•| ⊱ CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE ⊰ |•
❛❛ lolled in wintry, ice cold showers ❜❜
"Actually. . . Can you lend me a hand?"
Xiao asked as he stuck out his upper half body out of the bathroom, his hair soaked wet from the water. The beads of water trickling down his well-toned torso slowly.
You blinked repetitively at his words as your jaw fell agape, "You're literally half naked right now!" You exclaimed, turning away from him to prevent your eyes lurking at something that shouldn't be looked at in the first place.
"It matters not." He nonchalantly responds.
"It does."
"It does not. You don't want to help me?"
"I don't want to."
"You don't want to lend me a hand?"
"I'm coming."
The adeptus felt a burst of laugh escape from his mouth at how indecisive were you when it comes to him. He clutches his stomach right after, chuckling for a solid minute. He'd notice the times you contradict yourself whenever he's involved, and he liked to see you being completely under his spell.
You only shook your head and clicked your tongue several times continuously, annoyed at how you two bickered yet he's always the winner. You grabbed another towel from your closet and paced towards the bathroom. You proceeded to step inside as Xiao only watched you with his keen golden brown eyes. He closes the door right after and stepped inside the shower.
The water was freezing cold enough since it's currently early in the morning. You felt goosebumps, even shivering from the freezing cold temperature.
"Isn't it a bit too cold?" You call out to him, remaining in place, still holding the towel. He simply answers by a "This is nothing." as you hummed in response.
Rivulets of liquid continued to race with each other down the floor, the noises inside the bathroom were filled with nothing but the pellucid droplets of water falling down the adeptus' body in a second.
Tapping your foot impatiently, the long pause after the small talk earlier finally broke, as Xiao spoke.
"Did you not come here to help me?"
"I did!"
"Wash my back then." He commands, the shower noise coming to a halt.
Sighing in defeat, you placed the towel by the shelf beside the shower and stepped in. Your curious eyes land upon the adeptus sitting on a little stool, his bare, well toned back facing you. You took a deep breath, trying not to get distracted.
Just the idea of being together with Xiao inside the shower can get a little... Intimate perhaps. You needed to get your mind off of that thought real quick, or else your imagination would only continue to run wild that might result in unpleasant consequences.
You held the cloth and grabbed another stool, crouching down so you are on the same level as Xiao's, thus making washing his back easier. You dried the excess water off the cloth, and placed it carefully on his light hued skin. You gently rub it against his back in motions, making sure to apply enough force and not miss a spot.
At first, you felt stiff from the pressure to not mess up for Xiao. But soon after, the tension somehow dissipates and you finally felt comfortable, allowing you to feel at ease and not too compos mentis, given that you trust Xiao with your life and he wouldn't do anything petty at all.
A small curve tug your lips upwards at the thought, when suddenly-
Droplets of water soon welcomed your vision and fell on your body, the icy cold water sending you chills that rake your spine. A shriek you let out, the unanticipated water soaking you wet while fully clothed was definitely the last thing you wanted to happen.
This man.
A vein on your neck popped up from the frustration, an irk mark appearing on your forehead as well. You clenched your fists and bit your lip, ready to wreak havoc at the adeptus at this moment.
"Xiaoooo!" You groaned, dragging the vowel of his name. You clutched his shoulders tightly, with a striking gaze focused on him only.
"Washing my back is no point if I don't do the same to you too." He replies, his tone not even fazed one bit and doesn't bother to look back at you too.
"That doesn't mean you can turn on the shower when I'm washing your back here!" You throw light jabs at his back but unfortunately, the punches from you is only comparable to a tickle for Xiao. You kept at it for several minutes nonetheless, not stopping any time soon.
He sighs and turns to you, catching your fists with his hands. You stopped your whining in a second and pursed your lips, looking away from the adeptus' piercing gaze.
"What're you looking at me like that for?" Xiao only sat there, still not letting go of your hands, his eyes only fixed on you.
He then leans closer to your face, his warm breath completely in contrast of the chilly atmosphere engulfing the bathroom.
Xiao bats his eyelash at you, his flaxen orbs conveying he's in a state of awe at his view of you, as if the foreign feeling is from the seventh heaven.
You decided to face him to cut him off from daydreaming, snapping your fingers at his face.
"Hey!"
The ebony haired was then brought back to reality, his train of thoughts ceasing apparently.
"I thought you'll wash my back?" You ask to him, your hands tugging on the hem of your clothing as of now. He only nods, as that was the signal for you to continue.
Xiao heads out for a bit, leaving some space and privacy for you to be able to remove your garments and you called out to him once you were finally done.
You two switched places, you sat on the stool in front of Xiao while Xiao sat behind you.
He gently scrubs the towel on your delicate skin, the pressure he was putting was surprisingly not too much for you to handle.
In all honesty, Xiao washing your back in return felt reposing enough for you to close your eyes and enjoy the present moment.
"I never knew something simple as this could feel so good." You mumbled.
Meanwhile Xiao who had just been scrubbing your back in circles and motions utters no words, but in his mind, he completely agrees.
A flashback comes into Xiao's memory, drifting him away once again from reality.
"Have you ever had someone wash your back?"
"Never will I laze myself to something simpletons would enjoy."
"You always sound so tough and stoic, but I'm betting once you receive that kind of treatment you'll eventually feel mushy."
The memory then fades out in his mind.
Truth to be told, Xiao enjoyed it as much as you did, despite the short span of time you did it for him. It was one of the worthwhile moments he ever lived.
"Regarding to the blood clots you were talking about," You break the ice of silence occuring in between, "I'll treat your wounds after this."
"Oh, that? I was only kidding, I wanted to find a way we can spend a moment in the shower together."
You rolled your eyes, "Since when were you like this?"
"Ever since I met you."
And the rest of the morning was filled with gleeful smiles and endless bickering of the lovers who lolled under the icy cold showers.
Some would say it's nothing but a simple gesture, but to Xiao, it was a sentimental and memorable moment for you were the one who made him feel another side of gentleness in his cruel, ruthless world of bloodshed and battles.
Having someone wash his back after a long day of fighting to death with malicious remnants of evil souls became his comfort in chaos.
At that moment, Xiao simply wished that times like this would never cease.
"Xiao. . ." You call out to him, your voice a soothing, calming music to his ears. He hums in response, and you took it as a sign to continue. "I want to grow old with you." Softened expression paints your face, as you pull him close to your exposed, bare body, enjoying the warmth and safety he offers.
The both of you knew that would be impossible, as you two are two different beings in this world. However, you two would rather believe in foolish dreams rather than face the ugly reality even just for a short moment.
He simply closes his eyes, a melancholic and weary smile tugged on his lips.
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