bakerstreet | What shoes to wear, how to fix your hair

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What shoes to wear, how to fix your hair

The Personal Hygiene Shipping Meme

Personal hygiene is just that - personal. By the time we've come to a point in our lives where we notice that the concept exists and we should be prudent about it, we can take care of ourselves. There are also many practical reasons why we don't involve other people in this process. We're not too keen on showing off parts to be cleaned that are private in most contexts, and there's definitely an ingrained aversion to showing so much soft, fleshy skin. Hot water or a sharp razor could spell dangerous with a capital D should they come into the hands of someone with a vendetta against you. No need to be extra vulnerable.

So, if you're involving another person in your cleansing routines, it must be someone you trust. Not only that, but it's most likely someone you're comfortable with and likely at least somewhat open to being intimate with. You may not be dropping all your clothing in front of them, but it's still you opening yourself up to touching and closeness unparalleled in more "usual" moments.

Established and burgeoning couples (or not-so-couples) can bond through this showing of care and good faith. Will you like being pampered and find the attention endearing? Or will things go terribly, terribly wrong?

...you never should have let them near that shaving cream.

Comment with your character and preferences.
Smut is not required. Mention if you want/don't want it.
Reply to others and use the RNG.

Comfort: You've decided to pitch in a helping hand to get your partner to unwind, and warm water or suds may do the trick.
Romantic: The sole purpose of this endeavor is to set a lovey-dovey mood. No shame here!
It Started Out Platonic...: What a good pal you are, volunteering to give your friend a good scrub. Of course, you didn't count on the cute way she squirms as you scrub her back or how he blushes when you shampoo his scalp.
No Choice: Currently, you're unable to clean yourself up. That means that you need assistance, and it might as well be the person you lov- tolerate the most.
Open: You have trust issues. Actually, you have backlogs of trust issues. Still, you want to show the person you love that you're willing and trying to change for them, and what better way than letting down your walls and having the assist in your grooming?
Shave: Whether it's your face, your legs, or...your other places you've decided to shave, there's a certain intimacy involved in letting your lover do it for you. Let's hope they won't leave you looking like you got into a battle with a book with the paper cuts to prove it.
Reluctant: They want to get you clean. You don't want to show off your body at all. It's injured, it looks weird, what if they don't like it...
Forced: You love them, you really do, but you won't kiss them if they continue to look like an unwashed hobo clown. You have to draw the line somewhere, and if they won't take action, you will.
Beat Up: You've been trampled in a fight. Your partner isn't about to let you wallow around in your own mud and blood.
Hair: Some find that there's nothing quite as soothing as getting their hair washed or brushed. Of course, those with more luxurious locks may find any hair care a burden, so the assistance is appreciated.
Make Up: They think you're beautiful already. See how they'll paint you up when they get the chance.
Unique: If you're not human, you probably have your own proceeders you have to do to keep all spiffied up. There are wings with stray feathers to pluck, horns on heads to polish, scales to shave down, all sorts of tasks! Introduce your ignorant (and most likely human) boyfriend or girlfriend to your world...and your pain.
Accommodations: Those with disabilities or prosthetics may also have their own routines, and anyone who wants to be with them should learn how to pitch in.
Sponge Bath: You don't have enough water to do this right or you just want to give them a nice rub and scrub with a gentle sponge or wash cloth.
Wound Care: In order for wounds to heal, proper care must be taken. Bandages have to be changed and cuts cleaned out. It's certainly easier when you don't have to do it all by yourself.
Together: You're both cleaning up, taking a bath, splish splash, in the same tub because there's no where else to go. This is the most likely smut option, even if, again, it starts off "platonic."
Clothing: Don't forget that clean clothes are an important part of personal hygiene. Always make sure your partner has a nice, fresh outfit, even if it's to your taste and not theirs.
I've Made a Terrible Mistake: Somehow, everything's now shit. This little experiment went haywire and you may be sporting anything from the worst hairdo of your life to a Columbian necktie.
FREE SPACE

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Stop that. [ He sighs out as Dabi starts moving around again, then pushes off his knees to get to his desk. ]

I know you said you didn't want it, but that was before you passed out on me. And what was I supposed to do if you needed blood or if something else came up?

