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“Oi, your dog stinks.” Butcher’s tone wasn’t inherently malicious, but there was a firmness that made Hughie lift his head. “By the time I get back, she better smell like a bucket of fucking roses.” He threw over his shoulder, heavy footsteps being followed by the slam of the front door.
Mayhem, perched on the couch, engrossed in a nature documentary, turned her head as he left. Her excellent nose could tell she was getting a bit ripe, but it usually wasn’t a big deal when she was in her wolf form. Her human form did tend to stink a lot more frequently, she noted. Bathing was usually taken care of by Hughie, as she was still getting used to her human form, and preferred to stay a wolf when things were uncomfortable. Tucking her arms into the oversized sweater she was wearing, she prepared to shift before Hughie caught her.
“No, no! Hey, uh, May, I was thinking that this time, you could take a bath- well uh, learn how to bathe yourself.” May paused and looked up at him from the couch, head tilting in question. “You know, the whole ‘strong, independent woman’ mission I’m trying to teach you? Regular grooming habits as a- human- are important to learn.”
“You’ll teach me, right?” her gaze never left his, a habit that he sometimes felt was a bit uncomfortable, but knew it was because she trusted him so much.
“Yeah, of course I will. Come on, I’ll show you how it all works.” At his reassuring tone and smile, she bounced up from the couch, following him happily as he led the way into the bathroom.
Luckily, this bathroom only had a shower and no tub, something that Mayhem was not at all a fan of when he tried bathing her originally. Hughie’s research into getting a rescue dog informed him that most of the time, running water was incredibly frightening, and a bath was a much safer option. With Mayhem, he was quickly proven wrong. She still had yet to tell him why the still water was so triggering, but he wouldn’t pry. The shower was big enough to fit two people (or a large wolf) comfortably, with a shower curtain depicting a very pleasant forest. All of the regular bathing supplies were kept on a shelf, and the shower head was detachable, very handy for bathing a Supe who spent the majority of their time as a wolf.
“Alright, so you obviously know the routine of bathing, but not how to operate it yourself.” Hughie turned to make sure she was paying attention, raising his eyebrows as she was less than an inch away, staring intently. “Good, so- the knob here, when it sits here, it’s off. Move it this far, it’s gonna stay pretty cold. The further you move it over, the hotter it gets. I’d say the sweet spot is right about here, which is what I usually use for you.” He stepped back to watch her fidget with the knob as he had, testing the current of water with her hand before shutting it off.
“Since it’s a shower, you don’t really have to turn off the water like normal, you can keep it running. Um, I don’t know if this dog shampoo is safe for people…” he trailed off, stepping into the shower to pick up the bottle and read the back.
While he was busy with that, Mayhem had stepped in as well, and turned on the water, spraying them both. Hughie yelped in surprise, dropping the bottle with a loud thud and turning around. Shutting off the water quickly he stepped out, clothes now partially wet, while May had gotten the worst of it, her sweater and pajama pants now soaked. Looking at him in question, she turned the water back on, huffing as Hughie turned it off right after.
“Am I showering, or not? You aren’t being clear.” She frowned.
“You don’t shower with me in there with you, and not with your clothes on!”
Right, she thought. Humans don’t wear their clothes for certain things, but do for others.
Giving a short nod, she pulled the sweater off and pantsed herself, now standing nude in the shower. Hughie blinked before averting his gaze, cheeks gaining a dusting of pink.
I forgot about humans and the whole ‘no clothes’ rules. I thought he’d be more used to it by now. Am I not still me this way?
“Just, here-” he reached out for the sweater, “Just- shower. I’ll be outside, uh, yeah. Towels on the rack. Don’t be too long.” He gave a nervous cough, heading for the door.
May picked up on his behavior, frowning. “Aren’t you going to stay?”
“Um, well, humans don’t really bathe together, unless they’re in- unless they’re in a relationship.” Hughie had paused at the door, now able to meet her eyes, but not for long before he averted his gaze again.
“Are we not? You’ve bathed me before, and never had a problem. Why are you being so weird about it now?” She let out a short whine, confused as to why he would leave her alone.
“Because you were a dog before! It’s not weird when a guy gives a dog a bath, but when a guy gives a-” Flustered for the right phrasing, he changed tactics. “This is about you getting independence. Learning how to do this stuff on your own, so you don’t have to rely on me.”
“I like relying on you,” she murmured, which softened the crease in his brow.
