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“Eweweweeeewwwww-”
Reminder to himself-!
The next time he tries to run away and hide while there's a heavy storm going on, already soaking his clothes and making him miserable, WHILE staying in a cave without a fire-
Do NOT run through the thick mud that covered the earth.
Why that is?
Well.
Karoto was absolutely covered in mud, leaves, dirt, probably piss which is something that he's not gonna talk about and all the other crap you find in a forest.
The animals would be laughing if they were sentient, just by the way some flutterpups and swamp flowers stared at him.
Out of spite, he sometimes rubbed some heavier mud off on them.
Some of it stuck to his eyelids, some to his roots, some to his skin and some to his precious clothes-
He would have sobbed for his scarf if it wasn't easily cleanable, not as much care going for his jacket.
It wasn't made by these hands after all, only fixed up and properly sewn back together.
Luckily, the guitar that the carrot held so dear was mostly spared, only having a few spots that got dirty which didn't include the inside.
Nothing a bit of water and care couldn't fix!
But finding the water was a whole different issue.
You would think that a giant forest that just got soaked in all the rain would have a river nearby, but no.
Just stupid wet grounds and pissed off animals that seemed to run away from him.
Good for them.
He doesn't hesitate to hurt people when needing to protect himself, not even animals.
They can go eat something else for a change.
As Karoto muttered under his breath while trudging through the forest, his ears kept listening for any rushing water like a lake, where he could bathe without troubles!
Sure, sometimes fish were in there, but who cared about dumb fish when he needed to clean himself?
And- And there were also wells! You just have to get the bucket, fill it with water and then drop yourself in there or pour it over your body!
Just don't get caught by the people. Their usually.
Very mad.
What was their problem with seeing someone not wearing clothes? It was a carrot!
Most vegetables literally just wrote cloaks, what was the problem removing a scarf and jacket if it's the only thing he wears?
There's fountains but that's public, waterparks you usually pay for, pools you need to sneak into, rain is a hassle and makes you SICK-
Speaking of sickness, puking felt like a reasonable option with the dirt sticking to his skin, feet sliding through the wet mud like they weighed a whole pound.
It weighed his body down, just dirtying him more as it slowly dried on fragile skin, filling up the cracks that were never supposed to be filled.
Karoto wanted to cry.
But alas, he kept walking, walking and walking as the scent of the leaves and fresh rain water molded together into a disgusting concoction of overstimulated sensations.
His poor little brain didn't have the heart to pull his dirty gloves off, knowing the simple feeling of even pulling them off with his teeth would be too much.
And no, he was not going to use his fingers. That was worse with his whole body being a wet sag.
Just keep going, there needs to be fresh water, there needs to be-
Wshhhhhhhh-
Wait.
Shshshshhhhhwhshhhh-
THAT'S RUSHING WATER IN HIS HEARING HOLES.
Karoto's body moved faster in an instant, wet squelching noises investing all surrounding noise as he pushed past rocks and trees-
Tap, tap, tap-
Maybe faceplanting at least-
“ARGH-”
SPLISH.
Once.
“Ew….”
A low sniffle left his throat, shakily standing up again and going slower on the slippery, wet ground that cursed his form.
Soon, white and blue washed through the murky darkness that surrounded the forest, letting himself walk past the trees, plants and rocks-
To find…
A pure, natural waterfall with a big lake, surrounded by fresh greens and rocks.
Dear Nantes, a blessing was upon him.
Karoto couldn't help but let out a shaky, sniffling sigh, walking forward to the gift that the world gave his tired body as the mud slowly dripped off as he walked forward.
The smell differentiated heavily from the rain, salty delight and sugarcane in his nostrils, mixing in sweet with all the other soft plant smells around the lake.
With a certain carefulness he used for everything, the carrot dipped his dirtied, gloved hand into the water, testing it and letting some of the dirt go-
“Aaaaahh…warm.”
Nobody was there to mock him for his relief for simple warm water, which meant that all that needed to be done could be achieved right here.
The sun shined through the clothes, sun rays hitting him and giving his first task a chance to be fulfilled.
