The water from the shower head sprayed down on Anne's head, deliciously cool and clean. She turned slowly in the stream, reveling in the feeling of the water on her naked skin. she watched as a long day's worth of grime and toil spun and trailed down the drain never to be seen again. She wondered if pain worked the same way, if there was a way to just wash it away so you would never have to see it again, and no one would be able to sense it on your flesh.
She turned the water off and grabbed one of the towels off of the shelf near the shower stall, amazed at it's warmth and fluffiness. She wrapped the terry cloth sheet around her not-so-frail form and stepped out of the shower and into the steamed bathroom. She dragged her palm across the mirror, trying to clear a view for herself, and made no scruples about screaming when Toad's figure appeared behind her in the reflection. He, however, never missed a beat, and quickly rushed up behind her, covering her mouth with his hand and pinning her other arm to her side.
"Shhh... " He whispered into her hair as her excited breaths calmed slowly, and the rise and fall off her chest lessened to an easy rhythm. "I'm not here to do... anything to ya, don't worry." He said quietly, and she couldn't help but notice a small blush creep across his face as he spoke. The rose of the blush didn't set well with his coloring, and it made her a bit more uncomfortable, her squirming increasing slightly. That only made his grip on her tighten, slightly, and Anne was beginning to understand just how strong the strange amphibi-man really was.
"You gotta calm down. Wouldn't want him to come back here and watch you drip dry, would you?" Anne couldn't help but smile, and her captor smiled at them in the mirror as he felt her lips turn upward in his palm. Not an altogether unpleasant feeling. He lessened his grip on her, but kept a hold, not wanting her to bolt and not wanting to let go of her quite yet.
"You calm?" She nodded her head and he let his hand drop from her mouth, leaving it to rest, watchful, on her shoulder. 'There now, that's better, yea?"
"What are you doing in here?" She said. It took all of her strength to pull out of grip, even though she could feel it wasn't nearly as vice-like as it could be. Her hands flew immediately to her towel, holding onto it protectively and desperately, not ready to trust the stranger in her bathroom, although his touch was burned into her skin like a brand, and the quietest part of her was missing his fingers already.
"I'm supposed to watch you." He said, crestfallen. She could tell that babysitting her wasn't the high point of his life, and she really couldn't blame him. She started to tell herself that he wouldn't have to watch her for long, when she remembered his words earlier in the hall.
"What is he going to do to me, exactly?" She asked. She didn't believe in mincing words when it came to food, bad hair cuts, and pain.
"Not too sure, really." He said, shuffling nonchalantly to the shower and leaning against the sliding glass door in a bored manner. "I'm not high enough on the food chain, I suppose."
A surge of embarrassed guilt hit Anne like a tidal wave. She found it difficult not to go completely red under the look he was giving her.
"I suppose it would be terribly cliche to apologize for what I said earlier, hunh?"
"I've always been a sucker cliche." He said, grinning like a cat.
"I'm sorry." She said through her own grin which was quickly overpowering her face and aiding a school-girl blush that was quickly dusting her cheeks. She looked away from him and into the mirror, hoping to hide herself from his eyes. "So, how long am I gonna be here?" she said, grabbing a fresh toothbrush from it's holder and wetting it under the spigot.
"I really don't know. I don't think he knows either. However long it takes."
"Thank you for the vagueness." She said before shoving the toothbrush into her mouth. "So, what am I supposed to call you?" She said around mouthfuls of toothpaste.
"Mortimer."
"But didn't he call you Toad, or something..."
"My name's Mortimer." He interrupted. Anne stopped brushing for a minute and looked at him in the mirror. He wasn't looking at her now, and she couldn't make his expression out too clearly, but something in his voice warned her never to use his nickname. Something made him cling to his birth name, like clinging to... normalcy? She spit out the last of her toothpaste and put up her brush.
"Um, I'm kind of hungry. Do you think maybe the lab rat could have something eat?" she grinned into the mirror. He looked up at this and the corner of his mouth tugged upward ever so slightly.
"Yea, I think I might be able to swing you a bit of cheese, or something."
"Well, do you think I could come with you?" she said, rather quickly, and she hoped she didn't sound as pathetic as she felt. "I just... I don't know my way around yet. And what if I get hungry in the middle of the night? I don't want to have to wander around looking for the fridge, right?"
"Well, technically, that's why I'm on guard duty. I'm excellent at making late night ham sandwiches," he joked, pushing off of the shower. "But get some clothes on. Can't have you wandering around this great steal trap wearing nothing but a towel and a smile." He grinned, and Anne found herself blushing again.
"Alright then, gimme two minutes." She said, pushing him out of the bathroom and into the main room.
