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If Battat hadn’t gotten up from his work desk to get himself another cup of coffee he wouldn’t have noticed anything out of the ordinary.
The very moment he arose from his seat, the door to Mike’s room opened and one of his partners stepped in. While that in itself wasn’t a weird thing – one glance at the clock confirming the other’s shift had already ended – the way they had entered confused and worried him.
Usually, when Jongler returned from work they would at least greet him, and if he wasn’t for once laser focused on a task, they’d come over to kiss him on the cheek or on the forehead. Afterwards they’d head for the closet, remove their Mike outfit, and come out again in casual, comfy clothes – or, depending on the time of day, their pajamas.
But none of that happened this time. His partner immediately went inside their shared bedroom, no greeting, no wave of their hand, not even a quick glance in his direction, nothing. And to make things even stranger, for the short amount of time he saw them, they looked like they were limping. Heavily. Did they get hurt or injured in any way, or were they just so tired they couldn’t even walk straight anymore?
Battat decided against another cup of coffee and followed his partner into the bedroom, worry for their well-being now mixing with the already present confusion. Once inside, he was greeted with the sight of Jongler frantically removing pieces of their outfit, strewn about on the floor and bed sheets without care or order. They’d normally fold everything into neat little packages and put them away as soon as they were done changing, but this? Their boyfriend could only stare for a second, bewildered by their unusual behavior.
“Uh. You need help there?”, Battat noticed them struggling to remove their tight skirt, it almost seemed like they had trouble standing up again. Jongler looked over, visibly irritated as their hands balled into fists. The other gulped.
“’S fine. I’s jus’ needs ta get dis fing offa me”, they sounded genuinely pissed off, and even if it was downright frightening to see them like this, Battat approached further and stopped right in front of them. They glanced at him, before trying again to slip the skirt over their hips.
“Wait, wait, you’ll ruin it like that”, their boyfriend cautiously laid his hands on their arms, stopping their movements, then leaned over to their side and fiddled with the small zipper located there, “Forgot about that little sucker again, huh?” He tried to lift the mood a bit, with only marginal success.
“Wasn’t thinkin’.” At least they seemed a little calmer than before when the fabric finally slid over their skin and onto the floor. As soon as they were free, they grabbed at their right leg and with only a few moves removed their prosthesis and let it fall to the ground. And finally, with a long groan, they let themselves fall backwards onto the mattress, significantly more relaxed.
The other hesitated before he sat down next to their partner, a little calmer now that he knew what seemed to be the source of their irritation. He felt a bit guilty, as if it had been his fault somehow.
“Too tight?”
Jongler turned their head over, a slight smile grazing their lips. “Not reallys. Jus’ got real itchy n’ uncomfy to da point of it bein’ unbearables after a while”, they slowly sat up once more, running a hand over their upper leg, “think I may have scratched sum’n open dere.”
Battat’s face fell onto their leg, the sock still covering the remaining limb. It seemed to look fine to him on first glance, like it usually did when they slipped out of their prosthesis at the end of the day. They’d had this thing for as long as he could remember, so why did it cause them such discomfort suddenly? Hell, they would have slept with it on a few times if he didn’t remind them to take it off, so it shouldn’t be this bad normally!
He carefully rolled off the sock in contemplation, noticing slight wrinkles in the fabric, which he quickly discerned as the source of their discomfort. Slowly revealing reddened and scarred skin, he quietly sucked in a short breath as his thumb stroked over the slightly blistered area. At least there were no open wounds.
“Looks like you put it on a bit too quick when you left”, the shorter thought out loud as he inspected the fabric, “it’s all wrinkly. No wonder it bothered you this much!”
Jongler put their index finger to their chin, thinking back, “I’s think it mighta been da whole runnin’ ‘round I’s had ta do todays. Needed me everywheres at da same times”, they shook their head and let out a short huff, “Dunno how ya do it, Batts.”
Flushing a little, Battat glanced at them, just to immediately focus on their situation again, “Did he not let you at least sit down for a minute?”
“Nope”, Jongler shook their head again, “wouldn’t let mes get a words in.”
“Of course he didn’t”, he let out a sigh, resting his forehead against his palm. Even if he may not have looked like it, on the inside, he was furious. Sure, he was used to their boss and his tendency to overwork his employees, but when it happened to be one of his partners coming back from work utterly exhausted – so much so they could barely even walk anymore – it just pissed him off to no end. He usually only wanted to rip his hair out in frustration if it happened to him, but when it had targeted his partners? He had to genuinely hold himself back on donning the costume and giving his boss a piece of his mind. Perhaps even threaten to quit then and there. Tenna and the studio would be nothing without them, without Mike. He’d literally fall apart if the three of them were gone from one day to another!
But, he continued to focus on his partner instead, taking a breath.
“Anyway”, he stood up from the bed, “I’m gonna get you a towel, you need the cream too? Is it still itchy?”
“Uh, actuallys-”, the taller showed a quick shrug, “I’s should prolly take a bath. ‘M all sweaty toos…”
Battat nodded, that made sense. And it would probably help a bit better after that sensory overload they had to endure during their shift. He hummed in thought as he went to pick up the prosthesis on the floor.
