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Ascension is idling around the church, admiring the stone walls when he suddenly collapses in a fit of pain.
It radiates across his body, simultaneously feeling like open wounds and new bruises but also like the old ache of something that healed wrong. He tries to move his legs, but the muscles tense and lock, causing him to whine lowly. He can move his arms, but his triceps burn in protest. And even if he could drag himself around with his arms, where would he go?
Ascension curls in on himself and closes his eyes. His body screams at even the slightest movement, unheeding to the defensive position he chose. His knees are pressed to his chest, arms snaked around his thighs. The cold floors of the cathedral normally feel nice against his side, but right now it's just uncomfortable. His skin feels boiling hot yet chillingly hold, like he has a fever. He puts his head down and makes a pitiful, whiny noise from his throat. It sounds digitized and quieter than expected.
"You okay?" someone says above him, voice dripping with worry.
Ascension looks up at Cid leaning slightly over him. His helmet is unemotive as always, but the slight tilt of his head belies a curious concern. In Ascension's soft agony, he didn't notice a man in a full suit of armor walk up to him.
Ascension whimpers quietly, the noise turning into a deep, staticky thing. "No."
"What happened?"
"Don't know," Ascension grits out.
Cid looks at Ascension silently, waiting for an elaboration. "Not very chatty today, are we?" Cid tries to lighten the mood.
"Sorry," Ascension tries to not sound whiny. "Hurts."
Cid flinches slightly and Ascension can see him briefly open his inventory. "Oh shit. Did you get injured or something? Can like, entities get sick?"
"No, I'm not, I-" Ascension winces as discomfort radiates outward from his ribs. He presses his face harder into the stone brick floors. His left thigh begins to hurt worse, the phantom feeling of a newly broken femur causing him to stifle a scream. "It hurts," Ascension whimpers.
Cid shuffles through his inventory, hovering over Ascension helplessly. "So, you're not injured and you're not sick. You just hurt?" Ascension nods. "Do you hurt anywhere specific?"
"No. Everywhere. Badly," Ascension says into the floor.
Cid pauses, looking down at Ascension's crumpled form. "Okay. I might have an idea. Do you want me to pick you up?"
Ascension nods as best he can. Cid leans down and wraps his arms around Ascension. Ascension feels a stab of panic when he's lifted up. He's tucked securely against Cid in a lover's carry, with his face pressed to Cid's chest. His muscles feel tight and sore, but it's not as bad as moving. All Ascension can see is the dark, blue-tined metal of Cid's armor, and so he closes his eye and lets the man take Ascension wherever he pleases.
"So, you might have noticed I've installed a few new mods," Cid walks slowly, careful not to sprint or jostle Ascension too bad. "One of them lets you carry other players. It has a few animations, so the weird bridal carry isn't the only one." Ascension cuddles closer into Cid's chest, a bout of self-consciousness briefly flooding through him before it's drowned out by pain. "I was just building something for another one and ran over to show you, so I guess this works out well? Or, uh- you know what I mean. I already built the thing to help you so I don't need to run around headless while you're in pain."
"I understand," Ascension says into Cid's breastplate. "Thank you." For taking care of me, for not hurting me, for being patient, for saving me; Ascension wants to say more but pain and trepidation stop him.
After a bit more walking, Ascension is maneuvered into one arm as Cid opens a door with a sharp, wooden creak. Ascension wills down any pained noises as his muscles shift uncomfortably. Cid quickly has Ascension tucked back against his chest as he steps into whatever room he's built.
"Ta-da!" Ascension lifts himself off Cid's shoulder with some difficulty and looks at where he's been taken.
Ascension instantly recognizes it as a bathroom. Something simulating a thudding heartbeat pangs in Ascension's chest, panic growing as his body begins to ache more. The comfort Cid offers fades into the background. He swears he can feel the cold pressure of metal bars against his body, forcing him smaller- and smaller- and smaller-
"Hey, you okay?" he can hear Cid's voice, but it sounds hazy and almost far away. "Oh shit. This was a bad idea. I- I'm sorry, I just- Stupid. I'm stupid. Let's leave."