Washing his muddied clothes.
Because if he did that right now, he could let them soak in the sun while he took a rightfully deserved bath in the warm water.
So, with only the slightest reluctant groan, he peeled off his muddy clothes, ruined gloves and poor scarf, almost instinctively throwing them in the water.
Beside his scarf. That precious object was gently pressed into the liquid, soaking in the fresh delight and already getting the mud removed from its surface.
“Alright, mhm…now..”
Murmuring to himself was natural as he dipped his hands into the water, washing his dirty hands.
Couldn't have his clothes getting dirtied again, just because he decided to wash them with his disgusting grippers.
A low sigh escaped his throat as he decided to take it slow and relax, letting his clothes soak for a minute as he proceeded onwards.
There was a special method one could use when they needed soap in the wild.
If you don't mind your products being purely biological and self harvested, that is.
And don't mind trusting a child who uses everything the world provides him.
Karoto stepped around naked, mud still covering most of his body as his scars and carrot marks were barely visible through the dirt.
The rushing waterfall gave way to many plants, some being quite weird like the sournut.
Don't eat those, they scrunch you up like a can-
Sometimes they glow, they are poisoned, they are flowers…
But what he specifically searched for-
Ah!
The small carrot squealed in delight at the sight of the plant he was searching for, having a purple stem and a coconut shape.
It was pink, which was nothing that the thief minded as he grabbed a nearby stone, giving himself a few moments and small tries…
Before-
CRACK!
-Cracking the fruit open, letting its purple, slimey liquid flow into his hand, rushing back to his clothes and pouring it straight on them.
It smelled sour, like a really tangy grapefruit, which is probably what all his clothes are gonna smell like after they have dried out completely.
That'll hopefully not mess up any of his thievery attempts….
He properly soaked the clothes and mixed them with the shampoo, hoping none would be crinkled and uncomfortable after they finished drying.
That happened once.
Karoto sobbed a lot due to his ruined scarf.
His poor scarf.
At least it looked a bit cool with the cracked ends…and it was still soft.
That's all that mattered, no?
But back to the task at hand-
The little carrot sighed as he finally finished washing most of his precious clothing, pulling out the equivalent of the river's water as he pulled them out.
A heavy huff escaped their lips, as the child squeezed the clothing dry with all his power, grumbling and struggling, shaking with all his might-
Dumping most of the water out, before finally laying them on some heated rocks, perfectly shined on from the sun.
So, now that his clothes were going to get dry-
Actually.
Karoto shot a stare around his surroundings once more, stepping around on the wet grass as the flushing of the water blurred away.
If someone were to see a naked baby carrot, they might look a bit weird.
…But there was no noise. No person. No one there.
Good.
That's how it needs to be.
With a nod and hum to no one but himself, his disgusting form headed towards the water, testing it with his muddy feet that had been chipped and losing skin.
Hardened skin was luckily a fish's favorite food.
Or dead skin?
Whatever works for them.
Luckily, the waterfall and sun kept the water warm and clear, giving him the permission to finally slip in and enjoy the fruits of his labor.
And let him tell you, WARM WATER IS AMAZING.
A heavy groan escaped his lips as he could already feel the dirt and mud softening up, erasing the mistake he made by running.
And perhaps pissing in a cave.
He's not gonna elaborate on that one.
With a quiet sigh, he started to swim around, brushing off various leaves, mud slabs and grass that had been lodged on his very skin.
Picking it off was an annoying task, but it was nothing that a few liquids couldn't fix!
With a snicker, he held his non-existent noise, taking a breath in-
SPLISH-!
…Underwater.
Everything felt so much quieter.
The air pressure was low, his hearing was clogged by water and his eyes were left closed, his hand being left to grab something on the ground to hold onto.
It…was a good way to stop thinking.
You don't need to think too much when you're not in danger.
It was peaceful and the gravel against his skin was nicer, falling off almost instantly upon impact and cleansing his body of all the disgusting features it held.
People needed to breathe though.
So with a reluctant sigh, he-
SPLASH!
-Arrived back on the surface, just to immediately cough and sputter at the waterfall foam splashing into his mouth and space.