[ He wasn't going to fuck around with Dabi's life like that, not when he actually had the means to make sure the man could pull through. Returning to the bed, he holds out his phone. ]

Lay down and I'll show it to you.

[ he grits his teeth as he pushes himself up to sit, even as shigaraki tells him not to, because fuck that. if shigaraki isn't going to listen to him, he sure as hell isn't going to listen either. the twisting around to try and look at the wound is too much for him though, and he just sits there slumped, glaring as shigaraki comes back over to him.]

No. Just fucking show it to me, goddamit.

[ He sighs again. ]

You lost a lot of blood, dumbass. You're not supposed to be up.

[ Still, he slides into the bed behind Dabi and snaps a picture of the cut, closed up with neat, professional stitches. It might not even leave a noticeable scar. He passes the phone to Dabi, and hopes that playing along for now will get the other to finally start cooperating. ]

Do I look like I give a single shit about that?

[ he glares, being the most ungrateful patient ever, probably. he'll get to it, he just has to get over this first. at least he wasn't awake for it and the bleeding did stop. he notices his other cuts cleaned up and patched as well, but that looks more like shiagaraki's work- so he's definitely more comfortable with those.

he grabs the phone, looking at the photo, but it doesn't matter how clean and neat the stitching it. doesn't even matter if it scars or not. he just doesn't want anyone else's hands on him. he has to admit though, it's decent work- and shigaraki was here the whole time. if the doctor had tried anything funny, he's sure there would be a pile of dust on the ground right about now.]

Great.

[ he shoves the phone back at shigaraki, dragging his fingers through his hair. there's nothing he can do about it now. ]

Got anythin' in here to drink? Somethin' strong and alcoholic, not those nasty ass energy drinks ya got layin' around.

[ Tomura is probably certifiably the Worst Person to be doing any of this, so he desperately wants to know why the fuck he's suddenly responsible for biting his tongue while making sure Dabi doesn't wreck himself any further. ]

You can have water, [ he says stiffly. ] You don't have enough fucking blood to even metabolize alcohol.

[ And he actually has it on hand, so he grabs a water bottle and a small container of pills from his desk, setting both on the nightstand. ]

You can knock yourself out with painkillers if it's really that unbearable, but just... let me get the rest of your injuries.

[ The tiredness reflects in his voice. He understands Dabi being as unsettled as he is, but neither could Tomura deal with it if he did what Dabi wanted and accidentally made things worse—but fuck if Dabi isn't making everything harder to deal with either way. ]

[ he's probably not the worst person for it, because anyone else might be dead by now. dabi is pretty sure he'd only ever let shigaraki continue being near him in this way, especially when it comes to getting help.

shigaraki is probably the only person in the world who could convince dabi that he doesn't need alcohol right now, and he should drink water instead. so at least he's got those two things above anyone else. ]

Gotta be shitting me.

[ he grumbles anyway, but swipes the water from the nightstand. he eyes the pills, but he doesn't take them just yet. he feels like he's been out of it for too long already and he doesn't like that.]

Fine.

[ dabi knows he makes everything harder to deal with. he knows shigaraki knows he makes everything harder to deal with. it makes him wonder why shigaraki sticks around and deals with his bullshit. ]

[ He relaxes a little when it comes through that Dabi's at least not going to fight him on that. He grabs the damp hand towel he'd draped over the back of his chair, and climbs back onto the bed behind Dabi. The water he'd drenched it in used to be warm, but it's very much cooled off by now as Tomura dabs the towel over Dabi's back, cleaning away the bloody streaks he hadn't yet got around to.

Once he's no longer working with a blood-spotted canvas, he tosses the towel over his chair again, and picks up the bottle of antiseptic and some clean cotton balls. He gingerly disinfects the deeper cuts slicing up Dabi's lower back, and covers them with a gauze. Finally, he sits back and studies his work, scanning for anything else he might've missed.

