Andrew came out to Lary sheepishly grinning up at him. He glanced around, but saw that nothing was amiss. "The bath is almost ready. I don't have any clothing your size but I guess you could wear.."

As Andrew rummaged through his closet, Lary finally realized what the sound was. Water. He hadn't recognized it immediately because he was distracted by the delicious looking, well groomed rat, and the water sounded different from oceans or rivers. He peeked his head into the bathroom and confirmed his fears. His servant was preparing a drowning receptacle.

Lary wanted to run away, or hide in a corner. But there was nowhere to run in this tiny box. He could flee, but then what? Go back to begging on the streets? Squeeze in with cat pee lady's harem of felines? He was transported back to the feeling of drowning and had to dig his nails into his palms to keep himself from shifting into a different creature to escape his fears.

Andrew burst into laughter as he held up a graphic tee that had a pouting egg on it that looked just like Lary. He turned around to show him and found him pale faced and trembling.

Andrew dropped the shirt, and sat next to him. He pulled him into his lap and rubbed his back comfortingly.

Lary didn't even realize he'd shut down until he felt the warmth and the familiar smell of pepperonis washed over him. Gradually, he relaxed to the sound of heartbeats and the rhythm of the warm hand rubbing his back. Despite the unmistakable sound of rushing water nearby, he found that he felt safe enough to think.

Why was he so afraid? Because of the extreme bullying he'd experienced when he was young, vulnerable and couldn’t shift yet.

But Andrew wasn't anything like the bullies of his past. He probably had a good reason for preparing what looked like a drowning torture chamber. Just the fact that he kept around a little rat and gave it its own palace for no apparent benefit was proof of this. Lary glanced up at the little rat glaring at him and trembling in its ridiculously flamboyant cage and gained courage. If that thing could survive here, so could he.

Seeing that Lary wasn't trembling anymore, Andrew gave him a tight squeeze, then got up.

Andrew was stopped by Lary clutching his shirt.

"Hmm?" Andrew asked.

"Why... bath?"

"Why do you need a bath? So you can be clean, or else you can't stay here. Does that make sense?"

Lary was still as he considered his options. He wanted to insist that as the master, he should be the one calling the shots, and he didn't think he needed a bath -- he'd already licked himself clean this morning!

But he was a magnanimous master who recognized the importance of compromise, and his servant seemed to believe the absurd idea that submerging yourself in water made you clean -- that would be like dunking a book in water because it fell on the floor, completely insane, and unpleasant for the book! 

But he had to admit that even if his servant was a little dumb, he was earnest and diligent. He could tell because he’d watched him sweat profusely all morning as fine white powder flew into his eyes and nose. That's how he'd learned that pizza creatures didn't exist. The humans here made the stuff...

Lary wanted more of that pizza, and also wanted to be a master worth serving. It was too shameful to be fearful of water. Besides, he had his trusty safe word! Filled with a determination to overcome his fears, he nodded.

Andrew, unaware of the great sacrifices his "master" was making, smiled and went to check on the tub. Seeing that it was full, he shut the water off and played relaxing jazz covers of punk rock on his speakers.

Then he stripped off his grimy clothes that had flour and sweat caked into every wrinkle. Despite himself, he found that he was looking forward to a relaxing bath. Well, as relaxing as it could be with an unpredictable little kid who was deathly afraid of water.

As soon as Andrew started pulling off his shirt, Lary's face grew hot and he instinctively covered his face. In Elyria, people usually kept clothes on while in the human form, and his servant's nakedness was making him feel shy. But Andrew didn't seem to think anything of it, so maybe things were different here? Lary peeked at Andrew between his fingers. He'd thought his servant was scrawny. Who knew he actually had nice lean muscle under his clothes?

While Lary enviously wondered how he could get a tan like Andrew, Andrew took off even his underwear! Seeing his dick just hanging out, Lary's mind went into a frenzy, flailing around like a startled squirrel trying to make an escape. As Lary awkwardly tried to figure out where to direct his gaze and what expression to put on his face, Andrew approached.

Breathe. Relax. This was perfectly normal, everyday stuff! Lary told himself, as Andrew helped him out of his clothes. He could barely breathe and felt lightheaded from Andrew's proximity and all of his sweat and pheromones that his keen nose was way too good at picking up.

His mind was as mushy as cat vomit as Andrew led him to the bath. It was only when the tub of water was directly in front of him, did he remember to feel afraid again.