Karoto wretched out a lung for sure, but that sure as hell didn't stop him from going back under it to wash his hair.
He licked his lips faintly, gagging at the taste of salt that embedded into his skin, only accepting it for the fact that he'll be clean soon.
Or is already clean, using his fingers to scratch out the restover dirt from his marks.
All carrots had marks. But Karoto had big three lines on his back that REALLY liked keeping shit in them.
Stupid ass body-
Annoyed murmurs left the carrot as his fingers brushed through his soaked green strands, cleaning them off while noting that there was a cave right behind him.
Could be fun to explore, even if it was usually quite cold.
So, Karoto used his small body to dive back into the water, swimming right into the cave and moving his head back up with a gasp.
…the cave was quite pretty.
Crystals adorned the surface, coral in all colors of the rainbow curling around the caves dark-blue walls, glistening in the salt waters shine.
Beautiful for sure, even if his suspicions proved correct about the water being rather cold in the depths of this rocky environment.
Yet he only shrugged it off, swimming towards one of the many corals that spun around different rocks, murmuring to himself as he brushed his hands over the fragile skin.
“Hm…spiky, not too long, ugly…”
Karoto's murmurs continued, occasionally turning into giggles from the fish that seemed to be living in this place.
They were eating at his dead skin, which he faintly remembered being some kind of ‘spi’...’spurs”?
Spa? Probably Spa experience, where it was supposed to recover your skin or something and its super helpful and boring.
At least here, he could busy himself with something else-
Ah! Perfect!
One specific thing that was important for his unhealthy habits, was that his hair wasn't horribly knotted.
Breaking off a piece of coral to brush his hair in peace wasn't illegal! Nobody told him that was illegal.
Swimming back out, he flinched only slightly as a pound of water from the waterfall fell on him, pounding on his head and weighing his little body down.
But he persisted, jumping right back out and leaning against some stones, staying in the water and grabbing some slimey leftover liquid.
Messaging it into his hair, he finally started to brush through it, hissing at the pain the knots brought, ripping out his precious hair.
Screw his body, SCREW HAIR-!
It was over as soon as he knew it, which caused him to absolutely throw the coral against the nearest tree.
….For a moment.
Karoto sunk neck length back into the water, closing his eyes and engulfing in the warmth of it all, sun obscured by the clouds.
For a moment, he wondered why he was here again.
Why was he alive?
Why is he even thinking about this?
A wave of repressed sadness hit him, forming in his gut and forcing his crystal-clear eyes open, all colors of the rainbow reflecting in it.
The one time he didn't have contacts on. He didn't want too.
It was his choice.
….Maybe, indulging in this warmth isn't so bad for a few more minutes, just to let his clothes dry.
Just…
For that.
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“LET ME GOYOUSTUPIDWEED-”
“Karoto, you need a bath-!”
Karoto absolutely hated being dragged by his feet, but it was ten times better than being forced back by his scarf.
That didn't help the fact that Brocco was trying to force him TO BATH.
HE DIDN’T NEED A B A T H.
“I DON’T NEED A BATH, I'M FINE AS IT IS!!!”
The broccoli guard sighed, for once not in his usual armor as those tired eyes stared back at the petty thief, dragging him over to the bathroom door.
His clothes were dragged all over the floor, his arms crossed with the most angry pout one could have from needing to wash himself.
Good. Stupid vegetables and their special rules-
Pinching his eyes with a murmur, Brocco looked back.
“With all due respect, your hair is crusty, you have dirt everywhere and stink up the entire room.”
Karoto restrained an eye roll at that comment, only standing up because the floor got uncomfortable quite fast, dusting himself off.
There was no stopping those snarky comments and little debates between these two.
Not since he was forced to live in Wizzro’s house due to community work.
“It is meant to prevent people from finding me, thank you very much.”
“Because you stink-? Wouldn't they-”
“You have no idea how many people refuse to enter a room without a mask or towel when it smells weird.”
The argument only ended because Brocco opened the door to the bathroom, pulling Karoto along by the shoulder to finally get this over with.