"Wait," Ascension blinks, hard, and tries to really look at where he is. The room is big, needlessly indulgent and luxurious. It's covered in shaded blue tiles, with dark blue tiles acting as the flooring and wainscot and a lighter blue tile covering the upper walls and ceiling. It's nothing like the utilitarian whiteness of the room he died in, the old white paint permanently stained at the bottom. The prismarine tiles look shiny and undamaged. A froglight lights the room, bathing it in a slight lavender haze.
Stood directly in front of him, clearly the piece-de-resistance, is a large, claw-footed bathtub. Its stark white porcelain body stands out against the blue room. He can't remember the last time he had a bath. All of his brief, scattered memories of being "washed" were his captors shoving him into the shower to forcibly clean his wounds. He thinks he might have been hosed off at some point. He doesn't remember the details.
His captors only washed his dilapidated body when absolutely necessary. They never prioritized his comfort, they'd never even think of doing something like this for him: but Cid would, Cid did.
Ascension is hit by a wave of intense emotions- relief, elation, lingering fear- but the loudest one is guilt. Cid's been nothing but kind and selfless, a consistently helpful presence when Ascension's so used to being hurt. As a reward, Ascension assumed the absolute worst of him.
"Sorry," Ascension muttered, sinking back against Cid's chest.
"It's fine, really," Cid doesn't sound too put out. "If I had thought harder, I would've remembered the bathroom thing. It's fine, we can go. I can just help you wait it out, or something. Whatever "it" is."
Ascension struggles with what to say, body wracked by a new set of tremors. He settles on a brief, "I want it."
Cid looks down at him. "Pardon?"
"Bath. I want it."
"You sure? It's totally fine if not-"
Ascension makes a frustrated, droning noise. Cid shuts up. Ascension is once again moved to one arm as Cid messes with the bathtub. Water begins to rise, steam slowly filling the room as it does. Cid clicks something and bubbles begin to fill the tub. It smells like rosemary and something sugary.
"It's a bath-salt-bubble-bath-bomb-thingy. That sounds like too many words to be correct, sorry. I was doing a bit of reading and the stuff I read said it was helpful. It's not too tricky to craft either. I kinda stole a lot of supplies from your garden," Cid explains. Ascension can't tell if Cid picked up on his curiosity or if he's just nervously talking. It's welcomed either way.
Eventually, the water is rapidly approaching the edge of the tub and Cid clicks on something that stops it. He grabs Ascension with both his hands, one tucked under his shoulders and the other tucked under his knees. The bent position Ascension's in makes his calves cramp, but Cid quickly lowers him into the water, gently letting go when he touches the porcelain bottom.
The hot water is pleasant and soothes the pain in Ascensions body. It doesn't disappear, but it becomes something more manageable. The unwelcome tension in his legs, his arms, his back, eases. His muscles still feel weird, like his veins are filled with TV noise, but it chiefly doesn't hurt. Ascension sighs, letting his shoulders relax as his back rests against the tub.
"How do you feel?" Cid asks appraisingly.
"Much better, thank you."
Ascension continues to lie there in an absence of knowing what to do. He understands, logically, the motions of taking a bath, but he's unsure of how to do it in Minecraft. However, he doesn't feel too pressured to figure it out. He's content to sit and allow himself to feel comfortable. He rotates his limbs slightly, testing if the small movements elicit pain. They do not, and the fuzzy feeling in his muscles abates. He doesn't know if he has blood, but he can imagine it rushing to his limbs as they undulate. He leans further back, letting his legs curl under himself.
"Man, that looks nice," Ascension looks over at Cid lazily. The other is usually much more talkative. "Kinda wish I had a bathtub in my apartment..."
"You could join me," Ascension says without thinking.
"D'aww, are you flirting with me?"
Ascension lowers his eyelid, hoping his expression came across as displeased. Cid snickers.
