I FELT ELIAS watch me as I carried the clothes, bandages, alcohol, and scissors to the bathroom.
Setting the supplies down beside the tub, I searched the bathroom until I found the clean towels hanging neatly on a rack against the wall. Glancing over my options, I grabbed a small hand towel and brought it back over to the tub. Kneeling beside the old fashioned porcelain bath, I opened the bottle of rubbing alcohol, pouring some out onto the clean towel.
The alcohol burned the cuts on my hand and I cursed myself for not wearing gloves as I wiped down the tub and the surrounding floor, killing any bacteria that may have remained from previous guests. I was going to be treating a wound here soon, and I wanted the area to be as sterile as possible.
Once that was finished, I reached over to turn on the faucet, letting the water wash away the remnants of alcohol before closing the drain. As the tub began to fill with hot water, I readied a clean wash cloth and full size towel.
Now all I needed was Elias.
Stepping out of the bathroom, I walked over to where Elias sat on the bed. His eyes had drifted from me and were looking around the room, taking in the color of the walls, the outdated furniture, and the dusty curtained lamps that lit the room.
Now that we were inside, he seemed calmer. The uneasiness and fear he displayed earlier was now replaced by curiosity of his new surroundings.
This was all new to him. Gone were the plain white walls and overly bright fluorescent lights that had made up his entire life. Now he was here, in the real world.
With me, a small voice in my mind added. I smiled.
Walking over to him, his eyes found mine and fixed me with a curious look as I approached.
"I think it's time to get all this blood off don't you?" I asked, holding out my hand to him.
His lips twisted into a grimace as he obliged, leaning on me as we made our way to the bathroom. Once inside, I had him sit at the edge of the tub while I grabbed the scissors I bought. When I faced him again, his eyes were transfixed on the water of the tub.
I watched as he reached towards the water, touching the surface before being his hand back up to his face. It took me a moment to realize what he was looking at.
His reflection.
I sifted through my memories to try and recall if I had seen any mirrors in the lab, but my mind came up blank. Briefly, I wondered if this was the first time he had ever seen himself. Taking a deep breath, I walked back over to him slowly.
"I hope your not planning on going in like that," I teased, gesturing to the way he was leaning over the tub fully clothed. I was trying to lighten the mood, distract him from whatever gave him that far away look.
At my voice, I could see him leave that dark place and come back to me. Turning to face me, a tentative smile split his lips.
Returning the smile, I held up the pair of scissors, gesturing to his ripped shirt. "Need help?"
He looked down at the shirt that barely held itself around his chest and nodded.
With my scissors, I carefully cut away what little remained of his blood stained shirt, tossing it aside. I could feel Elias watch me, and I did my best to keep my hands from shaking from the weight of his stare. Maybe it was his lack of clothes or the fact I just now remembered I was only in a tank top, but suddenly I felt nervous.
When that was done, I quickly took a step back. I didn't miss the way Elias's eyes widened at my sudden movement.
"Are you okay getting undressed?" I added a little breathless, looking pointedly at his pants.
He looked down at himself and then to the tub behind him. After a moment, he nodded again, shakily standing up and dropping his pants without warning.
My face flushed and I quickly spun around, averting my eyes. Fortunately, I turned around before I saw anything more than the deep v of his pelvis. Nevertheless, it was enough to stain the skin of my cheeks down to my neck crimson.
I took a few breaths, hoping to slow the rapid beat of my heart as I waited for him to get into the tub. Only when I heard him step into the water do I wait a few seconds before slowly turning around.
Dwarfing the tub, he sat leaning forward with his wings stretched out over the sides. It didn't look like the most comfortable fit, but it would have to do.
Grabbing the motel provided soap, I lathered a small cloth and began to wash him. Beginning with his arms, I moved to his neck and then to his back, avoiding the wounds on his chest for now.
All to quick the bath began to turn a brownish red from the mixture of dirt and blood running off his body. By the time I finished washing his body, the water got so dirty and I had to drain and refill the tub twice before it finally stayed clear.
With the tub now filled with fresh water, I grabbed the motel provided shampoo and conditioner samples. Stepping behind him, I tilt his head back and begin to wash his hair all while his eyes explore my face. Rinsing his hair, I step back to examine my work. Clean of dirt, I was surprised to see how flawless his skin was. In the dim motel lighting, his pale skin almost seemed to glow.
Like an angel, I thought, smiling inwardly.
However, I noticed that there were dried blood splatters on his wings. Holding a wet rag, I looked at him for permission. His eyes still on mine, he immediately understood my silent request and shifted uncomfortably, thinking for a moment before he gave in, nodding his head for me to continue.
Washing my damp towel, I lathered it again with soap. I knew his wings were extremely sensitive, so as gently as possible, I began to wipe away the blood, revealing the pristine white feathers beneath. I've only ever briefly touched his wings, and I was surprised to feel how incredibly soft -and heavy- they were.
Despite knowing Elias for a while now, I still found myself shocked at the fact that he had real wings attached to his body. I cringed when I thought back to the first time I saw them, remembering how I ran away screaming. I don't think I'll ever forget the hurt I saw on his face that day.
As I wash his wings, I couldn't help but wish I could wash away that memory too.
Continuing washing his wings, I couldn't resist running my fingers over the bend of his pure white feathers. The wings beneath my fingers shuddered and I looked back at Elias, his head his rested on the edge of the tub. His breathing was uneven, eyes tightly shut.
I pulled back immediately, "Are you alright?" I asked, worried I made him uncomfortable. He looked like he was in pain.
In response, he shut his eyes tighter. "Don't stop," I heard him whisper, making me pause.
