"IRA FOR FUCK'S SAKE, STOP GETTING WATER EVERYWHERE!" Gajeel roared. When they got back to his hotel room he'd made a bath for Ira to wash herself, but the kid seemed more interested in swimming and splashing than getting clean.
"Sorry." She whimpered, curling herself into a ball on the edge of the tub.
"Ugh it's fine just...just stay still for a minute!" He pulled the curtain between them and undressed himself, tying a towel around his waist. Gajeel pulled the curtain back again and got in the tub, much to Ira's amusement.
"You're gonna bath with me?" She asked excitedly.
"Yeah considering you can't seem to do it yourself." he half-growled, pulling her closer so he could start washing her off.
He honestly had no idea what he was doing. When Metallicana thought he'd been too dirty he'd either give him a tongue bath or throw him in a river, and it was obvious Gajeel couldn't do either of those things to his daughter.
His daughter...an hour ago he was alone in the world except for Lily and maybe Levy. Now he had a person whose entire life was depending on him. It was scary, but in a good way. It was a challenge, and he loved challenges.
As the dirt was all rubbed away Gajeel couldn't help but growl in anger. He noticed more and more of the scars and bruises she had. Not to mention how tiny she was from practically starving. Sure, He was a bit of a sadistic asshole himself, but even at his worst he never even considered hurting a baby. He might steal a toy or candy to get them upset, but wouldn't actually hurt them. Some lines just shouldn't be crossed.
Gajeel gave the washcloth to the little girl so she could clean between her legs while he started on the rat's nest that was her hair. He knew he was going to have to cut a lot of it off, but hopefully he could get the major tangles out. Although he'd never admit it to anyone except Lily, Gajeel was sure he knew every bit as much about hair as any girl, his own mane was nearly down to his hips after all.
After nearly an hour they were both finally clean and dried off. The bath water had ended up pretty nasty by the time they were done, so they had to shower off as well. Gajeel managed to save most of Ira's hair, but had to cut out the impossible tangles. She now had uneven layers that stuck out in every direction, much like his own. It was actually pretty cute how they matched, but he'd never admit he thought so.
He put one of his wife-beaters on her which dragged the floor and practically fell off of her tiny shoulders. Oh well, it just had to work for tonight, he'd get her something else to wear before they left for home. Turning off all the lights he picked up Ira and put her on the bed, climbing in on the other side. The bed was plenty big enough for both of them but the little girl insisted on getting as close as humanly possible to the dragon slayer and curled up in ball against his chest.
"Goodnight Papa"
"Night Ira"