Page 39 of Perfect Chaos

I can't help but let my fingers trail across her smooth arms and extended knees. Once satisfied the oils are distributed, I return the essential oils to their correct spots. Just as I turn to leave again, I pause at the threshold of the door and look back at them. My heart squeezes in my chest.

"I’m still in my boxers, not sure if that makes the difference or not, but you can join us in the bath if you want.” The words are just above a whisper as my best friend utters them.

My head snaps to him at the sound of his voice. “You sure? I don’t want to impose.” I’m still fighting with what I want to do and what I think I should do. The indecision is barely concealed in my voice, my heart speeds up at the possibility before me.

He lets out a sigh. “Stop overthinking, Gavin. If you want to be here, then be here.”

Maizyn raises her hand and beckons me toward her, bringing her knees up to her chest, resting her chin on them. She looks so innocent right now, and I can see her gaze beginning to refocus. I pull my shirt over my head first, tossing it to the side.

“Damn, she got you pretty good.” His voice now holding more humor than anything else.

I look towards him in confusion before following his line of sight to the red welt decorating my trap muscle. I can’t fight the small laugh that leaves me. “Yeah, I guess she did. I didn’t even notice she bit me that hard.” I strip down to my boxers, then climb into the space she created, sitting down facing her.

Once settled into the hot water, bubbles tickling my skin, I reach forward to gently squeeze her calves before kissing her on the tip of her nose. “You okay, Little Tornado?”

“Mmhhmm.”

Atlas is quiet for a moment before getting my attention. “Hey, Gavin?”

My ears pick up on his apprehension. “What’s up?” I can see the soft smile he's attempting to hide, but the look in his eyes speaks volumes.

Atlas takes a deep breath, placing a kiss atop Maizyn's head. “Do you think you can take over? Finish helping her wash up and everything? I want to go grab her something to sleep in and get the bed ready.”

My response was immediate, not an ounce of hesitation. “Of course. You know I got her.”

He trails kisses up her exposed back; her sigh of relief eases my worry a bit more. “Is that okay with you, Chaos?”

“Yeah, it’s okay.” Her words sound as exhausted as she looks, but at least she is talking now. I’ll take that as a good sign.

He nods his head, probably thinking the same thing as I am before he stands from the bath, wraps a towel around his waist, then steps out.

He kisses the top of her head again and smoothes her hair down lovingly before nodding at me, as if to say he knows I will take care of her.

“Hey, Little Tornado? Do you think you can turn around for me?” Instead of answering, she grips the side of the tub and turns herself around to lean against me as she had with Atlas. I give myself a moment to just enjoy this, wrapping my arms around her as I let her heartbeat soothe my own.

“You did so well tonight. You ran, you fought, you did everything right.” I speak softly into her ear as I rub up and down her arms.

She lies further into me, melting in my embrace as I wet her hair, keeping the water from her eyes. Once I'm satisfied, I stretch my arm out for the shampoo I know is hers and squeeze a small amount onto my hands.

I begin to gently rub the shampoo in while massaging her scalp with my fingertips. Her quiet sigh of contentment lets me know she likes it. I continue massaging until the suds are covering her hair.

Scooting myself forward, just to scoot back, I carefully guide my Little Tornado to lie back in the water. Supporting her with my thighs, I take care while rinsing her hair. I repeat the process with the conditioner, working it in, all over. While that sits, I coax her to drink some of her water.

“Come on, Little Tornado,” I say as I hold the bottle of water in front of her. “Have some water; you need to stay hydrated, at least a little bit.” She grumbles in return. I chuckle, bringing it to her lips anyway.

She flinches at the stark contrast of temperature, but willingly opens her mouth, letting me pour a small amount of water in before she swallows it. She sighs afterwards, lying back down into my lap to allow me to rinse the conditioner out.

Feeling her quickly drifting further to sleep, I take that as my cue to hurry up. I quickly but carefully wash her body, remaining vigilant not to be too rough around her scrapes, bumps, and bruises from tonight's escapade. A few of the scrapes on her knees are deep enough to need ointment on them, though most of her injuries are superficial.

“I'm going to get her situated in bed if you want to get an actual shower; I’ll take one when you're done.” I nearly jump out of my skin when I hear Atlas speaking softly to me.

“Almost finished, I just need to rinse her off. There are a few cuts on her knee that could use some ointment, but other than that, she should be good.”

“Thank you. I will make sure to do that.”

I rinse off any remaining bubbles from her body as Atlas approaches with a towel. With my hands around her waist, I help her rise from the tub, supporting her weight long enough for Atlas to wrap the towel around her and carry her to the bedroom. Pulling the plug from the drain, I step out from the bath as it begins to drain, turning on the shower instead. Once the water is warm, I discard my wet boxers and step in. I quickly wash my body before shampooing and conditioning my hair. I don’t want to be in here longer than necessary, knowing Atlas still needs to shower as well.

I shut the tap off, wrap a towel around myself, and head to my room to get dressed. Opting for a pair of black sweatpants and a grey shirt, I quickly slip both on. My stomach grumbles as I finish, reminding me that we could all probably use a snack. I detour to the kitchen, grabbing granola bars and cheese sticks before making my way to Atlas’ and Maizyn’s room.