His tiny hostage [G/T]

III - Mud

Otis

I excused myself and ran away to my room. What just happened. I heard a faint let's go play and I heard the downstairs entry door slam. I was doing work for my country when I got bored and stood by my window. I was watching my brothers play with it. They were having so much fun here. I looked away for a moment and thought how it looked in my hands. How it stared up at me like that made my heart beat faster. HAS IT GIVEN ME A MEDICAL CONDITION. I clutched at my chest to my now beating heart and got it to calm down by breathing. That was weird. I completely forgot they were out in the garden until I heard a scream. Ezra and Koa were throwing mud and eachother and Luca was to the side building a mud castle. Them idiot. It wouldn't be inside the castle would it. No. It's not that stupid. That means it's on one of their heads. It's fine it's none of my business. I was about to walk away again when I got pulled back by a collective yell.

" BLUEBELLE " I rushed to the window and saw they were collectively huddled around something in Ezras hand. Don't tell me. It's none of my business. So I ignored and sat at my desk. I had no reason to care. I recalled the way I had rubbed its cheeks and flushed for some reason, them eyes. So. Big. And-  I didn't have time to finish my thought before my door was burst open.

" BIG BROTHER OTIS " Ezra and Koa burst through my door abruptly, bringing and everlasting trail of mud behind them. Luca came in behind them and he looked shook. I was presented with a lump of mud.

" did you bring me a mud pie or something" I said jokingly. Only did I stop the joking tone when I noticed all my brothers in a state of sorrow. I took the pile from them and used my finger to sift through it. My body hit a lump. It wasn't warm. I cleared the mud around it to so it was the human. It had obviously been hit with a mud ball and now it was unconscious.

" listen boys if it wants to live it will live, I'm not dealing with it " I stated. I honestly didn't know how to think about this human. I saw it as a nuisance before but not so much now. I gave it to Luca and sat at my desk again. I picked up my pen, preparing to use my left hand to write when I heard sniffling. My eyes snapped over to my littlest brother Luca. He was crying over her in his hand. That's when I heard him speak for the first time in ages.

" please big brother save her. Please. I don't want to lose anyone else " the tears welled up in his eyes while saying this. He was so sad over this human. I reached my hand out and he deposited it in my hand. I couldn't feel it moving so I assumed it was dead until I felt something press against my palm. My head snapped down to see it rubbing my hand. It probably thinks I'm its vixen or whatever its name is.

Otis excused himself and fled to his room, his mind reeling from what had just happened. He heard a faint "let's go play" and the slam of the downstairs entry door. He had been working on matters of state when boredom drove him to the window. Watching his brothers play with the human girl, he saw how much fun they were having. He turned away for a moment, recalling how she looked in his hands and how her gaze made his heart race. Had she given him a medical condition? He clutched his chest, trying to calm his now racing heart with deep breaths. That was weird.

He had almost forgotten about them in the garden until a scream pierced the air. Ezra and Koa were throwing mud at each other, while Luca was building a mud castle nearby. Idiots. It wouldn't be inside the castle, would it? No, it couldn't be that stupid. It must be on one of their heads. It's none of my business. He was about to turn away again when a collective yell drew him back.

"Bluebelle!" Otis rushed to the window and saw his brothers huddled around something in Ezra's hand. Don't tell me. It's none of my business. He ignored them and returned to his desk. He had no reason to care. He recalled the way he had rubbed her cheeks and flushed for some reason, those eyes. So big and—his thoughts were interrupted as his door burst open.

"Big Brother Otis!" Ezra and Koa burst through the door, trailing mud behind them. Luca followed, looking shaken. They presented him with a lump of mud.

"Did you bring me a mud pie or something?" Otis joked, but his tone changed when he saw the sorrow on his brothers' faces. He took the pile from them and sifted through it with his fingers. His hand hit a lump. It wasn't warm. He cleared the mud to reveal the human girl, unconscious from a mud ball.

"Listen, boys, if she wants to live, she will. I'm not dealing with it," he stated. He didn't know how to feel about this human. She had seemed like a nuisance before, but now not so much. He handed her to Luca and returned to his desk. He picked up his pen, ready to write with his left hand, when he heard sniffling. His eyes snapped over to his littlest brother, Luca, who was crying over the girl in his hand. For the first time in ages, Luca spoke.

"Please, big brother, save her. Please. I don't want to lose anyone else," tears welled up in his eyes. He was so sad over this human. Otis reached out, and Luca placed her in his hand. He couldn't feel her moving, so he assumed she was dead until he felt something press against his palm. His head snapped down to see her rubbing his hand. She probably thinks he's her vixen or whatever his name is.

"Fine, but get out," Otis said. His brothers left abruptly, and he rolled up his sleeves and ran a bath—well, a sink full of water, but it would have to do. This was where the problems started. He couldn't wash her properly with her clothes on, and if he woke her up to tell her to change, she would cry. This brat was making him overthink things. He pinched the bridge of his nose, frustrated.

Finally, he came to a decision. He put so much soap in the basin that he wouldn't be able to see her body while washing her. He would only clean her arms and lower legs, ensuring she wore her undergarments so she wouldn't be too exposed. Looking away and closing his eyes, he quickly removed the muddy clothes from her small body and plunged her into the water. He opened his eyes once she was submerged except for her head. Using a dollop of soap, he scrubbed her down, then used shampoo and conditioner to clean her muddy hair.

He wrapped her in a flannel as he lifted her out of the water, setting her on the counter while he fetched a dress. He chose a blue knee-length dress and made a bow from ribbons, placing it in her hair. She looked like a doll. Using a smaller comb, he brushed through her hair, the white and blue strands cascading down her back.

Subconsciously, he continued brushing her hair with his right hand while doing his work with his left, his dominant hand. He felt her shift under his right hand as she began to wake up. He released the comb and heard a little squeak. Looking down, he saw her arms in the air. Was that how her yawn sounded? She looked around, confused, and when her eyes landed on him, she turned as white as a sheet. Was she still seriously scared of him after their conversation earlier? She soon realized she was on his desk and backpedaled into a mini book set. Why was she going so far from him?

Bluebelle woke up dazed. She couldn't see straight, and when her view cleared, she saw his face towering above her. She couldn't help but cower at the sight, backing away as far as she could. He looked majorly confused and reached over to her. She covered her face with her hands, expecting a hit or a strike, but was met with a poke. He poked her hands, expecting her to uncover her face. She refused. He poked her again, and she gave in.

He was flushing bright red and explained something that made her want to cry.

"Human, your clothes—I had to change them. You were basically drowning in mud. I had to wash the excess mud off so you wouldn't get sick or anything," he said, rubbing the back of his neck and diverting his gaze. She had been trembling from fear of him, but now she covered her whole face with her hands and brought her knees to her chest in the farthest corner. She couldn't believe this. She spent the rest of the day with the triplets, and they all kept asking why she was so red. She was taking that secret to the grave.