Chapter Four

Make Me Say Your Name

Bane's POV

I had never seen a tub like the one that waited for me in the lavatory; it was like most of the other gadgets in existence, something that looked much too complex and high-tech for me to be comfortable in its presence. Of course, I would imagine that much, if not all, of my uneasiness could be attributed to the fact that the little mouse intended to bathe my body, which was sure to be a task which would cause me to react in ways that were certain to embarrass both of us, and all of my good intentions would be washed right down the drain, making The Bath yet another first that ended with blushing and stammering and feeling like an absolute dolt as I thoroughly made an ass of myself.

She helped me to the bathroom with no difficulty, that being that we did not topple onto the bed, therefore I did not find myself ensconced between her thighs, and I could not help but feel a little bereft over the loss of reliving that sensation, no matter how thoroughly I reprimanded myself for behaving like an addlebrained, infatuated adolescent who allowed his genitals to make all of his important decisions for him.

As luck would have it, that being fortune of the worst sort, I did have to make use of the facilities before my bath, and once more she helped me over to the commode, and stood behind me, giving me a bit of support while I fumbled with the simple act of raising my hospital gown and aiming as best as I could, trying desperately and failing miserably to ignore the feel of her backside pressed against me. It was difficult enough to relieve yourself when someone else was in the room with you, and I reasoned that there was no need to encourage a certain sort of metamorphosis to take place, which would likely render the act impossible.

In the end I was spared the humiliation of a perpetually shy bladder, as well as equipment that failed in its assigned duty, and I managed to provide a healthy stream, one that went on for several moments, which in itself became somewhat of an embarrassment. I finally concluded the task and was helped to the side of the tub that would provide me with my first bath in ages, and did my best, endeavored, you might say, not to look at her backside while she was bent over filling it with water, and ended up failing miserably, which came as no surprise…my manners seemed to be growing a little laxer with each moment that passed us by.

Thankfully, the tub filled quickly, but my relief was short-lived, as luck would have it, because she immediately straightened afterward and turned to face me, intent, it would seem, on removing my gown, and though it was paltry concealment, to say the very least, it provided me with some measure of modesty, no matter how minute. I suppose that it was an illogical concern for me to have, given the fact that she had viewed, not to mention, touched, me as intimately as one could in the past, but that was different, I had been unconscious, a state which I was as far from at that moment as a body could be.

I'm going to remove your gown now, she said, and trailed her hands to the tie on the outside of my hospital issued casual ware and unfastened it, then moved up my shoulders, to the bow that rested on the back of my neck, untying it, so that the gown loosened, and tumbled to land at my feet in a heap of scratchy cotton. I was painfully aware of the fact that I was blushing, and that I was now laid bare to her gaze, but wonder of wonders, she kept her eyes trained on mine, even though I had given her ample reason to allow her eyes to wander, given my own lecherous behavior.

Let me help you, Bane, she said, leading me to the tub, and kindly offering me her arm to lean upon, while preserving my pride by allowing me to walk on my own. It was one thing to be painfully aware of the fact that you are naked, but it is far worse to be nude and led along like a feeble old man. We paused beside the tub and pondered the door that she would need to open so that I could step inside…the door which was keeping the water inside the bathtub, the water which would flood out onto the floor if she was to open said door.

I looked at Malayna and found her staring at the door, clearly embarrassed by what she had done. "There is no need for you to be upset, my dear," I said, trying to reassure her that all was well, all while doing my best to ignore the fact that I was doing so with all of my manly credentials clearly on display. "I would imagine that I can climb into the tub quite easily, which means that there is no need for you to open the door at all."

She turned and looked at me in the manner of one who had long been suffering the ordeal of an annoying presence, that being me, of course, and she might have followed said look with a rolling of her eyes toward the ceiling, but I had to have imagined her doing so, because while the little mouse definitely possessed a fiery temper, I was willing to wager that she would never allow herself to engage in such a childish action…would she?

I have plenty of reasons to be upset, Bane, but the most pressing would be the fact that I filled up the tub with water, even though I knew that it was a walk-in bath, one that needed to be filled after you walked into it, which means that I look like a complete idiot right now, an absolute jackass. As for you climbing into the tub, let's just say that I'll stand by and allow that when I see the footage of Hell freezing over live on CNN, okay?"

Her mouth continued to form her words furiously, and I caught one every now and then, but I found myself struggling against the urge to laugh at her, and was therefore not quite as attentive as I ought to have been. I wondered if she knew that her eyes did not simply light from within when she was angry, but instead they positively sparked with a self-made fire, and were quite attractive, especially when she was standing with her feet planted apart, her hands firmly on her hips…while she stared at me expectantly, clearly waiting for a response to the query that she had just sent in my direction, the one that I had obviously missed, and my mind raced while I sought an answer that would not further provoke her temper.