"Fine," He grinned. "There's some clean clothes on the bed. I'll just be waiting outside." He finished, and as he closed the door behind him, Anne could've sworn she saw him wink at her.
She turned the water off and grabbed one of the towels off of the shelf near the shower stall, amazed at it's warmth and fluffiness. She wrapped the terry cloth sheet around her not-so-frail form and stepped out of the shower and into the steamed bathroom. She dragged her palm across the mirror, trying to clear a view for herself, and made no scruples about screaming when Toad's figure appeared behind her in the reflection. He, however, never missed a beat, and quickly rushed up behind her, covering her mouth with his hand and pinning her other arm to her side.
"Shhh... " He whispered into her hair as her excited breaths calmed slowly, and the rise and fall off her chest lessened to an easy rhythm. "I'm not here to do... anything to ya, don't worry." He said quietly, and she couldn't help but notice a small blush creep across his face as he spoke. The rose of the blush didn't set well with his coloring, and it made her a bit more uncomfortable, her squirming increasing slightly. That only made his grip on her tighten, slightly, and Anne was beginning to understand just how strong the strange amphibi-man really was.
"You gotta calm down. Wouldn't want him to come back here and watch you drip dry, would you?" Anne couldn't help but smile, and her captor smiled at them in the mirror as he felt her lips turn upward in his palm. Not an altogether unpleasant feeling. He lessened his grip on her, but kept a hold, not wanting her to bolt and not wanting to let go of her quite yet.
"You calm?" She nodded her head and he let his hand drop from her mouth, leaving it to rest, watchful, on her shoulder. 'There now, that's better, yea?"
"What are you doing in here?" She said. It took all of her strength to pull out of grip, even though she could feel it wasn't nearly as vice-like as it could be. Her hands flew immediately to her towel, holding onto it protectively and desperately, not ready to trust the stranger in her bathroom, although his touch was burned into her skin like a brand, and the quietest part of her was missing his fingers already.
"I'm supposed to watch you." He said, crestfallen. She could tell that babysitting her wasn't the high point of his life, and she really couldn't blame him. She started to tell herself that he wouldn't have to watch her for long, when she remembered his words earlier in the hall.
"What is he going to do to me, exactly?" She asked. She didn't believe in mincing words when it came to food, bad hair cuts, and pain.
"Not too sure, really." He said, shuffling nonchalantly to the shower and leaning against the sliding glass door in a bored manner. "I'm not high enough on the food chain, I suppose."
A surge of embarrassed guilt hit Anne like a tidal wave. She found it difficult not to go completely red under the look he was giving her.
"I suppose it would be terribly cliche to apologize for what I said earlier, hunh?"
"I've always been a sucker cliche." He said, grinning like a cat.
"I'm sorry." She said through her own grin which was quickly overpowering her face and aiding a school-girl blush that was quickly dusting her cheeks. She looked away from him and into the mirror, hoping to hide herself from his eyes. "So, how long am I gonna be here?" she said, grabbing a fresh toothbrush from it's holder and wetting it under the spigot.
"I really don't know. I don't think he knows either. However long it takes."
"Thank you for the vagueness." She said before shoving the toothbrush into her mouth. "So, what am I supposed to call you?" She said around mouthfuls of toothpaste.
"Mortimer."
"But didn't he call you Toad, or something..."
"My name's Mortimer." He interrupted. Anne stopped brushing for a minute and looked at him in the mirror. He wasn't looking at her now, and she couldn't make his expression out too clearly, but something in his voice warned her never to use his nickname. Something made him cling to his birth name, like clinging to... normalcy? She spit out the last of her toothpaste and put up her brush.
"Um, I'm kind of hungry. Do you think maybe the lab rat could have something eat?" she grinned into the mirror. He looked up at this and the corner of his mouth tugged upward ever so slightly.
"Yea, I think I might be able to swing you a bit of cheese, or something."
"Well, do you think I could come with you?" she said, rather quickly, and she hoped she didn't sound as pathetic as she felt. "I just... I don't know my way around yet. And what if I get hungry in the middle of the night? I don't want to have to wander around looking for the fridge, right?"
"Well, technically, that's why I'm on guard duty. I'm excellent at making late night ham sandwiches," he joked, pushing off of the shower. "But get some clothes on. Can't have you wandering around this great steal trap wearing nothing but a towel and a smile." He grinned, and Anne found herself blushing again.
"Alright then, gimme two minutes." She said, pushing him out of the bathroom and into the main room.
"Fine," He grinned. "There's some clean clothes on the bed. I'll just be waiting outside." He finished, and as he closed the door behind him, Anne could've sworn she saw him wink at her.