His flustered sweat instantly chilled as he stared into the depths of the still water.

Andrew felt the tiny hand in his become cold and clammy. He crouched down to Lary's eye level. "Are you okay, Lary?"

Lary felt his spirit leave his body as his head turned up towards Andrew. Seeing the concern in his servant’s soft brown eyes, his body moved of its own accord, throwing his arms around his servant's neck.

Andrew froze for a moment, before he brought his arms around and hugged Lary back. Although Andrew had carried and comforted Lary a few times now already, this was the first time Lary had initiated a hug, and it felt nice. Being depended on filled him with warmth and Andrew's heart was full. The little shitter was chaos incarnate and drop dead exhausting to be around, and yet, he couldn't hate him. "You wanna go in together?" Andrew felt Lary nod into his chest, and smiled.

Lary clamped his eyes shut and squeezed Andrew tighter, repeating Motsy Mop to himself. All he had to do was open his mouth and let the words out when he couldn't handle it anymore. It gave him the courage to focus on the warmth emanating from Andrew's body, the sound of his steadily beating chest, and the decadent smell of pepperoni his servant reeked of. 

While his eyes were still tightly shut, he felt the bath water. He almost didn't recognize it as water because it was warm instead of frigid. He sensed the water thread its way into the gaps between him and his servant. Gradually, it crept higher and higher, until it reached his shoulders.

He cautiously opened one eye at a time, and looked around. He saw that he was in the drowning receptacle, but he wasn't drowning. His head was above the water, it was warm, and his servant was here. With his confidence slowly increasing, he loosened his grip and ventured out of the safe embrace.

The water was still and calm. He found the smooth floor with his feet and stood up. He laughed. When standing, the water actually only came up to his belly button!

Andrew couldn't help but adore the transformation in the toddler's expression. From scared to disbelief, then to excitement and pure bliss. Seeing the small child who'd been trembling in fear moments prior, now giggling and splashing the water around, all the stress of the day seemed to melt away. Watching this little birdling take flight made him feel that all the struggles leading up to this moment were worthwhile.

Andrew heard a dog barking in the distance, which broke him out of his reverie. He couldn't just soak in the bath indefinitely. Although it was a Tuesday so he didn't have to rush to walk the dog and go straight to Crescent to wait tables, he still shouldn't keep Evan waiting too long. 

Andrew pumped some 4-in-1 Head Shoulders Knees n Toes into his hand. He wanted to soap Lary down, but seeing him deeply immersed in cupping the water in his hands and giggling as he let it trickle down in a stream, he decided to quickly scrub himself first.

Lary was actually cackling as he imagined punishing those who'd bullied him in the same way he'd suffered. They'd better watch their backs when he finally figured out how to get back to Elyria!

If only he had someone he could practice on... Lary saw that Andrew's eyes were closed as he rubbed bubbles into his hair. Never mind that it looked like some sort of magic, his servant's guard was down! Lary felt powerful as he cupped some water and stealthily approached. 

In his eager haste, his tiny foot got caught under Andrew's leg and he lurched forward. Lary's face hit the water with a loud smack. Water surged up his nose, and the memories of past drowning experiences flooded back and gripped him with terror.

Andrew rushed to scoop up the thrashing child by his armpits and helped him back to his feet. But Lary's eyes were glazed over. 

Andrew hugged the little guy to his chest and rubbed his back comfortingly. "Shh it's okay, I'm here."

Lary saw the world through a filmy layer, like he wasn't really there. His servant's voice and touch felt distant.

Andrew's hands were soapy because he'd been interrupted in the middle of scrubbing himself down. Seeing that he'd already lathered Lary's back, Andrew pumped some more 4-in-1 into his hands and massaged it soothingly into his blonde curls. 

Lary felt fingers rubbing patterns across his scalp, causing the tension to leave his body and gently pulling him back into the present. He closed his eyes and savored the relaxing sensation, and the urge to purr bubbled up from deep within as he leaned into the massage. 

Andrew could feel Lary relax and lean into his hand and thought it was adorable. Like a cat.

As he rinsed both of them off, he thought maybe one day, when he wasn't so busy barely keeping things afloat, he could adopt one.

-- Little Theater

Andrew: maybe I'll adopt a cat one day

Lary: teehee I'm the cat you adopted :D There's no space for any other cats, because this cat is very territorial and definitely won't share >:)