Caretaker Kankri: Kankri X Female!Reader

Part 8

You open your eyes, stomach churning dangerously. You slowly pull yourself out of the slime, mindful of the weakness and nausea which had been plaguing you since the previous night, with Kankri nowhere in sight. But for the moment you don't notice, due to an urgent need to use the toilet. It takes you a few minutes—and uses most of the little energy you have—to get there, but success is sweet relief. However, once finished you become aware of the soper slime covering your skin and clothing. Grimacing, you carefully remove your coverings and hobble yourself over to the shower. Normally you love your shower, which is big enough for four people, but today it's a daunting area to traverse. You are able to play with the temperature knobs one handed, but soon realize you will need both to use the hair cleaning products. Which are on the other side of the slick tile floor.

Fuck.

You feel a stinging in your eyes. No. Absolutely not. You are not going to cry over something so stupid and trivial as that. So what if you'll have to shower again later? You LIKE the shower. You would be doing yourself a favor if you didn't use them...

You glance longingly at them once more, feeling suddenly tired. Who were you kidding. You loath feeling so weak and helpless, too useless to do something so simple. You wish you weren't so vulnerable, so pathetic and unworthy. No wonder no one likes you, why they never listen. You are so unwanted, so ridiculed, so—

Wait. These weren't your emotions. With a sudden breath you realize you were hearing Kankri's inner insecurities. Damnit, now was NOT a good time for you to be listening in on the trigger happy troll's internal condescension. You are feeling sorry enough for yourself. You don't want the sympathy and sorrow which hearing his secrets always leave you with, you just do not have the energy right now to keep it together. You don't... Oh...

You sob.

Oh, your poor Kri. 'If only he knew,' you think to yourself. 'If only he would let someone care for him, then he wouldn't have to be so lonely.' Breath hitching you slide to the floor, colored tears leaking unwelcome from your eyes as you hide your face in your knees. It is a few moments before you are able to get your psychic ability under control again.

Kankri finds you huddled on the floor of the shower, weakened even further by your episode of weeping. He calls out and, when you don't immediately answer, pulls the curtain open just enough to see your face and that, while indecent, you are not exposing anything truly revealing.

"[Name]? Are you 9kay?" You wipe your face, sniffling a little before you shake your head. Concerned, Kankri pulls back the curtain a little more. "Do y9u need help 9ut 9f the water?" he asks while reaching for the knobs.

"No. I want to finish cleaning myself first."

"C9me 9n, [Name]. Y9u're still tired," he murmurs softly. "Let's get y9u 6ack t9 6ed, and we can w9rry a69ut the sh9wer when y9u feel 6etter, alright?"

"No, I want to finish what I've started."

"[Name], that is n9t really advisa6le. Is it really s9 necessary f9r y9u t9 9vertake this venture n9w?"

"Please, Kankri?" He watches you in deliberation, arms crossed over his chest. You try to push yourself up and fail, hearing Kankri's sigh of irritation. You are about to tell him to leave you alone when he pulls the curtain shut, doing so of his own violation. Great. Now you've driven away the only person here to help you with your stubbornness, and you feel awful about it. You lift a palm to rub away more tears when you hear the shower curtain again. Glancing up in surprise you watch Kankri step into the stall with a towel around his waist and another unfolded in his hands, which he places under your arms and helps to wrap around your torso from the front.