Whumpee’s First Bath (Hair Whump)
Whumpee has been rescued from captivity, and to say they looked and smelled gross would be an understatement. They’re covered in drift, grime, dried blood, and tears. Oily hair hung in their eyes, which hadn’t been properly cut in who knows how long. And the sight of Whumpee in this condition made Caretaker’s heart twist.
The minute Whumpee was in a safe enough condition, Caretaker draws a warm bath. Whumpee jumps at the sound of the water hissing, but their shoulders relax after a few seconds.
Whumpee relaxes further as they’re slowly lowered into the water. They didn’t know that they would miss something as trivial as bathing. They sigh, their eyes closing.
However, everything changes when Caretaker touches their hair. They shriek, jerking away from the touch and pressing their back into the tile on the wall. “Don’t touch me!” they wail, their fingers failing to dig into the hard material of the tub.
Caretaker backs away, shampoo dripping off their fingers. Their eyes are wide, brows arched and mouth slightly agape. The bathroom goes silent.
“Whumpee…you know I wouldn’t hurt you, right?” Caretaker asks, their voice small.
“I know,” Whumpee sighs. “But…that—that was what they liked to do.”
Caretaker doesn’t have to guess to know who they are, but…
“Liked to what?” Caretaker questions hesitantly.
Whumpee purses their lips, their fingers slightly tensing a bit more. “They liked to pull on my hair.”
Caretakers stomach dropped. Fuck, why didn’t they think of that? They saw the bald patches, but they didn’t think—
“Whumpee,” Caretaker began. “I promise I won’t hurt you. Look at my hands.” Whumpee’s eyes darted to Caretaker’s held-out hand. “I’m just washing your hair. It may snag on some leftover tangles, but that’s it.”
Whumpee swallowed thickly. “You promise?”
Caretaker nodded. “I promise.” They gather some shampoo in their hands. “Can I start again?” Whumpee nodded.
The rest of the bath was uneventful, save for the occasional wince from Whumpee. Caretaker’s jaw clenched as they take in Whumpee’s injuries, which had the bandages taken off for the bath. But instead of raging at what Whumper did, Caretaker instead gently talked to them about small things, like a cat they saw yesterday and what Whumpee wants for lunch. Throughout the bath, Whumpee’s muscles slowly relaxed, their breathing becoming slower.
After the bath, Caretaker gently lifted Whumpee from the tub and wrapped a robe around them. They drained the tub and turned back to Whumpee, pulling an elastic tie from their wrist.
“Your wounds need to be bandaged again,” Caretaker said. “Can I put your hair in a braid to keep it out of the way?”
Whumpee’s eyes darted between Caretaker and the hair tie. They’re careful to dodge their reflection in the mirror, Caretaker noted to themselves. Whumpee’s fists clenched and unclenched before they nodded once.
Caretaker never thought they would braid Whumpee’s hair. Normally they were very particular about it. But now here they were, weaving sections of their long hair between each other. Whumpee’s shoulders tensed, but they never swatted at Caretaker’s hand or darted away. Caretaker’s heart twisted as they try their best to cover up the bald patches of scalp.
Once the braid was finished, Caretaker gently turned Whumpee away from the mirror so they were facing each other.
“Better?” Caretaker asked.
Whumpee smiled. “Better.”
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