"Of course," I said, thinking that a positive response would be the best course for me to take, or, at least I did until the flames in her eyes grew higher and higher, and she started tapping her right foot in a furious rhythm against the pristine tile floor. "Well, that is to say, perhaps, hmm, we should not, maybe?"

I knew at that moment that she need not worry about giving the impression of an idiot, nor a jackass, because there was little doubt in my mind, as I stood there, blushing and stammering, that I had thoroughly taken the top prize in both of those categories. The simplest thing would be to apologize, to admit that I had not been paying attention to her, followed by another sincere apology, but for some reason I simply stood as I was and stared at her, holding her gaze until she whirled around and went to work emptying the tub.

I took a second to appreciate the morbid hilarity of the moment, in the fact that I was completely naked and on the cusp of being on the receiving end of a full-blown temper tantrum, but then she bent over, right in front of me, and all thoughts that I had that had to do with anything beyond the shapeliness of her bottom went right out of my head, and my traitorous body began to react in a manner that was certain to garner her attention, once she finished emptying the tub.

"Oh, this is bad," I whispered to myself, despite the fact that I knew she could not hear me. "What are you going to do now, hmm? She is certain to notice the change in you when she turns around, and if the fact that you were going to climb into the tub by yourself made her angry, imagine what she will do when she sees that you have had a personal uprising because you were staring at her bottom like a common sexual deviant."

The water moved quickly down the drain, almost as though it was mocking me, and I quickly turned my back to her, thinking to myself that the sight of my bare backside was not the nicest way to greet her, but it had to have been better than the alternative. Time dragged by in silence, broken only by the sound of an occasional droplet of water bursting onto the bottom of the tub, and the combined sound of our breathing, until finally she cleared her throat, and when that failed to garner a response, she laid her hand on my shoulder and embarrassingly enough, I almost jumped out of my skin, and even worse, almost let loose with a cry of surprise as well.

I had been making a valiant effort to get ahold of myself, as a matter of fact, I had almost succeeded in starting the process that would allow me to calm the racing blood that was surging through my veins and fueling my hunger, by imagining various leaders throughout history in the nude…on a cold day…but all of my efforts proved futile when she touched me, and sent everything into top speed once more.

I turned to look at her over my shoulder and noticed that there was a faint blush visible on her cheeks, which intrigued me, and aroused me further, as if I needed any additional encouragement in that area. "Might I trouble you for a bit of privacy while I enter the tub, please, Malayna?" I asked, knowing, without a shadow of a doubt, that I would much rather risk falling and cracking my skull than to put myself on display at that moment. "I believe that I am quite capable of handling a few steps on my own."

It dawned on me that I might have sounded ungrateful, that I possibly even appeared to be throwing a tantrum of my own, but both of those scenarios were acceptable to me, when compared with the truth, and the reaction that it might bring about. I could see that she wanted to argue with me, but in the end she chose to move away from me instead, and she was the one who presented her back to me, so that I could complete my task without the worry that she might sneak a peek at me before I could find some measure of modesty, not that I believed that she would look, though I appreciated the gesture all the same.

As it turned out, I was not as adapt and agile on my own as I would have had Malayna believe, but I still managed to make it into the tub all on my own, and took my seat, quickly grabbing the washcloth that she had placed by the side of the bath, throwing it atop my burgeoning masculinity, in a sad and pathetic attempt to conceal my obvious condition.

"Leave me," I whispered, continuing with my bid to keep my voice low, in spite of the fact that I knew she could not hear a word that I said. "This is neither the time nor the place, and this state is bound to offend her. There is not anything remotely stimulating about this; it is simply a bath, nothing more and nothing less….."

My words, or, more accurately, my lies died a quick death as she turned around and found me seated in the tub, just as she had expected me to be, engaged in a heart-to-heart conversation, or, more precisely, a desperate bid of heartfelt pleading with my genitalia to calm down and behave, which was, I would be willing to wager, something that she had not expected, not that she actually knew that I had been speaking to that part of my body, all that she knew for certain was that I was talking to myself…I just hoped that she had not noticed that my eyes were downcast when she turned, trained intently upon my…..

It looks like you're ready for me, she said, smiling at me tentatively, clearly ashamed of her tantrum, and eager to make peace with me, and I appreciated the gesture, though I was certain that she could have chosen words that were not so appropriately, yet accidentally, suggestive. Are you ready for me, Bane?

