Work Text:
It had never occurred to you to buy different body washes, but according to some of your co-workers, they had very strong opinions about body washes being used in the same household between men and women.
From what you had learned, many of your male colleagues opposed the idea of using the same floral or fruity-scented body wash as their girlfriends. Likewise, your female colleagues echoed a similar sentiment from their own boyfriends.
This puzzled you, because not once did you recall Zayne being upset by sharing the same body wash as you, and he had never ever appeared to shop for his own personal products or asked you to pick any specific items for him.
Maybe he’s too nice to bring this up, you considered despondently on your way home from work. Zayne wasn’t the type to do or say anything that could upset you. On the contrary, he often went along to many of your preferences. Suddenly, you felt bad, not wanting him to sacrifice his own comfort to make you happy.
So that was why you had stopped by a store to pick out something from the men’s personal care aisle. Lined neatly on the shelves were generic dark gray colored bottles with scents described as:
Midnight Swim
Clean Comfort
Extra Fresh
Glacier + Granite
Apollo
Nothing on the packaging indicated what sort of scent they were, so you discreetly started sniffing through each one, grimacing along the way until you found a scent that seemed pleasant enough. It was lightly-scented, something you thought would be appropriate in a hospital environment.
Later that night as you were preparing dinner, you told Zayne he should shower first since he had such a long day at the hospital. As you were chopping some vegetables, you suddenly sensed a presence behind you. Turning around, you were startled to see Zayne standing in the kitchen with damped hair and just a towel around his waist.
“Did you… buy this?” he asked, holding up the new bath product you had brought home.
“Do you not like this scent?” you asked in return, frowning and suddenly disappointed with your earlier choice.
“The scent is fine,” Zayne responded, but he also appeared to still be troubled. He looked at you hesitantly before proceeding with his next question, “Do you not want me to use your body wash?”
You looked at him shocked.
“I… I apologize,” he said, looking embarrassed, “I didn’t think it would be an issue, but perhaps I should have asked first—”
“No, no!” you interrupted him quickly, surprising Zayne. “I… I only bought it because I thought you didn’t like my body wash…”
“Why wouldn’t I—when have I ever said I dislike them?” he questioned you, utterly baffled by your explanation.
Sheepishly, you recounted your earlier conversation at work among colleagues, and Zayne listened with great patience even when you went off on multiple tangents during your retelling. By the time you had finished your explanation, Zayne looked so amused, appearing to delight in your own misunderstanding.
“Don’t laugh at me…” you said, sulking.
“I’m not laughing at you,” he protested. “Come here.”
Suddenly, you felt Zayne’s arms around you, and your face was pressed close to his chest. Instinctively, your own arms wrapped around his waist.
“Silly girl,” he sighed, kissing the top of your head. “I don’t mind using the same body wash as you. And if I were completely honest—”
He stopped abruptly, so you looked up, confused. Zayne’s smile greeted you, and he kissed the tip of your nose.
“I like sharing the same scent as you,” he confessed, adding, “Whether we both smell like peaches or pears or jasmine—I like them all, because they remind me of you, and it makes it seem like you’re always by my side.”
You smiled, feeling touched by his heartfelt words. “So, I did all of that worrying today for nothing?”
Zayne shrugged helplessly, his smile just as unsure. “Guess so,” he responded. “But it’s nice to know that you were thinking about me so much today.”
You noticed the way his eyes darted to the bottle of body wash, still seeming unsure about the product. An idea immediately found its way into your head.
“It’s too much of a hassle to return this,” you said, adding thoughtfully, “How about we both use it this time?”
Zayne raised a brow inquisitively, but that expression didn’t stay long, because his face quickly broke out into a pleased smile when you told him:
“I want to smell like my Zaynie, too.”