"I'll see if it lets me. One sec." Cid stares at the bathtub and in a single jarring second, is sat in the bathtub. In a full suit of armor.
Ascension flinches, almost jumping out of the tub in shock. Cid tilts his head again. "Are you alright? I can get out of the tub if you don't want me here."
"No, it's fine," Ascension reassures. "You moved faster then expected. And you're still clothed."
"Haha, yeah. There's not an animation for getting into the bathtub. Some other stuff is animated, I'm pretty sure, so it won't break your immersion. Sorry about that. I also don't have a naked version of my skin? And hate to disappoint, but I'm not planning on making one."
He hugs himself tighter, knees tucked under his chin. He's embarrassed that he even brought up Cid's state of dress. "It's okay. I didn't expect you to get naked, the armor was just unexpected."
Cid is real and Ascension isn't. Not anymore. He sinks deeper into the bubbles and wonders if Cid can tell, or if Minecraft's graphics are too limited. Does it even matter?
He selfishly wish Cid was with him for real. He misses being alive, although his most vivid memories are of suffering.
He wishes he had survived and Cid had found him, however impossible both scenarios were. That Cid felt enough kindness to take a broken thing like Ascension into his home and clean up his bruises. To bandage his arms and legs with a care Ascension hadn't felt in a very long time.
"It's fine if it isn't okay, y'know?" Cid breaks Ascension out of his spiraling thoughts. He didn't even notice that his pseudo-breathing was getting fast and shallow. "I care about you and if there's anything I can do to help you, I want to."
Ascension briefly struggles with what to say, eventually settling on, "Thank you." He forces the contracting of his chest to slow, simulating deep breaths. He focuses on the feeling of the warm water surrounding his body. The pain in his body flared when Cid essentially teleported into the tub, so Ascension tries to re-relax.
Eventually, the pit in Ascension's stomach unravels and he's returned to a feeling of general calm. Cid hasn't moved much, pauldrons sitting just above the water as he looks at Ascension. "Feeling better?"
"Mm-hmm," Ascension hums in response.
"Cool." He keeps staring at Ascension, who gets the impression he'd be fiddling with something in the awkward silence if he wasn't stood still.
He's probably typing, Ascension thinks idly and ignores how that makes him feel.
After a bit, Cid says, "So, the mod is a bathing-slash-washing thing. I thought it would be nice to give you some mods that simulate more mundane tasks. So, if you want to you can wash yourself or I can do it for you."
Ascension looks down slightly. He really wants Cid to help wash him, but the hot feeling of embarrassment is preventing him from saying so. Cid has helped so much, it feels like too much to ask of him. Especially because Ascension could wash himself, technically. The idea of Cid doing it is just... it feels sweet. Intimate, in a way Ascension maybe doesn't deserve, in a way Cid might not intend.
"I... Are you sure you're okay with washing me?" Ascension finally says, bowing his head down even further as his shoulders hike up to hide his face.
"Yeah, of course! I wouldn't offer if I didn't want to," Cid says, projecting cheerfulness with every word. Ascension looks up at Cid, searching for any expression of emotion etched into his passive metal helmet. Cid's looking off to the side just slightly. "Sorry if this is kind of a lot, but I want to take care of you. Just please, if this is too much let me know and I'll back off."
"No, this isn't too much. I appreciate it a lot," Ascension says. "You do so much for me. I want you to help me. Please."
"Okay," Cid says, tone unreadable, maybe slightly breathless? Ascension can usually speculate what he'd sound like, but sometimes Cid's messages aren't descriptive enough for that. Ascension wishes he could see what Cid looks like, could properly hear his voice. Then he wouldn't rely on guesswork and fantasy. Maybe one day.
Cid continues, sounding more assured. "Okay, let's test this out. Soap time." Cid moves quickly into Ascension's space, cold greaves pressing against his bare legs. Panic rises and Ascension is on the floor in a flash of purple. He lands with his arms propping himself up, which are feeling increasingly weak as a spasm of pain wracks through him with a vengeance.
