A King's Bath
Water the color of earth swirls around him, warm and comforting, cradling him like soil does a tree. For a fleeting moment, he feels like a king. Yet the reality is far from regal. He is just a man, bathing in his own filth. The sight is shameful—a bright sheen of grease floating on the surface, catching the light like a mocking crown.
The moment abruptly ends. He plummets from his lofty perch, the harsh winds clawing at him as gravity drags him down. He shuts his eyes tight, clenching his fists until his nails dig into his palms.
“Raud, is this good?” your voice pulls him from the fall, embracing him gently as he floats back to reality.
He flutters his eyes open. Blurry vision grows focused with each blink until he sees the room for what it is. A wooden bath, short walls and gentle hands on his head, their touch soft and soothing as they massage him.
“Raud?” you ask again, and it is now that he realizes he forgot to respond.
“Y-yes.” He did not mean to stutter, but it is too late to try again. He sees the water once more and remembers the feeling of the fall. Shame crawls through the small hole of his chest until its ripping its way out.
You chuckle before speaking, “You are as dirty as a stray pup.”
His chest dips. He is filthy, he knows, but hearing someone say it is a knife to the heart. He feels himself sink into the water made of dirt, colored brown and oiled with his muck. His cheeks burn and when a warm hand slides under his jaw, forcing his head back, they burn brighter.
You arch a brow, your gaze fixed on him with such intensity that he begins to feel stripped bare, as though even his skin offers no cover. A smile tugs at your lips, soft yet teasing. "I love pups," you murmur, “much like I love you.”
Your fingers brush his cheek, wiping away a stray mark. He doesn’t mean to, but he leans into your touch. The gentle caress you offer is one he would savor for all of eternity if he had the choice.
“Are you comfortable?”
He nods, his eyes fluttering shut as he sinks into the warmth of your hand gently rubbing his head.
“Good. You deserve it.”
He almost opens his mouth to argue, the words forming sharp and ready, but a hand—your hand—rests gently against him, a quiet comfort that holds his protest at bay.
“From now on, I will make sure you get your baths.”
Raud frowns. “I am not a child.”
“You are not, but I know you well enough to know you will not take these baths without my command. You are my beloved, and I want my beloved to feel his very best.”
Raud shakes his head without meaning to. It’s an instinct, to refuse any kind words sent his way. A hand catches his jaw once more.
"You will feel clean, good. I will make sure of it," you assert firmly, tilting his head gently with your hand. "Understood?"
He bats his eyelashes. Your skin is so smooth… “Yes.”
“Good.” You smile softly, your eyes shining with a gentle light. “Now stand up, we are done.”
Raud blinks. Already?
He hears you shift behind him. Your hands fall from his jaw, and instantly he misses the feeling. The scalding water has been blown cold by time, no longer does it warm his skin as it did before. So leaving is not a challenge. He lifts himself from the bath, the water pulling at him to stay. When he steps out, he feels your eyes on him like a chilly hand.
You observe, slowing unraveling a rag, your eyes heavy with dissection. Raud forgets how to breathe. When you step up to him, finally meeting his gaze, he inhales sharply. You smile, tilting your head.
“Shy?”
He shakes his head even though he most certainly is.
“I have seen you naked how many times now?” you whisper, a coy smile tugging on your lips.
Raud gulps, he refuses to answer.
“Would it help if I were naked too?”
Yes. “No—“ Raud almost swallows his tongue. “N-no.”
Your smirk grows as your hands slither down your tunic. His hands move fast as they grip your own. He shakes his head again and you giggle. The sound dips his heart in a boiling cauldron.
“I tease.” You kiss his cheek, too fast for him. “I can undress later.” You wink, wiping him dry with the rag.
He feels shame to be so eager for time to pass by fast.
