Max ran the sponge over Nudge's many scars, scrubbing off any mud or dirt that had hid within the skin. She noticed that Nudge wasn't lying earlier. All of these scars were from battle... And her old cutting problem... But, none of them were from her last visit at the School. Well, except for the large scar that went around both of her wings about 1 inch away from her back, where they had used her natural wing location to re-graph wings on her. The scar was long, but only about a centimeter in width. On that scar there were no feathers. Not even downy feathers.
"Thanks...Mah...ahx" Nudge said, smiling as she used her own sponge to scrub her arms, legs, and torso, while Max doing her back, wings, and hair.
"No problem, sweety. You've had a rough time... We all have, and it's not fair that we neglect you because of what you used to do... Especially after where it put you..." Max said, softly, rubbing the sponge down in between Nudge's wings.
Nudge sat silently for a few seconds. "Are...you...treating...me...this...way...because...I...cut?" She asked, in a very childish voice that made her sound 5 years younger.
"No. I'm treating you this way, because it's originally my fault that you started cutting. It was me, because you thought I had died, therefor you didn't trust the Flock, therefor you cut yourself. I wouldn't leave without a fight. Even if Fang was the one killing me." Max smiled a little. "And I should have tried to get in contact with you guys a lot sooner then I did. I had many chances before..." Max faded off into her own thought for a moment.
"So...you're...just...showing...that...you...love...me?" Nudge asked, her face lighting up a little.
"Yeah. I mean, I know that Angel would think that I would spend the most time with her... But that whole two weeks that my mom didn't let me outta that bed, Angel was there. She flew by me the whole way to get you and back. She was right next to me when I was in a coma for that first week or so. And I wasn't going to tell her to get out... I love her. God, do I love her. But, you deserve attention too." Max said, starting to splash water on Nudge's wings.
"But...what...I...did...is...wrong..." Nudge said, bowing her head a little, reverting her eyes over to the paneling on the wall.
"Cutting? I think that it's a cry for help. Nudge, you wanted help from whatever you were feeling, and you had cut yourself to get someone's attention... That's just what I think, but... Is that true? Did you just want help?" Max said. She knew that she sounded way out of character, because she was usually sarcastic, but at this moment, sentimental Max needed to step in.
Nudge stayed silent. She just looked farther away from Max. Though she was gripping her sponge with brute strength, as if taking whatever anger she has out on it.
After no sounds but a dripping faucet, Nudge threw her sponge as hard as she could against the wall. It hit the wall with a loud slap and then fell in the water next to her. She looked at it, then looked into her lap.
"Nudge, you know you don't have to tell me... But I do wanna know what's bothering you." Max said, sweetly, lathering shampoo in her hands, getting ready to wash Nudge's wings.
"I...didn't...know...who...to...trust..." Nudge said softly. She was still looking in her lap. "I...thought...Fang...had...killed...you...and...the...rest...of...the...Flock...had...trusted...him...even...after...that... So...I...was...scared...of...everyone..." Nudge said, speaking her feeling for the first time.
"Well.... Hmmmm.... I can see where you come from... And I totally understand. So, because Fang had supposedly killed me, you thought that he shouldn't have been trusted, and that the rest of the Flock still sided with him after that??" Max said, confirming that she understood it right.
Nudge nodded.
"Okay.. I do understand. I really do, Nudge." Max said, as she rubbed the shampoo into Nudge's wings, getting the grime off of the feathers. "But, now, there's no reason to cut that you know of, right?" Max asked, softly.
"Not...yet." Nudge said, looking at her very scarred wrists.
"Well, then, if I catch you cutting, I won't hurt you, yell at you, or punish you. There no reason for any of that. But if I catch you cutting, I will want en explanation. Why you are doing it. Okay?" Max asked, softly.
"Okay..." Nudge said back, grabbing the sponge and starting to scrub her arms again.
Max lathered the shampoo on Nudge's wings, then washed it out. she did it again, to get left over grime out. She then washed Nudge's hair, quickly. She finished Nudge's hair, and started washing her shoulders, just because she liked this moment.
"I'm...done...washing...myself..." Nudge said, softly. She stood up, and took the towel off of the curtain pole. She wrapped it around herself, and stepped out of the bathtub. She dried herself off and slipped on some underwear and one of Max's big shirts.
"Remember, Nudge, if you eve need to talk o anyone. Just come to me. I may be sarcastic, and mean sometimes, but I can be nice too. Remember that." Max smiled, as Nudge left the bathroom. Max trained the tub, then called, "Angel, time for your bath!"
