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“Come on out, you little brat.” Hotori ordered, reaching out. A strand of curly hair smacked her hand in return.
“I don’t have time for this, Bunny.” She huffed, sitting up from her kneeling position.
She looked to the coffee table next to her, staring at the hair care and bathing products. She’d taken so much time and care into picking them out for the young boy, yet he was being so rude in fighting her efforts. She’s never done this with any of the other kids in Eibon, so he could at least act slightly grateful.
Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm herself down. She needed to at least get him to the bathroom before Adler returned from the store, since she could use the excuse of bathing herself to keep the boy hidden. If he was spotted by anyone other than her, she’d never be able to get him out of wherever he’d hide himself until they leave.
Luckily, she’d given Adler a long list this time, so they should still have some time.
“Look, I got bubbles.” She grabbed one of the bottles off the table and held it under the couch. A pretty cheap brand but with good reviews from what she found. And kids liked bubble baths.
No response.
Hotori groaned, putting the bottle back. She didn’t understand; she’d done her research on how to get children to take baths. And he was no younger than Sakiri, so this shouldn’t be so hard. He was usually so good about listening to her too.
Well, except for when it came to bathing, it seems.
“What do you want?” Hotori bent down again, looking directly at the bundle of white curls under the couch. “You need to take a bath, you smell horrible.”
The bundle wiggled a bit, but there was still no response. But Hotori didn’t relent. She refused to let the boy continue to smell like a walking ball of spoiled milk and rotting food if he was going to help out the shop.
“Is there something you need for your baths?” She knew he’s taken baths before, since the minute she mentioned it he had bolted upstairs. So maybe if she gave him whatever he used to have in the past, he’ll come out and they can get this over with.
But he still didn’t respond.
“Ugh! Bunny!” Hotori exclaimed, standing up in a fit of annoyance. She paced the couch, trying to think about something, anything to convince him.
He wasn’t a picky boy, she knew that much. Aside from his sesame allergy, he’ll eat anything. He listens well to her orders, generally wears anything she happens to give him and tries to stay decently groomed-
Well, except for when it comes to his face.
…
His face?
His hair had grown so long that it covered the top half of his face. Whenever she mentioned cutting it or moving it out of the way, he was adamant on keeping it the way it was. She never really cared much since it wasn’t her biggest issue with the boy.
But now that she thought about it, if he was afraid of showing her his face, then it would make bathing difficult. While she was sure he could do it himself, she had invested so much time into the boy that she wanted to make sure every inch of him was clean. Especially when it came to his hair.
“Is there something on your face?” Hotori asked, bending down in front of the couch again. She saw the bundle flinch, and so she knew she finally hit it.
“It can’t be that bad Bunny.” She assured him nonchalantly. She’s seen many things in her time as an Anomaly hunter that whatever was wrong with his face wouldn’t faze her.
The bundle was still and quiet just like every other time she’d tried to convince him. But after about a minute, the locks retreated to their normal length, stopping at his waist. The chocolate skinned boy crawled his way out from under the couch, with Hotori backing up to make room for him.
He was wearing a sweater and sweatpants Hotori had gotten him, with it having been pretty chilly these past few days. His head was downturned, and she could feel the shame radiating off of him.
Hotori sighed. She just couldn’t stay too mad when he looked like that. A kicked rabbit. She reached out for the lump of hair in front of his face, stopping when he flinched. So she changed her trajectory and placed the hand on his head, petting it a little.
“I won’t mind.” She assured calmly, reaching out with her other hand to prop up his hair.
Underneath were his eyes, which she’d never seen before. Two dull, red and purple orbs with cracks in them.
Hotori was a little floored. He was so worried about his eyes? Had someone said something to him about them? That had to be it, because why else would he be so scared of showing her them.
“They look fine.” Was all she said, letting the hair flop back down in front of his face. She stood up, gathering the various products on the table. She could feel his gaze on her the entire time she did so.
“Really?” He questioned in disbelief, and Hotori was secretly glad he was speaking to her again.
“Yes, really.” She repeated, looking back at him. Her gaze had softened a little, and he gestured for him to stand up. “Now let’s go.”
She turned and headed for the bathroom without any other comment, with the patter of small feet trailing after her.