I was doomed.

Malayna's POV

I wasn't certain who he thought he was fooling with his strategically placed washcloth, but it wasn't working. I was pretty familiar with his naked body, I'd seen it several times over the past fifteen months, though I couldn't recall another time that I'd seen it as it was at that moment, and I couldn't stop the tiny shiver that coursed through me as I tried, and failed, to keep my eyes from straying, over and over again, to that terrycloth covered treasure.

Behave yourself, I hissed to myself, but I couldn't help but wonder if his reaction was related to me, personally, or if he would have had the same sort of response to any woman who was in close proximity to him, in this sort of situation…yes, that was probably it. There was no reason for me to flatter myself with the idea that I was the one who'd awakened him, when he probably would have responded to any woman in the same way.

I told myself to proceed with the bath, thinking that it would be best, for both of us, if we got it over with, but then it dawned on me that I'd only brought one washcloth with me, and it was otherwise occupied at that moment. I agonized over what I ought to do for several moments, striving to find a solution that wouldn't humiliate either one of us any further, and after several choices raced through my head, options which all made me blush, I finally had an epiphany. I could turn on the hydrovescent therapy option of the tub…that is, the bubbles…which might reassure him that all was well for him to release the cloth.

His eyes widened as the water around him began to boil and froth, then took on a look of relief as he reached the same conclusion that I had. The bubbles didn't mask him completely, of course, but they offered enough modesty that he released the washcloth without me asking him to, handing it to me with a somewhat sheepish smile.

I took his offering in hand, then dipped it down into the water and brought it, soaked and dripping, to his bared flesh, prepping him for a soaping. I snuck a peek at his face, and smiled to myself when I saw his eyelids fluttering, trembling, with each and every caress, and wondered how long it had been, since he'd had the luxury of relaxing in a hot bath of bubbling, soothing water…if he'd ever enjoyed such a thing before, that is.

I had found two varieties of soap in the bathroom, a lavender scented one that I determined was for my use, and another bar that had a pleasant, woodsy smell about it, and I took that bar into my hands and stared at it for a moment, then at the cloth, knowing that it would be best for me to work the soap to a lather with the rag, but for some odd reason I vetoed that idea and rubbed it between my hands instead, working up a good bit of foam, and applied it, with my palms, onto his body.

His muscles stiffened for an instant, and then relaxed completely as he turned to look at me, his eyes filled with a jumble of emotions, and it dawned on me that I had just stepped over a line. I'm sorry, I said, my cheeks flaming as I started to move my hands away from his body. I'll use the cloth from now on, unless you would rather that I stop altogether…..

His hands shot up from beneath the water and took hold of my wrists before I could move away from him, holding them gently, but firmly, in place. "I was not complaining, my dear," he said, stroking his thumbs across the back of my hands. "I rather enjoy the feel of your hands, as opposed to that rough cloth, and would ask that you proceed in this fashion, if you would not mind doing so, Malayna."

I didn't mind at all, as a matter of fact, I relished the idea of running my hands over his body, but I didn't feel that there was any reason for me to share that scandalous knowledge with him. I returned my soapy palms to his shoulders and massaged them, trying valiantly, and failing miserably, to stop my eyes from staring at the scar that ran the length of his spine, from the base of his neck down to his waist. It was rude to gawk the way that I was and I blushed, for what had to have been the hundredth time, when I found him watching me, watching him, but then he began to speak, and his choice of topic immediately distracted me from my unease.

"I have had the same dream every night since I learned of Talia's death," he said, his eyes holding strongly onto mine. "I am trying to find her, running here and there through a thick bank of fog, crying out for her, but despite my best efforts I can only see a wisp of her hair, or a glimpse of her sleeve, and then she is gone once more. I have the same cursed dream each and every night, and I can never find her. I wake myself, crying and screaming for her, and then I cannot sleep for hours, because I am too busy wondering if she cried out for me before she died, and I obsess over the knowledge that I failed her, I did not fulfill her dream, I lived, while she died…but last night was different. Last night you found me…you brought me back and offered me the solace of your embrace, did you not, my dear?"

I wasn't sure how I should answer, I wasn't sure that I could answer him, but he continued to speak, which meant that I didn't have to. "You comforted me, and held me and kissed me, and I ought to have explained myself in the moments that followed, but I did not have the words at that time…speaking of words, my dear, there was a difference in my dream last night, one that occurred right before you woke me. I heard a voice, one that did not belong to Talia, one that I had never heard before, and I suspect that it was your voice that called to me, am I correct in that assumption, Malayna?"