“I’m guessing you don’t really want your leg right now, huh?”, he was only met with a short hum and a shake of the head, the other working on fully unbuttoning their shirt now. Once again his cheeks reddened a little, even if he had been together with them for years at this point, seeing them undressing still managed to fluster him. It somehow still felt to him like a violation of their privacy, even though they were fully aware of his presence and didn’t mind it in the slightest if he saw.
“Okay then”, the other leaned the leg he was still holding on to against a nearby wall, “where’d you put your crutches again?” He headed straight to the wardrobe in their room and took out a fresh change of clothes for his partner while he was at it. What he was actually looking for was not found, however.
“Uhh, I’s fink I put ‘em unda da bed?”
“Under the- why would you put them under the bed??”
Jongler merely proceeded to shrug, and Battat slapped a hand against his forehead. He supposed they didn’t really need them as often, as their leg didn’t cause a lot of trouble like this for them. Still, having them stowed away in a place they probably couldn’t even reach by themselves wasn’t exactly ideal.
Without another word, the smaller crouched down and crawled under there, immediately disgusted by the amount of dust bunnies that had accumulated. Once he had retreated them and dusted them off a bit, he handed the crutches over to his awaiting partner, who shot him a slightly apologetic, yet grateful look.
“Eugh, look at this!”, he picked several small dust clumps from his clothes and promptly threw them in the trash, “I swear, if we ever get a new bed, I’ll make sure there’s no room to put things under it.”
Once the two arrived over in the bathroom – it took a bit longer than usual due to the taller almost falling over twice – Jongler sat down on the shower stool placed next to the bathtub, while their boyfriend got to work preparing the water, just how they liked it. Not too hot, not too cold, a moderate to high amount of suds. It wasn’t really Battat’s preference – he could tolerate it, but he’d much rather take showers. Not that he’d straight up refuse to get in, but if he had the choice, he’d almost always go for the shower instead. Pluey on the other hand really didn’t like to shower. But it loved bubble baths, more than what was necessary (in Battat’s words), especially if there were so many suds that the tub nearly overflowed. At least it cleaned up the mess it would create after playing with the bubbles – even if the shortest had to sternly remind it to do so the first few times that happened.
“Do you, uh- need any help getting in?”, normally they didn’t, but Battat still wanted to make sure, fidgeting with his hands. Jongler let their fingers dip into the water to test the temperature, swirled them around a little before they turned to face the other again.
“Think I gots it” They prepared to slip out of their boxers, but stopped before they pulled down the hem, “Ya maybe wanna get in, toos?”
The question caught the smaller off guard, choking on his spit as his face instantly became the color of a particularly ripe apple. He’d never shared a bath with anyone before – excluding perhaps his mother when he was still a baby – and the thought of being so close to his partner, especially while naked, flustered him even more.
“I mean I knows ya ain’t into baths as much but…”
He tensed, unsure what they were about to say. Why would they want him to join when they could have some time alone for themselves, away from him and his inevitable complaints and rants? They might be partners, but they must be tired of him sometimes, right? Also, wasn’t it awkward, not to mention awfully cramped in such a small tub? They already had trouble fitting in by themselves, wouldn’t another person just make it too tight to be able to move? Not that they’d necessarily have to move around in there, but still!
“Ya look like ya needs it”, they simply concluded, tilting their head with a warm smile.
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?? Am I too stinky for you, is that what you’re telling me? I’ll have you know I took a shower-”
“Calm downs, Battsy”, Jongler released a short chuckle, “I’s meant more fer relaxin’. Youse always so stressed, ‘s worth a try at least.”
Battat averted his eyes as he crossed his arms over his chest, slightly embarrassed. He supposed he could try it out, it’s not like there was anything beyond cleaning themselves off that would be happening in that tub. That’s what they were made for, after all! And besides, his partner wouldn’t do anything he wasn’t ready for, he wasn’t comfortable with, he knew they’d respect his boundaries and – most importantly – wouldn’t be upset with him if he rejected their advances.
“Okay, fine. Just… get in there while I’m getting fresh clothes for myself.” With that, the shorter turned around and headed back to their bedroom, the other in the meantime doing as they were told, skillfully heaving themselves into the warm, soapy water and releasing a deep sigh as their body fully submerged.
Barely a minute later, their boyfriend returned with only a shirt and boxers on, and a new change of clothes in his arms which he placed into the sink nearby. He hesitated with undressing, shoulders rising up in discomfort.
“Ya want me ta look away?”
Battat glanced up, suddenly unsure about this whole situation. He hated the feeling of his skin being exposed, particularly his chest and crotch area, as when those were covered, he at least didn’t have to see his body, the parts that weren’t what he wanted to be. He supposed he had to look at it when he showered as well, but he was always done so fast that he at least didn’t get to see it for too long. But this was so much different somehow. Not only did he have to share the tub, he’d have to stay in it for much longer as well, leaving himself exposed for much longer. His gaze fell onto the ground in shame.
