Not Part of the Job [ORIGINAL]

8. Bath Time

"Can't you just cast a spell on me and make me smell good or something?"

Damian hasn't showered in a week and it was very noticeable to his other teammates. They all complained of the stench when they entered the room. But he couldn't bathe himself with his broken arm without help. And Damian Al Ghul was not someone who would ask for help. Especially with something as personal as a bath.

"My powers don't work like that," Raven responded. "Look, I don't want to do this either but if you want to be clean then I suggest letting me help you. It's not like I'd want to look at you anyways."

"What are the men doing?" Damian questioned.

"Well first of all I wouldn't consider any of them men besides Dick, and they're all training," Raven answered. "Kory offered but she is not someone you'd want to get help bathing from."

"Well too bad, I'd rather smell for a few more days than have help doing something so stupid," Damian replied.

Raven rolled her eyes. "Whatever you say," she responded before exiting the room.

Once she was gone, Damian decided he would try to do it himself. It couldn't be that hard. All he had to do was keep his cast dry.

After running his bath water he carefully stripped from his sweat drenched clothes and sat in the warm tub to relax and soak for a while.

For a mission this was pretty rewarding, he thought to himself. But once he began thinking about it, the more he realized how comfortable he was getting around this team. This was not looking good. His mother or grandfather would surely notice how long this mission was taking by now.

Shaking away his thoughts, he began to scrub at his hair with the shampoo and lather his body with soap.

"Shit," he nearly yelled once he realized he got his cast wet while trying to rinse himself off. That was going to bother him all day.

"You good?" he heard Raven ask from behind the bathroom door and jumped in the water. When the hell did she get in his room?!

"Go away!" Damian demanded.

"Chill, I was just feeding the dog," Raven replied, "You were cussing so I assumed you needed something."

"I'm fine," he assured before returning to himself. He glanced down at the cast and noticed more water had gotten inside from when he jumped in surprise. "Oh my God!"

"Thought you were fine?" Raven said once she heard him complain again. Raven wasn't the type to get under someone's skin but this was honestly amusing to her. "I'm coming in."

"Fuck off! I said I'm fine!" Damian yelled and threw his bar of soap at the door. Now he was frustrated. Maybe he would kill her sooner.

The door opened a crack and Damian quickly covered himself with his only free hand. "Get out you freak!"

"Why?" Raven asked, holding her laugh in.

"Why?" Damian mocked her, "Because I'm naked you nimrod!"

"Calm down, I'm not trying to be a pervert," Raven said, "Trust me, I'm not interested in seeing any of that. If anything I'm tired of trying to read my book and constantly hearing you cuss every minute."

Damian just bent his knees in an attempt to cover himself. "Fine, just rinse me off and leave."

Raven closed the door as she left and then returned a minute later with a cup in her hand. She closed the door back behind her and made her way to the tub. Damian shyly curled up tighter. This was embarrassing. He hated being in such a vulnerable state with every fiber of his being.

Instead of just rinsing him off, Raven put shampoo in her hand and began massaging it into his scalp. This made goosebumps form on Damian's skin.

"I already washed that," Damian informed her in an annoyed tone. Although he couldn't deny that this felt really relaxing. He could almost fall asleep if he wasn't paranoid to the extreme.

"Not good," Raven replied before rinsing it back out. She washed it again because she could still smell sweat heavily in his hair.

"Tt." Damian muttered as he just closed his eyes.

"Sit up," she ordered him. For once, Damian didn't complain and obeyed, sitting up a little bit higher to allow her to wash his back off with a washcloth.

Once she was done, she grabbed a towel and dried his hair off, briefly running her fingers through a few locks to make sure it was completely dry. After that she placed the towel on the side of the tub where it wouldn't get wet. "Alright, I'm done." she said before standing up.

Damian opened his eyes and grabbed the towel with his free hand. He hesitated to say it at first but finally let go of his pride when he realized she was at the door ready to leave. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," she replied before exiting the bathroom and closing the door behind her.

Damian sat in the tub for a few more moments and thought about how nice it felt to be touched in little ways. He wasn't used to affection in any way.

And to him, it was a nice feeling.