Stay Cool

Story by Jeeves on SoFurry

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All Rodney wants is to help Serling relax, and maybe this time, just maybe, he'll get his wish... for a brief moment or two. :c


This story was written for Serling as part of their Patreon commission reward for the month of November 2018. It contains transformation related massage content and frostily intimate goings on. :3

Stay Cool

"S-stay cool. Stay cool, Rodney. Y-you can... you can do this. You have to do this. For yourself, f-for Serling. You can't mess things up again."

Serling tried to hold back a groan as he heard those words through the door of the massage room, far less soundproof than the unmistakable voice of the gecko massage therapist seemed to think. He didn't want to judge, he didn't want to think badly of the poor guy who obviously had some redeeming skills in order to be retained in employment here even now, but... god, the coyote couldn't deny that his heart sank, and his blood pressure rose as he realised that it was the gecko who was going to be performing his massage today. This was meant to be a relaxing time. It was meant to soothe and rejuvenate him. But now, knowing what was coming, Serling could only feel his stress levels elevating as he found himself wondering not whether things were going to go right, but how things were going to go wrong.

When Rodney stepped into the room and officially announced himself, to his credit he didn't try to play it off as no big deal. He didn't act like everything was fine and he didn't pretend that he and Serling didn't have a history, pausing in the doorway until he was sure that the coyote had seen him before walking slowly, almost penitently across the room to where Serling was laid out on the massage table in preparation for his treatment.

"Hi, Serling. I-it's... it's me. I... uh, I actually don't think I ever introduced myself before now, and I'm sorry about that. I'm sorry about a lot of things actually."

The gecko hung his head, and as Serling sighed, not feeling that the apology was unnecessary but still feeling bad to see the other man so obviously guilt-stricken, he made no effort to speak up. He held back on asking the gecko if there was anyone else who could see to him today, something he had seriously been considering, and let the somewhat clumsy massage therapist continue to say his piece. For almost five minutes the gecko poured his heart out to Serling as he gathered up the essentially for the impending massage, pausing only to show each bottle of massage oil to the coyote and allow Serling the opportunity to read and double check the labelled contents of each bottle prior to its use. He not only took full responsibility for his past mistakes, but explained to Serling how hard he had been working in the background to earn back the right to practice massages upon members of the public again. How many hours he had put in giving massages to other members of staff in order to prove that he was capable of doing so professionally and with the level of skill which this institution demanded of its staff.

And now, finally, he was back on rotation again. And of course, as a final act of contrition, he had specifically asked to be paired up with Serling just this one final time, so that he could prove just once to the coyote that he really could give him a skilful and flawlessly executed massage... before never interacting with the coyote again if he so wished, to ensure that he could come to this Spa knowing it was a place where he could always be guaranteed a peaceful, relaxing time.

By the time Rodney fell silent, what could Serling possibly do but smile up at the gecko, albeit still somewhat nervously, and nod. What could he possibly say but of course the gecko could have this one final opportunity to prove himself, and that no matter what, he really was appreciative of the apology, and all the work which the gecko had done to ensure that mistakes like those he had made before would never happen again.

The fact remained however that as the gecko stepped up to the massage table, slickened his hands with massage oil and placed them upon Serling's shoulders, the coyote was tense not merely with the regular stresses and strains of the past week which he was here to have removed, but with the worry of what was about to happen. The anxiety not just of trying to anticipate what could possibly go wrong here, but also worrying about whether or not Rodney might be able to feel his additional anxiety in his muscles, and whether that anxiety in itself might make the gecko self conscious and cause him to make an error or two, or three. He felt the gecko's plump fingers press into his shoulder-blades. He felt the pressure of the massage therapist's touch remaining as he dragged his fingers down the length of Serling's upper back before switching to the heels of his palms to push back up again. His eyes widened. His muzzle opened. He gasped, not in pain or in anguish at another mistake being made with himself on the receiving end, but... in uncontrollable, helpless surprise.

Pleasant surprise.

"Ooh..."

It felt good.

It felt... really, actually quite pleasant. And as Rodney's hands continued to move up and down the length of Serling's torso, spreading the massage oil and the pleasant softening tingle which it brought along with it, not only did Serling's initial worries about the gecko's skill begin to melt away, but his weary muscles began to loosen under the gecko's surprisingly firm but tender touch too.

For five minutes Serling felt his whole body slowly and gently softening up, fur blending into flesh, flesh melding with muscle and bone. Everything softened to a pleasant doughy texture, and even as a rather loud rattling sound echoed through the room, Serling was too calm and relaxed to even attempt to raise his head.

"H-huh, that was weird. Sounded like the heating pipes. Anyway, nothing to worry about. Just relax, Serling. I'm gonna start kneading you now. Anything you want to check before I do?"

Barely able to hold his mouth open his face was so relaxed, Serling murmured happily in response as another rumble shook the pipes which ran around the edges of the room, heating its radiators and keeping the space warm enough for the Spa's clients to remain as undressed as they were comfortable with during their treatments.

"No. Thanks. This is... mmh... this is great."

The gecko's hands froze on Serling's softened spine at that comment, and a soft, rather emotional whimper escaped the massage therapist.

"R-really? I... I mean, thank you. That means a lot."