He's soaked and shivering, back at square one. He wants to cry.
Cid peaks over the tub's rim. "Shit. Are you alright?"
Ascension nods and crawls towards the tub, grabbing onto the porcelain rim. He tries to lift himself up, but his arms feel fuzzy and weak. Cid grabs Ascension under his arms and lifts him up. The water splashes onto the floor and gets on Cid's helmet as Ascension drops into the water like a stone.
Ascension sits under the water, feeling his muscles loosen under the warm water once again. He's tired of freaking out so much. He fake breaths in once, deeply. He sits up, just so he can look at Cid, who's resumed his position across from him. "I'm fine. Try it again," Ascension says from under a layer of bubbles.
"Are you sure? That freaked you out pretty bad. I feel like I've totally fucked everything up here." He laughs awkwardly. "Sorry. We don't have to do that if you're uncomfortable. I should have said something before doing that- you can also totally wash yourself. Uh."
Ascension hums again and rises in the tub, until his lower back is just barely submerged. "I know. I want you to wash me." Ascension tries to ignore how warm and anxious the admission makes him feel. He feels exposed and raw by this entire situation. The feeling is weird, sometimes mortifying and aching, but other times the vulnerability is almost pleasant. "You were just faster than I expected. I know what to expect now. Do it. Please."
"Okay," Cid says a bit incredulously. He begins again, and Ascension can almost trick himself into thinking the animation is different this time. More caring than aggressive. A washcloth appears in Cid's hands, which he then presses to Ascension's collar. It slides down, across his chest and under his arm. It circles his shoulder and down his arms. Cid shifts slightly before resuming his motions on the other side of Ascension's torso.
He lets his body become pliant in Cid's hands, splaying out his legs and slumping over as the washcloth moves to his back, working between his shoulder blades. It slides down his spine, scrubbing in revolutions. Cid reaches forward to rest a gauntlet-clad hand on Ascension's waist, lightly moving him for better reach. Cid moves to his stomach, rubbing his fingers across Ascension's protruding ribs as he does so. There's a brief spike of pain in Ascension's rib cage, but it's quickly overlooked as the tension in his stomach and core is subtly massaged out.
Cid feels solid and real against Ascension's skin. It doesn't feel like a simulacrum of a bath to him. It's like they're really together.
Cid's hand, obscured beneath two layers of metal and cloth, begins to work on Ascension's thighs. Ascension whines softly, a deep ache resurfacing in his left thigh. He begins to squirm when Cid removes his other hand from Ascension's waist. With two hands, Cid works efficiently and moves on to his calves, muttering a quick "Sorry," as he does so.
As the tension in his thigh dissipates, Ascension muses again on a world where he and Cid are real and together. Where Cid is wiping his battered form off and caring for him. He doesn't think Cid would be disgusted by his bruises and rubbed-raw wounds and how all the limbs on his right side bend wrong. He thinks he would be gentle, caring without making Ascension feel like an inhuman, miserly creature.
Maybe when Ascension got better under Cid's watchful eye, the baths would continue. Maybe Cid would let Ascension return the favor, doffing the armor and letting him take care of Cid the same way. Maybe the touches would become less practical and pure and something... else, Ascension finishes the thought as he, for the first time in a while, feels pseudo-blood rush to his face.
"Awww, are you blushing? I've never seen that before." Ascension closes his eye as Cid moves the washcloth tenderly across his face. The pressure on his face almost seems heavier, as if Cid is really paying attention to the slight redness of the skin there.
Ascension closes his eye. "Maybe. This is really nice." After Cid finishes cleaning Ascension's face, he doesn't move away. Ascension can feel the plates of his armor between his legs. He opens his eye and sees Cid right in front of him, sitting with his knees against his chest. His helmet is mere inches from Ascension's face.
