Chapter Text
”… Hey, Scara, I’m home.“
The only thing that responded to Tartaglia’s tired voice was the loud sound of water slowly filling the bathtub.
Following the sound of flowing water and the sweet scent of essential oils, the redhead slowly made his way into the bathroom.
Whenever he was tired after a long, or simply bothersome mission, Scaramouche would often go straight into the bath after getting home. But wasn’t he supposed to have a free time today? Tartaglia sighed, thinking about just how much he would like to follow in his boyfriend’s footsteps right now.
"Hey Scara, can I come in?” He asked, knocking at the bathroom door, just to come in right after, without waiting for the response. Yet he still closed his eyes, just in case.
If he walked in on Scaramouche bathing, the Balladeer would have already started splashing him, until he was hair was soaking wet. But since not a single water droplet seemed to have reached Tartaglia’s face, he slowly opened his eyes to look at his roommate.
He was sitting on the edge of the bathtub, fully clothed, his slender fingers dipped in water, seemingly to control Its temperature.
“Oi, Ajax. Why didn’t you wait till I allowed you to come in? I was just planning to get undressed you know.”
“Yeah, right, right. As If I haven’t seen you naked before.” The redhead only rolled his eyes, leaning his back against the bathroom door. “You don’t seem to be getting undressed though. You even still have your stupid hat on.”
“Well, at least I don’t look like shit.” Scaramouche snorted, turning his gaze away. “I’ve heard that you’ve had a rough day today. And looking at you know, it seems like it wasn’t an exaggeration.”
“Yeah, It’s true… We’ve had an awful encounter with Kusanali’s people today. I don’t have any major injuries, but damn, that was one exhausting, YET SOMEHOW boring fight.” Suddenly, a realization hit Childe’s head. “Wait. Of you knew about this and you weren’t about to bathe… Were you preparing it for me?”
“…What?” Scaramouche’s blush, although very small, was still easily distinguishable against his pale cheeks. “I’ve already said that I WAS planning to take a bath. Although…” He sighed quietly, taking a look at the exhausted rehead. “But since you seem so tired and gross, I guess I can let you hop in first. I don’t want to have to look and you when you’re in such a pathetic state.”
“Awww, so you did do it for me!” Ajax seemed to have no problem looking through Scaramouche’s lies, as he took his hat off and gently cupped his cheeks. “Thank you a lot, Scara. Do you want to join me, maybe?”
Okay, if Scaramouche’s cheeks weren’t already flushed before, now the reddish tint covering them was unmistakable.
“No, Tartaglia. Just because I allow you to bathe first doesn’t mean that I’m in the mood for such things.”
“Ohnonono! Not like that, I promise. Just, you know, I wanted to relax together. I think that it would be way more efficient than just relaxing on my own.”
Scaramouche’s grumpy face quickly turned into a different, softer expression.
“… Alright. In that case, I don’t mind. At least I won’t have to wait for my turn.”
Tartaglia could do nothing but laugh softly, as he turned off the running water and started getting undressed.
They got inside the bathtub with nothing but soft, comfortable silence.
“… Your hair is all tangled and dirty. Were you rolling in dirt or what?” Scaramouche noticed, not expecting any kind of answer. “… Just turn around. Let me take care of that.”
Tartaglia did nothing but nod, quietly turning his back to Scaramouche and leaning his head against his chest. His muscles instantly relaxed as the other man used a bowl to pour warm water over his hair.
“You know what, Scaramouche?” Ajax’s quiet voice echoed loudly across the bathroom. There was a small smile on his face, as the other man gently massaged the shampoo into his scalp. “You’re being surprisingly soft today, you know? When was the last time when I’ve seen you acting like that? When we started dating I belie- Ouch!”
The redhead started blinking violently, as Scaramouche smeared all the foam from his hands over his face. “What was that for!?”
“If you find my current behavior ridiculous, just say it to my face.”
“What? No, no way!” Tartaglia quickly rinsed and wiped the foam off his eyes, so he could turn around and look at his boyfriend. “I don’t think It’s ridiculous at all! In fact, I think It’s kinda cute.” He admitted, gently caressing the other man’s cheek. “Hey, how about we finish this already so I can wash your hair too? If you’re so insecure about being soft towards me, at least we can make it even.”
Despite being created in the god’s image, Scaramouche was definitely far from good, let alone perfect. But in the end, he was just like everyone else - a man full of insecurities.
And Tartaglia wanted nothing but for Scaramouche to fight them off.
“… Fine. Just let me wash this off.”
Before Scaramouche had a chance to fill up the bowl with water and pour it on Childe, the redhead had already dipped his head into the water, only to emerge after a few seconds. “Here! I’m done.”
Scaramouche could only scoff at how enthusiastic his boyfriend was. If he had a tail, he’d probably be wagging it like crazy right now.
“Alright, alright…” a bit hesitantly, Scaramouche turned around and leaned against Tartaglia’s chest. “Just get this over with.”
Please don’t let this end, he thought as he felt Childe’s slender fingers combing through his hair.
“I remember when I was still just another Fatui recruit under your command.” The man recalled. “You still had long hair back then. You looked beautiful with a braid.”
Scaramouche’s expression changed drastically, a strange mixture of shyness and disgust spread across his face. "I hated myself in long hair.” He admitted. “It reminded me of… You know.”
Ajax nodded quietly, as he wet his boyfriend’s hair and leaned over him, leaving a soft, wet kiss on his forget. “I get that” He reassured as he squeezed some shampoo on his hand and started washing Scaramouche’s hair. “You look just as gorgeous with short hair too. You’re my awesome boyfriend after all!”
“Stop it, you idiot. You sound way too cheesy and idiotic.” Scaramouche scoffed, although no sign of annoyance was visible on his face. “Just… Keep doing what you’re doing, okay?”
A soft smile appeared on Tartaglia’s face. “With pleasure.” He said as he continued on washing Scaramouche’s hair. “… You know, I really enjoy being with you like that. How about we take joined baths like this a little more often?”
He almost didn’t notice a single tear of happiness that escaped the Balladeer’s eye, quickly blending into the water that was already covering his flushed cheeks.
“…Yeah” He whispered, desperately leaning his head against Tartaglia’s hands. “I would really like that.”