbing her calves with his knuckles, using the weight of her legs to help increase the pressure. "Let me know if this is too hard," he said in the same low voice.
"It's fine; I prefer strong pressure," Amanda replied, although she twitched now and then when he caught a tight spot.
"How did you get so tight, anyway?" Lee asked curiously.
"Oh, well you know that drop went wrong. I got in there and I heard the guys we weren't expecting, and the only place I saw to hide was a little cabinet for brooms and mops, and, well, the floor of the cabinet was covered with buckets and cleaning supplies so I only had room to put one foot down. They ended up meeting someone and I didn't want to make any noise so I didn't move. I didn't want them to find me…" Amanda faltered, remembering how scared she had been thinking about what could happen if they found her. She brought her thoughts back to the present.
"You stood on one foot without moving for nearly two hours?" Lee asked incredulously.
"Yeah," Amanda sighed.
"No wonder you're tight! Let's take the hot water bottle off and let me see what I can do here," Lee suggested. "But first, let me get you more to drink. Juice or water?"
"Water, please."
Lee returned and waited for Amanda to drink the water before turning his attention to her quads.
"This will probably hurt," he warned.
"That's okay; I know I need to get it worked out."
Lee concentrated his attention on her leg, starting gently and finding the tight spots, then digging in with more pressure. Amanda felt herself tensing up, and tried to practice long, slow breathing and stay as loose as possible. Lee picked up on her stress, and knowing how Amanda tended to keep things to herself, thought he ought to try to derail any potential thought-spirals she might have going on.
"I'm sorry our intel was bad; that drop should have been safe," Lee murmured, that feeling of being responsible for Amanda being put in danger again giving his words a tiny wobble. He hoped she hadn't heard it. "You did well, staying quiet." Heartfelt compliments tended to make him uneasy, and he lapsed into silence as he turned his focus back to the massage.
The worst spots started to loosen as Lee found a rhythm, and Amanda was surprised to find herself relaxing enough to almost fall asleep. She wasn't sure how long it was before she heard him say, "you just keep resting; I'm going to heat up the water bottle and I'll be back."
After a few minutes he returned and put the water bottle on her leg, then covered her lower body with a blanket. He took one arm and started massaging her hand.
"Oh, that's nice," Amanda sighed sleepily.
Lee watched her face as he worked on her hand. He liked helping out friends, and feeling useful. He felt a warmth inside seeing Amanda so relaxed after the day she'd had. And that little twinge he was feeling when he looked at her; that slight breathlessness… well, surely that was nothing. They were just co-workers, and maybe starting to be friends.
He finished her left hand, and slowly released it with a lingering touch before picking up her right hand. By the time he finished he was pretty sure she had fallen completely asleep. He put her hand down and gazed at her quietly.
Just a friend, Lee, he told himself, reaching up to brush a lock of hair off her forehead.
Just a friend.