Ascension wonders again what Cid looks like under his armor. He knows logically there's nothing there. It's a static skin not meant to be removed or even observed by something like Ascension. And yet, he wonders. He wishes he could see what Cid looked like, somehow. Maybe there's a mod that lets him see through Cid's webcam. The idea of seeing what Cid looks like, the myriad of appearances and expressions the man could take on, is making Ascension a little giddy. It's rare that this disconnect between him and Cid elicits anything but anguish, but this seems fixable, for once. Cid's smart. He can think of something. He sinks deeper into the water, letting the haziness of comfort and glee further relax him.
"Ascension?"
He blinks and remembers where he is. If he wasn't already blushing, he would be now. "Sorry. I was lost in thought."
"That's alright. I was asking if you like, need shampoo or something."
He's very much bald, but something curls in his belly that makes him say, "I'm not sure. Can we try and see? Do you have any on hand?"
Cid responds by snapping into another animation, pulling out a bottle and squirting translucent, viscous liquid into his hand. He reaches for Ascension waist once again, turning him around so Ascension's back is directed to his chest.
Ascension can hear the clamor of Cid's armored hands rubbing together. They press into his skull and begin to massage the shampoo into his scalp. It's kind of nice. The metal joints feel a little weird, but they don't hurt or pinch his skin. It's just not as comforting as Ascension would have hoped. Ascension wishes Cid could take off the gauntlets.
Again, his mind wanders. His hair had been shaggy and tangled to hell when he died. He pictures Cid's hands without the armor, just bare skin gently untangling his hair. Maybe the overgrowth would be pretty, if someone took care of it. Into something that looks like intentional maintenance and not total neglect.
Ascension feels a little silly when he dunks his head in the water and emerges from the depths bald, as always. The shampoo wasn't the best tool for the job, but it abates the dry skin well enough.
"Okay, we got bathed and shampooed. That's kind of all this mod has to offer. Maybe I can find something with more stuff... I might be able to craft conditioner, or like, a hair mask? Or- something you could actually use, like a body scrub."
"I don't need anything else. This was great. Thank you." Ascension carefully steps out of the bath, instantly shivering in the slightly colder, but still steam-warmed bathroom air. He finds his legs half-asleep, the uncomfortable staticky feeling causing him to quickly sit down on the bathmat before he collapses.
Cid instantaneously stands, the animation no less jarring than him getting into the tub. Moisture beads on the edges of his armor, before dropping gently onto the bathmat and tile. "You want me to towel you off, too?"
"You've done enough, I can manage."
Cid's tone is stern, yet kind. "If you don't want to do it, I can. I want to. I repeat, do you want me to towel you off?
Ascension feels so flustered by his directness and just nods furiously. Cid produces a fluffy, red towel from his inventory and begins to dry Ascension off. He takes the same care he did when washing Ascension's body. The towel is impossibly soft against Ascension's skin, and he reaches out to grab it when the animation ends. Cid tosses him a black bathrobe instead. It's black, sheer, ruffly, and entirely ridiculous. Ascension giggles as he puts it on. It's warmer than it looks, tulle feeling more like cotton while holding warmth like wool. He sighs wistfully.
"You feeling better now?" Cid asks.
"Much. I don't feel in pain anymore. It kind of aches, but that's a baseline for me."
"You're always hurting?"
Compared to an hour or so ago, he feels great. There's no longer a stabbing pain in his muscles. There's no echoes of previous injuries shooting across his body. There's always going to be something under Ascensions skin, like a thin layer of steel wool shoved between his muscles, but it's only mildly discomforting.
He shrugs. "Just a little. I don't think there's anything to be done about it. But this was really nice. Thank you, Cid."
"No problem. I want you to feel good." Ascension can picture him smiling warmly. He really needs to ask about that hypothetical webcam mod.
"Alright. Idea for the next build: a bathhouse, or something. Maybe even a sauna? Somewhere you can go there whenever you start to feel really bad. Or you can just tell me you need help and I'll ferry you there right away."
Ascension looks at him blankly.
The knight tosses his head playfully in a imitation of rolling eyes . "And yes, I'll help if you ask. Always."