Charlie's eyes flashed open, like he hadn’t realized they had slipped closed. He tilted his head at me, the question bouncing around his head.
I waited him out. Well, I tried to.
After two full minutes had passed, he shrugged his shoulders as though he couldn’t read what I wanted of him.
Grabbing the cloth that sat on the top of the pile of towels, I dipped it into the warm water. Then, I coated it with body wash before handing it over to Charlie. Who,in turn, just stared at it for half a minute before slowly, ever so slowly, reaching out to take it.
Then, his eyes bounced from me to the rag, like he didn’t know how to use it.
Had he ever had a bath before?
I gave him a soft smile, standing to get another washrag. I did the same thing, wetting it and soaping it up before slowly taking it across the back of his neck and shoulders.
“I’ll do your back; you do your front.”
Finally, as I dipped the rag into the water and let the water trail over his back, he began to wash his front. His movements were unsure, jerky in spots.
“I used to give my brother, Micha, a bath. I’d helped my mom wash him down. He’d be a lot more wiggly than you are right now. He’d make a mess all over the floor, and I’d have to be quick to clean it up so Father didn’t notice.” I talked as I ran the cloth gently over the dried blood on his back, letting it wash away. “Micha loved baths.” He loved many things, and I missed those moments.
“We…don’t get baths.” His voice cracked, but he got the word out anyway.
“That’s a shame. Baths are relaxing.” I thought so, anyway.
“It’s….nice?” Well, at least he wasn’t unhappy about being in one, so that was a plus.
“Can I wash your hair?” I asked after a bit. “Or you can, if you want.”
“You, Sir.” He didn’t look at me as he answered, but his voice was even.
There were so many things I could tell him. Like how I enjoyed giving another a bath like this. Like how I didn’t mind baths myself, liking the idea of an Omega, my Omega, to wash me from head to toe. Then I’d return the pleasure of it to them.
It wasn’t the time.
Instead, I instructed him to lean his head back a bit before running a cup of water over his hair. I loathed my hands with shampoo before running the suds through his hair, washing away the sweat and grime that had collected over the last few days.
Charlie hummed before catching himself and then stilling. I ignored it, not drawing attention to it.
In time, he’d learn that his noises were okay to make. I wanted to hear him.
I wanted toknowhim, inside and out.
After washing the soap off, the water, a milky brown color, helped him to stand and get out of the tub. He nearly fell forward, his foot hitting the side as he stepped over the rim.
“What’s your favorite flower?” I asked, taking a towel to collect the dots of water that trickled down his skin.
“Sunflowers.” The answer didn’t take long to come out, like maybe that’s what he was thinking about.
“Why those?” I trailed the towel up one leg, then down the other, before standing once more and doing the same to his arms.
“They’re free.”
So are you,I thought. But even those words were a lie. Omegas weren’t free. They had to be tied to anAlpha to have any rights, and even then, the Alphas had all the control over everything.
There would be people, mostly the government, who viewed Omegas as nothing but worthless spaces in society. They were nothing but pretty things to be used. I wanted to believe things would shift. That time would soften the edges.
But it wouldn’t be soon. Still, I’d give him whatever freedom I could.
“It’s too late in the season to plant anything now,” I said, gently toweling off his hair. “But come spring, you can line the trees with rows of them. As many as you want.”