Probably didn't want to lose the argument. Hah.
Nothing more than a groan was given in response, halfly wishing Nabiu was there to get him out of this dilemma and spray him with a garden hose or something.
She would defend him!!! She only said he smelled like a rotten apple once!!
It may have hurt a little, BUT HE FORGIVES HER-
Swhhhhhhhhhhh….
Rushing water was a pleasant sound as the broccoli turned it on, letting the liquid fill up the tub as he checked around the bathroom once more.
Fidgeting. Quietly staring.
Perhaps trying to calm down his hidden anxiety.
It was a rather big room with white tiles, your usual sink with a mirror and a tub-shower combo, no window in this specific bathroom.
There were those special bathroom specific decorations that he knows other bathrooms have, which makes this bathroom not that special, but it's a bathroom so-
“Would you want me to turn around while you undress?”
Shutupshutupimgonnapuke.
Forcing himself not to give the dirtiest glare to the Broccoli, he turned his body around and silently pulled off his coat, his marks showing yet again.
And his scars.
Disgusting. Disgustingdisgusting-
“We carrots literally are half naked all the time.”
The groans that escaped Brocco while he turned around were almost enough to cheer him back up from that low point.
But that just evaporated as he noted that…his beautiful scarf had to come off too.
Naturally. Else it'll get wet and socks.
Whatever frown he meant to hide from view had been seen by Brocco quite quickly, giving the other an opportunity to sigh his heart out.
Bitterness adorned the feeling, twisting in his gut like a feral beast trying to consume him whole-
Just because he could never let go, becauseitstheonethingthatshis-
“...You wanna keep it in sight, huh?”
For once, no snarky comment left his lips as he gave a dry nod, draping the cost over the toilet and the scarf just above the tub.
Safe and sound, away from any danger.
Karoto didn't care to respond as his feet tapped against the tilted ground, watching the water flow in its natural habitat.
Lightly, he moved his hand over his arms and neck, rubbing the spot where all those reminders were kept.
For a moment, he questioned if there was a scar on his neck.
His arms surely kept all those clean lines.
Was there ever a true scar?
Do those actions even leave neck scars?
…Didn't matter, he guessed. Brocco wasn't mentioning it.
Good for him.
He snapped out of the slight thought flow he was in.
A light tilt of the head and a glance was given to the bath bomb that the guard dissolved however.
“...What did you put in there?”
“A bath bomb. You don't know what those are?”
There was a near want to give a sarcastic reply about his whole past in relation to the simple fact that he never knew these ‘normal things’.
But no words needed to be said, Brocco merely averting his gaze in slight discomfort.
“Right, Right…sorry.”
Must have looked weird.
“What do those weird spray balls do?”
Might as well question what he's gonna be sitting in for the next twenty minutes.
“They are mostly for pretty water colors, some even having glitter or smells…this one has blueberry if I remember.”
Karoto silently stared at the blue water, not helping the smile growing on his face as Brocco absently sorted some bottles that he knew nothing about.
Could be important, but might as well do small talk if the awkwardness in the room wasn't gonna leave.
“Blueberry cause of Nabiu?”
“Ah- I…didn't consider that. I just thought it smelled nice.”
Dummy.
Whatever. Tub time.
Let's get this over with-
The dirty carrot carefully lifted a foot, nearly blanking out as he actually put it right back where it was, staring at the water.
Blinking. Staring.
Those eyes beside him didn't help.
“You…do know how to enter a bathtub, right-”
“Yesyesyes, I know. I'm not stupid. I used lakes before.”
“What.”
Ignoring that ordeal, he repeated his steps by actually entering the water, shivering at the sheer warmth that was contained there.
Slowly. Breathe. Repeat.
One step in. Resting his hand on the sides of the tub. Putting the other foot in.
Containing shivers and flinches, catching Brocco reaching out for safety due to reflexes, but soon relaxing as the carrot finally slipped in the tub.
And dear Nantes, this was actually really good for his body.
A silent groan left his lips, sinking further into the tub till only his face was there.
Well beside the mouth, cause he was also hiding that in the water, breathing through his nose that just didn't seem to be seen.