"What?"
"Don't stop," he repeated, stretching his wing out in front of me. "Feels good," he sighed, leaning his head further back against the tub.
I was glad that his eyes were shut as I blushed for the second time today. Continuing my ministrations, I finished up washing his wings. By the time I was done, he looked fairly relaxed, his eyes closed and his breathing rhythmic.
I laughed softly. "You haven't gone to sleep on me have you?" I teased, walking around the tub to kneel beside his chest.
His eyes fluttered open and met my gaze. Those blue orbs sparkle with mirth as he finally flashed me one of his playful lopsided grins I was beginning to adore.
"Not yet," He replied with a hint of sarcasm, sitting back up slightly, enough for me to see the spot I still needed to clean.
Running fresh water, I soaked a clean towel and leaned over him as I began to gently dab away the dried blood and dirt around his wound, careful to not disturb the new scabs. As I did, my hair fell in front of my shoulder, and I paused when I felt something tug on it. Looking down, Elias had a lock of hair in his hand, running the tressed between his fingers as he curiosity admired it.
I felt my face flush before I continued cleaning.
Now that he was clean of blood, I could finally get a good view of his injury. From the looks of it, he was healing nicely. Very nicely actually. Wounds that were once inches deep, open and bleeding, were now beginning to close up.
It amazed me how fast he could heal.
The bleeding had stopped for the most part, and I was extremely thankful that a hospital trip was not needed.
That would have been an experience. I laughed to myself.
"What?" I heard Elias ask.
I shook my head. "Nothing," I said, smiling down at him.
I looked down to see that the strand of hair he was playing with was now braided neatly.
"Where'd you learn to do that?" I asked slightly surprised.
His smile faded as he fingered the braid. "Jeanine..." he whispered, dropping his hand.
I paused, remembering her final warning and the violent way her scream got cut off.
"I'm sorry," I said finally. After everything, I wasn't sure what else I could say.
He seemed to understand that, and just nodded. I wondered if he overheard what Dr. Grant told me about her being an egg donor as well as his biological mother. Part of me hoped he didn't. I think it would make her death more painful for him, especially when he found out who his father was and what he had done. I decided that this was a topic for another day.
"Well..." I began after a few moments. "Looks like your clean now, so you can step out whenever you're ready."
"Here," I added as he began to rise, holding a towel out to him.
I averted my eyes as he wrapped it around his lower body before sitting himself next to me on the floor. Quickly, I helped him dry his hair before dressing his wound and wrapping a bandage around his chest. Once that was done, I handed him the clothes I bought and turned around as he got dressed.
Once he told me it was okay, I turned around to see he was wearing the sweat pants but not the shirt.
Oh right. Wings.
I had almost forgotten that he had shirts custom made at the labs. Looking down at the discarded shirt, I told myself I would cut the back for him later.
Right now, I needed a bath too.
Doing my best to ignore the feel of his bare chest beneath my fingers, I helped Elias back to the bed, pulling out two sandwiches and the container of fruit for him.
"Okay," I began once I had him sitting upright on the bed, with a pillow behind his back for support. "I'm going to bathe now. Why don't you eat while you wait?" I added, gesturing to the packaged food I set beside him.
He let his eyes wander over the items before picking up a sandwich. Peeling back the plastic wrap, he took a bite. His eyes widened immediately before he went back in, devouring the food.
Smiling, I left him to his dinner. Going into the bathroom, I took a bath of my own. Washing
away the dirt and grime before dressing myself in the matching gas station clothes I bought. Once I was dressed, I dried my hair and left the bathroom. Walking back into the room, I settled into the bed next to him, pulling out my own sandwich to eat.
I wasn't even gone for very long, but he had already finished both his sandwiches, starting on the container of mixed fruit. I watched in amusement as he popped a strawberry into his mouth, his eyes widening again as he tastes another new food.
Despite being convenience store food, I had no doubt it beat the chicken, rice, veggies and apple diet they had him in back at the lab.
Chewing on my sandwich, I turned on the motel tv rested on a dresser at the front of the bed. The tv flickered on to an old soap opera channel where a man and a woman were caught in a fiery and flirtatious conversation. I shifted as an uncomfortable silence settled between us. Even Elias had stopped eating his fruit to watch the tv curiously. Just as the main characters leaned in for a passionate kiss, I turned the channel to the news.
I saw Elias glance at me out of the corner of my eye, but I refused to look at him, instead focusing on the sandwich in my hand.
We hadn't really talked about the kiss we shared back in the Observatory or what it meant for us going forward. Though to be fair it's not like we had time to.
Setting aside the now empty plastic wrap from my sandwich, I felt the bed dip beside me. Glancing over, I watched Elias carefully scoot himself closer, his hazy blue eyes roaming my face before settling on my lips.
I put my hand on his shoulder to halt him. "Careful, you're injury. You shouldn't move to much."
"Then come to me," he implored, a hint of a smile teasing his lips.
Hearing this, my face heated. Looking into his eyes, I obliged, moving close enough for our shoulders to grace each other.
"I'd like to kiss you again," he murmured, leaning closer, until I could feel his breath on my cheek.
"I think I would like that too," I managed to whisper just before his lips brushed against mine.
It was a cautious kiss, gentler than the previous one, yet I could still feel the fire contained just beneath the surface. With each touch of our lips, each gentle tease of tongue and teeth, that fire grew.
I felt his hands wrap around me, pulling me close as we gave into each other. The rest was a blur, but the last thing I remembered before drifting off to sleep was the weight of his head rested against my chest and his slow rhythmic breathing as I ran my hand through waves of soft midnight hair.