Fics Hydra

Muriel x Y/N: Nadia's Bath

"Do you want to share the bath with me?"

"W-What?!" Muriel flushed a shade of red that I'm pretty certain isn't meant to take place on someone's skin. He looked everywhere but me, shifting his weight back and forth but made no move to leave.

"Muriel." Stepping forward, I gently took his large hands in mine. When he finally glanced to meet my gaze, I continued. "It's okay. It's just a bath. If you don't want-"

"I'll come with you." It looked like the words surprised him despite him being the one to say them.

"Are you sure? I don't want you to do something you're not comfortable with. Nothing bad will happen here, we're safe in the palace. Especially in Nadia's private rooms."

"I don't want to be without you. If I leave you alone and something happens-"

"Nothing will happen. If you join me, I want it to be because you want too. Not because you feel like you have to."

"I...I want to." It was a whisper, but his eyes never left me.

"Okay." My reply was no louder than his.

I gently pushed the door back open while leading Muriel into the bathroom with me. Once the door was shut, I let go of his hands before approaching the two robes laid out for us. I was so ready to unwind for the first time in what felt like forever, that I didn't think twice about shrugging out of my clothes and into my robe despite not being alone. Once my robe was on, I turned to find Muriel with a hand over his eyes.

"Muriel? You can look." I chuckled softly as I watched him slowly remove his hand.

"That's, uh..." He cleared his throat, careful not to let his eyes stray further down than my shoulders. "The robe is thin."

"Well it wouldn't make sense to have it made out of thick fabric. There's one laid out for you too." I pointed to the folded up robe laying on the bench beside my haphazardly discarded pile of clothes. Hoping to make him feel more comfortable, I padded over to the jars of soaps and such to begin looking through them to find something that I thought Muriel might like. Once I had selected a few that seemed like Muriel's taste and were pleasant to me as well, I lined them up on the edge of the tub before finally stepping into the warm water. Carefully sinking to sit on a bench carved beneath the surface, I let out a small moan as the steaming water immediately set to work on my aching muscles.

"W-Why did you do that?" Muriel's voice sounded behind me before I heard his surprisingly soft footsteps lead to the tub. After a moments hesitation, the water sloshed as he gracelessly entered the tub. "Oh..."

"That's why." I laughed softly before dipping completely under the water for a moment so I could wet my hair. Once I popped back up and pushed the clinging locks out of my face, I found Muriel admiring me with a soft expression. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You look happier now."

"Happier?"

"Than you've looked on the entire trip."

"Well...I suppose it's because I am happier. We're back home, and I still have you with me." While I hadn't meant to embarrass him for the hundredth time, I had a hard time believing the pink coating his cheeks was solely because of the heat of the water.

"Oh." Muriel was stiff, not letting his eyes look at the water. Like he was still trying to give me privacy.

"Do you want help washing your hair?"

"Wh-what? Why? I know how to do it myself."

"I know, but I thought it might help you relax a little."