Even if he wasn't that dirty, this was truly a nice change of pace from everything.
“Alright, let's see. What shampoo do you usually use?”
Karoto blinked.
Maybe a few times before opening his eyes tiredly to look back at the oblivious broccoli, giving him the stare that probably said a lot.
The silent wince almost got his smirk to rise again, just to be a bit petty and selfish.
Acting like some stupid Caretaker.
“Oh, yeah, it's not.. normal…my apologies.”
No answer back, but the smell of olive oil caught him, sniffling around before catching the old broccoli opening a cap and pouring it in his hands.
Looking at him once again, somehow respecting boundaries.
“Can I touch you? I could let you clean yourself, but whatever you prefer.”
If Karoto was especially angry or pissy, he would grab the bottle and squeeze the product all over his hair, wasting it to show how much everyone takes it for granted.
Now that he feels unmotivated and relaxed though?
The carrot gave the smallest nod, grumbling to himself as the softest shiver ran through him as those big hands started to go through his green strands.
Massaging the shampoo into them, being careful not to invade and generally just being kind.
Funny thing, Brocco was actually sitting down to properly do it, only wearing a shirt and sweatpants after all.
It was late. About what, 8 PM?
Whoever baths at that time is a moron.
….
Must be why he's in there.
Silent murmurs left his throat as the broccoli grabbed a cup, filling it with water and pouring it over his shampooed greens, filling up the tub with bubbles and foam.
Despite himself, he played with them, getting his face properly out of the bath to push some towards the broccoli guard.
Only stares and silent huffs left the vegetable, which was enough to make him feel calmer with the whole ordeal.
“Raise your arms if you can? So I can apply body wash.”
“Uh-huh.”
Raising his arms, the body wash was soon applied, seeming to be ranch dressing.
A silent chuckle left Karoto.
“You preparing a meal or what?”
That only gave him a smack with the ranch right in his face.
Worth it.
Everything went rather quick if he might say so himself, especially since they weren't talking that much, just getting the cleaning over with.
Of course, the face and any uncomfortable parts he cleaned himself, there were no questions asked about that-
It's just the marks that needed some help, but else he was happily left to soak in the tub, playing with the water and foam.
Quiet only lasts for a bit though, Brocco's voice peaking through.
“...How did you wash yourself before?”
Karoto didn't answer for quite a while as he was in the tub, enjoying the warmth and leaving the poor vegetable in the dark about his tragic, tragic life.
Only when after about 20 minutes or so, the blue of the tub finally faded and it grew cold, leaving the carrot to stand up and groan-
He responded in silent murmurs.
“Waterfall, lake, plants…coral helps a lot.”
Stern gazes weren't easily ignored, not even by Karoto, so the questions of course came as he stepped out of the tub, shaking his legs.
“What in the world did you use corals for-?”
Another eye roll as a towel was wrapped around his body, white and with a rather comfortable texture as he was fried off.
“Hair. I brushed it a lot, how else was I gonna look awesome, hm?”
For once, no groan.
Just a concerned stare that he wanted to kill off at this point, but murder was illegal, just like so many other things in this world.
Wished it wasn't, but that rule only applied to certain situations.
At least now he was clean and grumpy, a combo that he could live with today.
“...I'm.. not gonna press on that. Not today.”
Learned to keep his mouth shut.
Karoro restrained the thought and silently accepted the pajamas given to him, the orange colors not escaping his sight as he grabbed his scarf and coat.
“Don't you wanna cl-”
“No. Never. Shut up.”
He'll die before he gives up his scarf to someone he doesn't know.
Brocco followed as always, leading him back to his room that Wizzro had given him.
His room.
His and his alone.
A safe space.
“...I'll be fine.”
Despite not sharing much worse, Brocco gave a faint nod and turned around, not expecting anything from the carrot as he headed for Wizzro's bedroom-
But a murmured word escaped the other.
“Thanks, Brocco.”
…No gasp.
No words.
A simple nod and a wave.
…
He will be fine.
Even if he doesn't accept help as much.
Maybe someday it'll get easier.
Someday.