There's nothing. And he feels unreasonably tired. He feels his whole body going soft, and finds himself impulsively leaning in until his forehead is pressed against the middle point between Dabi's shoulder-blades. He stays there a moment, feeling Dabi's warmth beneath his skin and breathing in the smell of smoke tinged with copper. Quietly, he adds, ]

'm... glad you're okay.

[ he drinks some more water and then he just holds on to it, closing his eyes as shigaraki gets to cleaning the rest of his wounds. he feels like such an idiot after all of this- that's the worst part. he doesn't like the unnecessary bullshit he got himself into for nothing. but that's what he's been doing lately, ever since... well. he doesn't really want to face that either.

even sitting here on shigaraki's bed he's been trying to act like it's nothing. like this distant and cold relationship is all they have- even if shigaraki has reached out repeatedly by now. dabi feels like an idiot all over again, but he doesn't know how to face it.

eventually though, he does let himself relax. there's the cold wet cloth that feels good against his skin, and the antiseptic which stings in a way that makes him feel present. there's shigaraki's hands touching his skin lightly when he applies the gauze at different spots. he's able to concentrate on all of tha and let his agitation simmer away as much a it possible can in a situation like this.

and then when he thinks it's all over, he feels shigaraki's forehead press against his back and those words trying to bring him in once again. ]

Yeah, just real fuckin' tired.... wanna lay down?

[ Tomura doesn't expect it to sound like an invitation. With everything that happened between them, he isn't even really certain if Dabi wants to be close to him anymore, but he can't say that he dislikes the possibility that there's still something there, as complicated and unnecessary as logic tells him it is. ]

I haven't gotten around to your front yet. If you want me to.

[ Dabi had seemed better off there, but since most of the sutures had been delivered to his back and side, Tomura didn't get a chance to make sure. He'd thought about dragging Spinner or Twice back to move Dabi before the other had finally woken up.

Tomura still moves away though, until he's sitting at the edge of the bed, giving Dabi room to lay down; then he frowns slightly at the man's still-covered lower half. ]

Did they get you in the legs?

[ Dabi looks down at his front. It's definitely nowhere near as bad as the rest of him. He can probably leave it alone and he'll be fine, but he's pretty sure Shigaraki brings it up because he doesn't exactly want to lay down with him. Makes sense of course. They ended whatever the thing was between them for a reason. No need to get all close again.

Then what was all this for? Dabi had felt Shigaraki's worry, his need to help and to make sure that he wouldn't die. He'd do the same, he realizes, not for any specific reason other than that he's gotten used to the freak being in his life now. Maybe it's more than that too, but he knows he shouldn't let that part matter. ]

They didn't get my legs or my front. Good fuckin' thing cause I ain't layin' on my back for nothin'

[ He should probably go back to his room and struggle with laying down over there. He snags the painkillers from the side table, keeping them in his hand. He can take them when he's alone and pass out for the rest of today and maybe tomorrow if he's lucky enough. ]

Wanna gimme a hand so I can get back to my room?

[ Oh, right. This room isn't Dabi's.

It's strange to come to that realization at all, that apparently Tomura had eventually stopped differentiating between which one of them could stay where. He almost wants to refuse to let Dabi switch rooms too, because between the blood loss and fresh sutures he really doesn't think Dabi should be moving, but a glance at the blood-spotted sheets tells him his bed probably isn't very comfortable at this point either.

Tomura frowns to himself for a moment longer before relenting. He scoots over to Dabi's uninjured side and offers his shoulder, before apparently reconsidering that too. ]

... Maybe I should carry you.

Don't even think about it, mophead. I can walk just fine. All I need is your shoulder.

[ When Shigaraki moves close enough, Dabi slides his arm around his shoulder and stands up with him, wincing inwardly, but not letting himself show any more outward pain. He's fine. This wasn't even that big of a deal. Shigaraki's a fucking worrywart. Probably a good thing, or there would be a lot more blood on those sheets.