I wanted to deny what we both knew was true, remembering my earlier attempts at speech following the accident. I could still hear the taunts, the nicknames…mush mouth…in my head, and for one terrified moment I worried that Bane might subject me to the same treatment, until I remembered that he was the one, the only one since Granny had died, who took the time and showed the patience necessary to communicate with me the way that I preferred, which meant that it was unlikely that he would taunt me over the way that I'd bungled my words.

Yes, you are correct, I said, too flustered, as well as too stubborn, to answer him out loud. It was one thing to do so when he was asleep, but I was much too self-conscious to attempt to form the words while he was wide-awake and watching me so closely. You wouldn't wake, and I didn't know what else to do…..

My words trailed away as he reached out his hand and cupped my cheek, wetting my skin and causing my heart to flutter within my chest. "It worked wonderfully, my dear, and I cannot thank you enough for bringing me out of that nightmare, for offering me solace and showing me that….."

I am the one who owes you my thanks, I interrupted, unsure of how I would behave if he said what I thought that he meant to say, or, even worse, if he didn't say it. If it wasn't for you I would have met the same fate as everyone else on the floor of that hospital. You saved my life, Bane, and I can never repay you for that, no matter how hard I try…..

"Of course you can," he said, taking a page from my book of manners. "Not that I would want, or expect you to thank me for taking you out of that hospital. I did what I did because I wanted you with me, because I needed you with me, not because I meant to ask for any sort of recompense, my dear."

I leaned into the caress of his hand, savoring the feel of his warm, calloused flesh, without a second thought as to whether I ought to or not. But you changed your mind, is that it? I asked, wondering what payment he would demand, secretly hoping that it would involve something forbidden, because I wanted him to want me in that way, just as I prayed that it wouldn't, because it would disappoint me to know that he would want that sort of trade between us. You've decided that there is something that I can do for you, Bane?

"Yes, there is," he said, moving his hand, so that he could trace his fingertips over my lips. "I want you to speak to me, Malayna, I want to hear your voice again, speaking my name, the way that you did last night. That would make me very happy, my dear, and compensate for everything that I have done, even though I did not, and still do not, require any payment. I want you to do so to please me, not to pay me…will you do that for me?"

It was the simplest thing in the world, just to say his name, but it was also the most difficult thing that anyone had ever asked of me. I wanted to do it, I tried to form the word, but in the end I couldn't, and was left red-faced and on the verge of tears, thinking that I was pathetic and incapable of accomplishing something that was so effortless, that ought to have come easily to me.

"There is no need for you to be upset, my dear," he said, comforting me with the stroke of his hand and a warm smile. "We can work our way up to it, there is no need for you to rush, because I am a very patient man, and I believe that it will be well worth the wait, so let us finish this bath because I am anxious to partake of that broth…the juice and the gelatin, not so much, perhaps we could reach a compromise on that topic, could we not?"

I smiled and took a deep breath, feeling much better and agreed that I would allow a compromise, thinking to myself that I could easily replace the juice and Jell-O with an extra helping of chicken broth and plenty of water. It was a small thing for him to ask of me, since I hadn't managed to give him what he wanted by saying his name.

First the bath, then the broth and some water, and after that you'll have your medicine and a nap. Dr. Adelai will be expecting to meet with both of us first thing in the morning, and then we'll have to get to work rebuilding your strength, so it would be best to enjoy this day of rest while it lasts.

He smiled and nodded, then leaned back against the tub, allowing the bubbles to soothe him while I washed his body, trying my best not to think about the places that rested beneath the water, the ones that I had yet to touch. I decided that it would be best to allow him to cleanse those spots himself, because I would undoubtedly blush and stare if I was to do so, even if I used the cloth instead of my hand…..

Oh, God…I was in deep trouble, wasn't I?

He was bathed, squeaky clean from head-to-toe…having washed certain spots all on his own. He was well-fed and medicated and tucked into his bed, and I sat by his side long after he'd drifted off, watching his eyes and the rising and falling of his chest until I was absolutely certain that he was asleep and then I rose to my feet and cupped his cheek in my hand, in the same manner that he had earlier and bent down, placing my lips beside his ear.

"Sw-sweet dreams, B-bane," I murmured, boldly kissing his earlobe before I straightened…and froze in place. His eyes were bleary, but they were opened, and there was a smile of pure satisfaction on his face, a smile unlike any I'd ever seen before, one that made me tingle from the top of my head to the bottom of my feet.

"Thank you, my dear," he whispered, his eyelids fluttering as sleep conquered him. "It was just as I remembered…such a lovely, lovely voice."