Work Text:
The smooth rush of water echoed throughout Guest’s cabin bathroom. His hand sat atop the faucet controlling the stream, watching as warm water filled the porcelain tub. His body, usually adorned with layers upon layers of clothing, kneeled mostly nude except for a towel. His boyfriend 007n7 sat on the toilet seat near him, similarly waiting for the tub to fill up. Despite the silence between the two, the air is calm and comfortable.
Guest reaches toward a bag of bath salts beside him, scattering the rough grains into the clear water. A sweet lavender drifted into his nostrils.
Flashes of color drifted in alongside it. Two heads of long brown hair. Bright laughter. A soft couch and a loving embrace.
Guest’s hand reaches for the knob once again, stopping the flow of water with a squeak. It looks full enough. Sighing, he lifts himself up (with a few cracks of long worn joints) and unknots his towel before placing it on a rack hitched upon the bathroom wall. A few years(??) ago he would have been nervous displaying his nude form in front of 7n7, he would’ve hidden away from 7’s warm caramel gaze. Now though, he would let 7 pull splinters out of his ass if the circumstances ever called for it. Bathing with him didn’t have a single nervous thought come to mind.
He sank in swiftly, leaning his back against the far end of the tub and spreading his legs against the sides. Guest looked towards 7, waving him into the oasis he had created.
It seemed as though 7 would similarly take his time. He sat up slowly, arching his back and lifting his arms in a thoughtful stretch like a cat would. He leaned back down, grabbing the waistband of his boxers and dragging them steadily down his chubby legs. Thick brown hair coated most of them, leaving an almost fuzzy look to the man. 7 tossed his clothing to the nearby hamper as he gingerly entered the water.
Settling in between Guest’s legs, 7 leaned back into his chest. He allowed his full body weight to sink into the firm flesh of Guest’s torso, providing almost a weighted blanket to the soldier. Guest’s hands trace along 7’s arms, gliding up to rest on his shoulders. His lips ghost along his boyfriend’s neck, planting a small kiss there briefly before retreating. He could feel 7’s body ripple against him. 7’s hands grasped a few bottles hanging off the edge of the rim, handing one to Guest. He turned it over in his grasp, the label reading ‘shampoo’.
Guest’s rugged hands quickly got to work, squeezing out the purple liquid into his palm. Placing the bottle next to him, he rubbed his hands together as a fly would before raking them across 7n7’s scalp. The other man sunk into the process, laying his head onto Guest’s broad chest. The soft red-brown locks begin to foam up under Guest’s touch, a gentle smell lingering in the air alongside the lavender within the water.
As he scrubs diligently, a soft melody floats up from underneath him. 7 hums a tune from long ago, when everything seemed simpler and safer. A lullaby maybe, Guest couldn’t place it off the top of his head. But the melody was familiar and soothing, reminiscent of something that once was.
A cup of water gently sloshes against 7’s head, one of Guest’s hands shielding his face like a makeshift visor. Rinse and repeat with conditioner. A well known task. He practically had every bump and divot of 007n7’s skull memorized.
Guest loved how easily they fell into this routine together. They didn’t even have to say anything to each other to get the point across. Just the simple act of love and tenderness going through the motions together. It was a small piece of domesticity he was afforded in this place.
As he finished the final pour of water onto 7’s hair, the other slowly turned around to face him. He looked up at Guest, his eyes the most trusting Guest had ever seen. They glistened under the dull bathroom light, crows feet showing a crinkle of happiness apparent on the edges. Guest dipped his own head down for his lover, allowing 7 the same access he had before.
Delicate fingers run across his hairline further down into his hair. They drifted across Guest’s head like ballet dancers, lulling Guest into a trance. He was only able to escape when he felt a rush of water hit his scalp, pulling him back to the present. His eyes blink open slowly, watching as 7 pushed away the bottles they were previously using. He picked up the small container of body wash and brought it towards the gap in between them. With a short squeeze, he squirted some into the palm of his hand before reaching out to place some in Guest’s.
Guest wasted no time in lathering 007n7, as did the other to him. His hands smooth across 7’s figure, spreading the slippery liquid across his chest up to his shoulders before moving back to work in the soap. His fingertips linger along the raised edges of 7’s top surgery scars, sliding across the wide area. He distinctly remembered that night when 7 told him that he was trans. The poor man was nearly crying, his entire body shaking along with his voice as the information left his lungs.
In all honesty, at that moment Guest was horrified. No, not because of what 7 told him. He was terrified of the idea that 7 thought Guest could ever hate him for who he was underneath his clothing. That he would suddenly rip all of the love he gave 007n7 straight out of his heart and spit on the pieces. That night, he vowed to love 7 no matter what his body looked like for the rest of his life.
He almost uttered the words “in sickness and in health.”
Moving along further down 7n7’s torso, his fingers come into contact with the coarse hair leading down from his bellybutton. The beginning of his happy trail, leading to another vulnerable aspect of 007n7’s identity. And it was one that Guest loved so dearly, just like the rest of his boyfriend. His eyes flickered down lower, sneaking a quick glance at the fluffy bush 7 adorned. Guest remembered the countless nights they spent together, 7n7 exposed on the bed for his eyes only. Such a vulnerable sight entrusted to him, then and now.
Guest’s arms move away from 7’s torso, now working along his legs. Beautiful, strong legs that were now gently wrapped around his own waist. Travelling back up the torso to his shoulders and down his arms. He knew that was the hardest part of bathing for 7. For himself too.
A wide array of scars were littered across his arm, from his bicep down to his wrist. A painful reminder of every agony he had occurred in his lifetime. His arms were just the most notable occasion of this, his thighs couldn’t escape the torment of the past either. Guest understood this anguish far too well. He too has fallen victim to the hauntings of his own mind. A shared and so far unspoken past they both shared.
Now though? They survived. They can tell the tale and share a moment of comfort and joy amongst the misery in their lives. Scars can hurt, or taunt, or reopen, it’s a fact of life. But no matter what, they will always heal overtime. They remain present and lasting, but they fade.
Guest’s hands still, admiring the soapy wall he had built upon his beloved. His beloved who was looking back at him, with a warm dopey grin and a love letter written in his gaze. One Guest couldn’t help but share with him, placing a rough hand on his prickly cheek.
They couldn’t control the past, or the future of what would happen to them. But this? The present was all there's to hold. 7’s lips found his own, and together an interlocked sweetness formed. Guest couldn’t promise 007n7 forever, but what he could promise him was an everlasting now.