Innocent

~16~Azalea

Xki joins me in the tub. He keeps his pants on but take of his shirt, I can tell he doesn't want to push boundaries.

I'm about to clear my throat again but I look up at him instead, from the way he looks at me I cam tell he knows what I was about to do.

I curl my thighs to my chest to make more room, "Do you have enough space?"

"I'm doing just fine. Turn around." he says.

"What?"

He chuckles, "I didn't finish washing your hair."

I just look back down to the water around my body. I turn around and he grabs my hair, careful not to touch my neck.

I can't believe he remembered something I told him so insignificant. I don't know how I'm supposed to respond.

"You know you need air to live, right?" he says and I can hear the smile in his voice.

I didn't realize I was holding my breathe, I just did it. Now I'm realizing things that are happening, my heart is speeding, I can feel a tremor in my hands, I can feel my insides flip and flutter.

His hands are gentle and soothing, "I know you probably don't want to hear this but you might want to bathe without your bandages, you could get a skin reaction from the mixture of whatever build-up bacteria it has." he pauses, "I can leave, you need privacy."

He lifts himself from the tub, "Stop." I grab his arm, "I can't possibly reach back there all by myself."

"Well then, how do you get it all other da-" I watch realization of what I'm doing hits his face.

He sits himself down again, I glance back at him  but he's looking at my cheek. I raise my hand to cover the scar but his hand stops my hand in it's tracks. He doesn't say anything, he just shakes his head. I nod in response but he doesn't release my hand, we stay there for a while, just staring at each other. 

I break the stare by turning my head, moments later I feel his thickly muscled arms wrap around my waist and pull me back against his chest. I gasp at the contact, I don't know where to put my hands or where to look so I decide to fist my hands and close my eyes. 

A couple of seconds later I feel a hand brush past one of my knuckles, he whispers in my ear, "It's okay, you don't need to be so tense," he says as I feel his finger pry my hand into an open palm, "See that wasn't so hard now was it?"

I have to remind myself to breathe as I say, "No," but it sounds all breathy.

He chuckles against my skin and my body awakes, "Are you okay?" I nod, "Do you want me to leave?" 

I shake my head, "You haven't finished what you said you'd do." I whisper.

"I guess that's true."

Before he does anything I say, "I want you to know that if I flinch or anything, just ignore it. Also if you get uncomfortable with something you see, you can stop at anytime."

He says nothing but his hands moves up my arms in a slow sensual movement. His hands massage my shoulders then glide down to my bandages, I flinch, if he noticed he didn't show it. 

His hands undo the Velcro of the bandages, "You will panic if you don't breathe, you need to breathe." I nod, "Just focus on breathing."

I can't. I can't. I can't.

I don't even remember how but he already removed the last cloth that covered me. I hyperventilate, I can't breathe. It feels wrong to not have that coverage, it feels even worse for another person to see without out my protection.