Serling giggled, and squirmed happily as in joyous elation the gecko dug his fingers deep into Serling's softened body and squeezed two handfuls of his doughy, gooey textured self, wringing any remaining tension out of Serling's spine as he reduced it to nothingness for the remainder of the massage.

"That's okay, Rodney. But, really. You're doing so well. I... I think... maybe, if you keep this up... I might even ask for you again."

Rodney gave another desperately happy, hissing whimper, and in pure delight he began to knead the coyote's torso into an ever softer, ever more loosened and stretchable state. He seemed so happy, and Serling was so delighted by his newfound skill and growing confidence, that neither of them really paid the slightest head to the continuing rumbles of the heating system around them. They didn't even stop, though Rodney's head did turn and even Serling's eyes shifted within his relaxed and softened skull when from elsewhere in the Spa facility there came a rather loud, if distant bang.

A few seconds later though, neither one of them could help but pay attention as the rattling returned with a vengeance. Louder, and louder and more intense than ever before, until the groaning of the pipes became more than just a sound of some leaking pressure, and became the intense, violent wrenching of metal as one of the radiators by the door blew a gasket, and a plume of not boiling hot but icy cold condensed air erupted out across the doorway, forming ice crystals upon the wood and trapping both the cold blooded lizard and the semi-liquid coyote inside.

"No! No no no! I-it was going so well... oh, dammit Rodney, forget about the stupid massage. Help him. You have to help Serling!"

The room rapidly began to cool as the gecko cried out, and he rushed across the room towards the door, only to wail and stumble backwards as the cold intense rush of air on his scales threatened to send him into a state of hibernatory torpor right then and there. Instead he ran to the far end of the room and grabbed a large blanket which might normally have been used to cover the base layer of the massage table for some other treatments. It was soft and fluffy, and though Serling's body was practically a puddle of goo with a head and some limbs attached by that point, he was still appreciative of the warmth as the gecko threw the blanket over him as the room began to grow increasingly chilly. A few moments later the gecko moved out of sight again, and just a few seconds after that, a loud alarm began to blare as somewhere else in the facility someone realised that something was going rather wrong within the Spa's inner workings.

"D-d-don't worry S-s-s-Serling..."

Rodney's teeth chattered as he shivered violently, standing before the coyote with a look of determination and pain upon his face.

"I... I'll make sure you stay warm. I'll look after you u-u-until someone comes."

Serling squirmed, feeling anxious and yet so very content and relaxed with his body softened and liquefied by the gecko's expert touch. It was a strange and disconcerting combination of feelings, but thankfully the anxiety didn't overwhelm the comfort, and thus Serling was able to spend his time not worrying about himself, but still letting his mind linger on the gratitude he felt towards Rodney for everything which the gecko had already done, and now this unashamed act of heroism on his part to put his client first.

"You'll freeze out there..."

The semi-softened coyote whimpered to the gecko, whining in admiration and sorrow as Rodney gave a forced, pained smile, and shrugged.

"T-t-t-t-here... there was only one blanket. It's okay. I'll be f-f-ffaah... fine..."

Serling shook his head as best he could, and stared at Rodney as hard as his hyper-relaxed body would allow him to.

"Get in here."

Rodney's eyes widened.

"W-w-what?"

Serling twitched his head in what little way he could given that his neck muscles were a puddle of squishy dough, gesturing back over the blanket covered, softened length of his body.

"Get under the blanket with me. Wrap yourself up in it... and... in me, if you must. C'mon. I'm warm blooded even if I'm part goo. Don't tell me it wouldn't be warmer and more cosy in here than out there."

Rodney's eyes widened, but he shook his head fiercely from side to side.

"I can't. I w-won't ruin this for you. Not again. Everything's already messed up, b-but... I won't make it worse just to suit my own selfishness. I won't force you to deal with me for a second longer or a second more intimately than you have to."

Serling sighed and shook his head once again.

"Rodney. Listen to me, and trust me. I am telling you to do this. As your customer, I am telling you that it would make me very stressed and unhappy to see my massage therapist freeze into a coma in front of me, and that it would be a huge weight off my mind... a real soothing influence, if... if you'd just get up onto the massage table, wrap yourself up in me like I'm a tauntaun, and... well, let me hold you. Let me know that you're here with me not just by seeing you, but by holding you, until someone comes to get us. Both of us."

The gecko's eyes widened. He shivered once again, hissed under his breath, and looked longingly at the soft, plush blanket draped over the massage table.

"Y-you're sure?"

Serling smiled, and even with the emergency alarm ringing, with the sound of the frosty coolant leaking into the room and soon with the sound of voices yelling, and fists banging on the door whose wood had swollen shut with the added moisture of the frosty eruption across its surface, he had never felt more comfortable in Rodney's presence than he did when finally the gecko blushed, nodded, and scrambled up onto the table with him. He felt Rodney wrapping himself up not just in the blanket, but in Serling's own softened body, draping the coyote's softened form over himself like folds of stretched out pizza dough and revelling in the coyote's body heat. And as they cuddled up there together, as they sheltered beneath the blanket and awaited rescue, they both settled in silence. Not fearful silence, not nervous or awkward silence, but the kind of comfortable, relaxed, gratefully joyous silence that came from two people who had realised they were no longer merely in the company of an acquaintance... but who had suddenly found themselves in the presence of a good and dear friend.

By Jeeves

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