“Hey, Batts, look”, Jongler spoke up once more, waiting for their boyfriend’s eyes to meet theirs, “lookit all dose bubbles fer a sec, okays? Ya can’t see through ‘ems, can ya?” They waited for him to glance inside the tub, convincing himself of their words. Of course, if he suddenly felt too uncomfortable with all this, they’d understand, wouldn’t pry any further, but they thought it was at least worth a try.
A wobbly little smile grazed the other’s lips, and soon enough he removed his clothes and joined the other in the water as quickly as possible, covering his side of the tub with as many suds as he could. It felt weird at first, but not unpleasant. The water was nice and warm on his skin, yet oddly refreshing at the same time. His muscles slowly relaxed on their own until his leg bumped into the other’s, pulling it back towards himself.
Jongler just gave back a smile, a quiet way of telling him not to worry about it. Accidental touches were simply inevitable in a small tub like this, especially if one of them was so tall they only barely fit in there if they laid all the way down. But hey, Pluey and them made it work too whenever they’d take baths together.
The taller slowly sat up a bit, arms resting on the sides of the bathtub, before tilting their head in contemplation. Their boyfriend only stared, slightly confused.
“I’s fink yer hair needs a wash.”
Battat couldn’t help but shoot them a slightly offended look, but held himself back on saying anything and merely huffed in response. His hand shot up to grab at a strand of his hair, reluctantly having to agree as he felt the accumulated greasiness on his head. He undid his hair tie and promptly put it around his wrist as his nearly shoulder length hair unfolded slowly, beginning to comb his fingers through them.
“Wait, uh-”, his partner began, holding out one of their hands, “Can I’s do it?”
Once again, Battat could only stare, bewildered by such a request. Did they think he couldn’t do that himself? He was a grown ass man, of course he knew how to wash his own damn hair! The nerve- the audacity-
“Youse did so much fer mes today, I wanna do somethin’ fer youse as well.”
… did he really? All he’d done was get their crutches from under the bed and help them get to the bathroom, but that goes without saying! Okay, and maybe he stored their Mike clothes back into the closet, but not nearly as neatly as they’d do it. Maybe he put their prosthesis out of the way, and maybe he brought them fresh clothes without them asking for it, but that’s something anyone would do! He didn’t need something done for him in return – nor did he deserve it, in his opinion!
But despite it all, he silently obliged, pouting as he leaned his head forward, arms once again crossed over his chest. The other practically beamed as they started to giggle to themselves in joy.
“Yeah, yeah, just. Get it over with already…”, their boyfriend grumbled in feigned annoyance, his flushed cheeks betraying his words. He couldn’t lie, it felt nice to be with his partner like this. Even if he felt awkward at first, that feeling subsided merely a minute after he’d joined them. He knew he could trust them enough to keep his comfort in mind, to give him the option of retreating if it became too much for him. They were so nice, so patient with him, even if he often felt like they shouldn’t be.
Jongler cupped some water into their hands and slowly let it flow over Battat’s head, running down the sides of his face as he sat still, trying to let himself enjoy the feeling of warm water caressing his scalp a few times over. Underneath the still thick layer of bubbles, he fidgeted with his fingers, slowly getting used to being taken care of like this, even though it was just something small like letting his hair get washed. If he wasn’t still sitting in such warm water, he’d be sure he’d have started to shiver at the close contact.
Soon, his head was thoroughly massaged and his hair shampooed, the subtle smell of coconut now present in the air. He preferred shampoos with scents that didn’t linger for too long, and which you wouldn’t be able to still smell days after using them. Not everyone needed to know what kind of shampoo he used from a mile away!
The careful, rhythmic caresses against his scalp and temples succeeded in finally fully relaxing him, evident by his gently closed eyes and the quiet, pleased hums that left his lips. His partner smiled, glad that they could get him calm like this. They momentarily let go to dip their hands back into the water, getting the excess suds off, then softly cupped the other’s face, lifting it to make him look at them.
They sighed dreamily, “I love youse so much, Batts”, before slowly closing the gap between the two of them, pressing their lips together for just a short moment. Battat relaxed even further, melting into the kiss before they were separated again, a goofy, wobbly smile on his face. By the Angel, he loved that idiot so much. He curled his lips inwards for a second, and-
His face contorted as he pressed his eyes shut, leaning backwards. “Think I got shampoo in my mouth…”
Jongler couldn’t hold back a laugh as they apologized, quickly returning to the task at hand as they beckoned the other closer once more. Water poured over his head, the suds slowly washed out, and the bubbles in the water seemed to slowly subside as well. Battat felt the skin on his fingers slowly becoming wrinkly as they finished up, remembering the reason he tended to take quick showers instead.
Once dried up and changed, the two slowly made their way back towards the bedroom – once again, Jongler had slight troubles with their crutches, not being used to using them as much anymore. While they made themselves comfortable on the mattress, Battat made sure to clean the inside of their prosthetic leg’s socket and, once done, leaned it back against the wall on his partner’s side for easy access.
It was already evening, and their third should be returning from his shift soon. Without a word, just by holding their arms open, they convinced their boyfriend to come close, snuggle up to their side and enjoy the rest of the evening with them like this. And he let it happen, despite his once again reddened face and faked grumbling.