“I know, me too.” His voice was soft. “How about this? I’m gonna go throw these clothes in the wash, and I’ll come back and sit right outside the door, in case you need any help. Ok?”
May nodded in agreement, turning back to the shower as Hughie closed the door behind him. Soon, the water was at a decent enough temperature, and she simply enjoyed playing with the water for a moment. If she closed her eyes, it felt like the rain on a warm evening. Having calmed and acclimatized to being in the shower as a human, she turned to the shelf of various bottles. Recognizing the one Hughie always used on her, she picked it up. Squeezing a good amount into her hands, she mimicked how Hughie would bathe her, running her hands in small circles around her body. Exchanging the bottle for another, she lathered her hair, humming. It felt the closest to when she’d get baths as a wolf, and she felt a tinge of loneliness at having to do it herself, missing Hughie’s gentle massages during bath time. Peeking her head out of the shower door, she gave a sniff. Her senses were dampened by the smell from the shower, so she relied on her hearing to confirm that Hughie was indeed, outside the door, like he promised.
“Hughie?” She called, scraping her foot against the ground in an anxious tic. “Hughie?” A little louder.
“Yeah, what’s up?” He leaned halfway in the room.
“Can you help wash my back?” Before he could say anything, she quickly continued. “I know you want this to be an independence teaching moment, but I can’t fully reach, and I don’t want Butcher to yell, and-”
She knew she’d won when Hughie’s sigh ended with a small smile, and he closed the door behind him as he made his way over. “You know you’re supposed to keep the curtain shut for the shower, right?”
“You never did before,”
Another sigh, but he had rolled up his sleeves, taking the bottle from her and lathering his hands. Her back turned toward him, she felt her eyes close at the contact of his hands on her skin. It was different without fur, more sensitive, warmer. Something she wouldn’t mind getting used to. When she sensed him being close to done, she wordlessly pointed at her hair, hoping he would get the hint. Another victory was announced by yet another sigh from Hughie as he acquiesced. May was now rumbling in contentment, the familiar feeling of his steady hands soothing any aches away as he rinsed out her hair.
“Alright, all done.” The phrase was a natural response he used at the end of bath time.
Hughie let her shut off the water, moving aside so she could step out. Before he could remind her where the towels were, he was cut off as she began shaking off the water. His mouth was agape, and May felt a tinge of fear for a second that she had done something really wrong. Thankfully, he burst into laughter, and the muscles in her shoulders relaxed.
“That’s not how we normally do it,” He smiled, bringing her a proper towel. “Guess I can never get away from you shaking water on me, huh?”
May rumbled in response, gravitating closer to him as his arms outstretched, helping to run the towel over her shoulders. He pulled her in close, and their breath intermingled in the close proximity. Blinking slowly, she gave a dopey smile, nuzzling into his neck as he embraced her in a hug. It always felt the best being this close to him, breathing in his natural scent, feeling the thrum of his heartbeat. After giving a soft kiss to her forehead, he paused, sniffing at her hair.
“Did you use my shampoo?”
“Yeah, it’s for hair.” Her response was muffled in his neck. “Smells like you, too.”
Their tender moment was cut short as Butcher came through the door, taking them in for a moment.
“What the fuck do we have here?” He smirked, continuing on in the face of Hughie’s surprised silence. “You know what? Don’t care. I need to use the facilities. You lovebirds? Scram.”
Mayhem noticed first the blood on his clothes, some of it staining his skin. Her nose told her that most of it was not his, except for a small amount coming from a wound on his side. It was small, no cause for alarm, in her eyes.
“Butcher, are you hurt?” Hughie finally spoke, a crease in his brow forming.
“Just a scratch, don’t you worry luv. I’ll be patched up as a preening peach in a moment. Not till you lot get a move on, yeah?”
“Now who stinks?” Mayhem smirked, feeling emboldened by his relatively friendly manner.
“Nice one. You gonna go around stark naked all day? I’ll have to set up me camera and grab a pint. I wouldn't want to miss the show.”
At that, Hughie stepped in. “Alright, enough. May, let’s go, next up on the list is learning how to do laundry.”
“Oi,” Butcher called, making them pause in the hallway outside the bathroom. “You better not’ve used up all the hot water, or there will be Hell to pay.”
The bathroom door shut behind him, and May was left to look at Hughie sheepishly. Together, they let out a fit of giggles as they ran down the hall towards the laundry.