He's quiet as they head back to his room and he kicks the door open to let them in. His room is a mess, but his bed is fairly empty aside from some clothes that might need to get shoved off. He hasn't been spending a lot of time here anyway. He mostly used to linger cause of Shigaraki being around, but now... well. Yeah. That's no longer a thing, so he no longer lingers. ]

[ He grumbles but ultimately agrees to the way Dabi wants it. He lets Dabi throw an arm around his shoulder, then slowly pulls them both up, shifting to bear more of the other man's weight. With an eye on Dabi's reaction to make sure he isn't overly pained, Tomura guides them out of his room and down the hall.

He graces Dabi with a roll of his eyes when he kicks open the door. Figures he still had a flair for that kind of stuff despite his injury, but Tomura saves his breath to drag them in and over to Dabi's bed, doing his best not to let either of them trip over everything scattered on the floor. He waits for Dabi to settle first before he slides himself out from under his arm. ]

Better?

[ he feels a little more relieved when he's finally back in his space. it doesn't make him feel more sure about anything, but at least it's something.

he sits, biting back another wince, and then lets out a long breath. he was stupid tonight. real stupid. he recognizes that much, even if he isn't going to say anything about it. ]

Yeah. I'm good. Still could use that whiskey, though.

[ Tomura snorts, and turns wordlessly to exit the room.

In a few minutes though, he's back, predictably with some water, and whatever else he thought Dabi could maybe use. He sets them down on the closest available empty surface. ]

I won't complain if you're functional enough to get whiskey by yourself, [ he comments with a small, wry grin. ] But until then...

[ For a moment he wonders if Shigaraki is leaving to get him whiskey, but something tells him he shouldn't be so hopeful. He might have some stashed around in his room- in fact he knows he does, somewhere in this mess- but it seems like too much effort to go and find it, so he just waits.

And of course... ]

Fuckin' knew it.

[ He mutters, but maybe Shigaraki has a point. ]

Just gonna take the pills and pass out, then.

[ There's no objection from him, and after a moment he sits down on the edge of the bed next to Dabi. Tomura's eyes are fixed on the other man's face, intent. ]

That invitation still good?

[ Despite his other concerns at the time, making sure Dabi's injuries were mostly taken care of, he hadn't ignored the other's offer to lie down. ]

[ Dabi snags the water and pops the pain pills, swallowing them down before Shigaraki sits down on the bed, and then he looks over and eyes him.

The invitation... oh.]

Thought ya didn't want to.

[ Tomura shrugs, flashing a small, wry smile. ]

Just wanted to make sure you weren't going to bleed all over me.

Nothin' wrong with a little blood.

[ he knows it was more than a little, and that's not the point. it just feels a lot more awkward now. this back and forth in his head is a lot. he truly doesn't know what the hell he's doing with shigaraki. ]

If I would'a known, I probably wouldn't have taken the pills just now.

[ He'll take that as agreement. If Dabi wanted to get him out, he's had his opportunity, so Tomura starts burrowing into the covers now. ]

Why? Can't enjoy it if you're not awake? [ He actually sounds a little amused. ] It's fine, I'll stick around.

[ It's not like he has a lot on his plate once they've finally gotten some kind of stable living arrangement, nothing that requires his urgent attention. And... maybe if Dabi's offering, he wants to give it a chance. ]

[ Dabi lets him, not saying a word as he watches the other man get under his covers. He looks... comfortable and inviting. Two things he never thought he'd associate with Shigaraki. ]

No, I just think I'll be so fuckin' out of it that I'll talk in my sleep and then you're gonna take advantage of it.

[ that's more of the truth than anything, even if shigaraki doesn't like it. but it does say something that dabi is climbing under the covers anyway, very slowly so as not to pull anything. he still lets out a soft hiss though, when he lays down on his unaffected side. ]

[ He props himself up on an elbow to watch as Dabi finally gets under the covers. The beds here are plenty big, but they still wind up close—close enough that Tomura could just reach out and touch him. He's still cautious, however; he's uncertain how much Dabi wants from him, and wary of being turned away, so for now his hand remains at his side. ]

You talk in your sleep? [ he says instead. Far from upset, he bears a small grin. ] What kinds of things you say?

[ Dabi gives him a look. Yeah, the big beds are nicer than what they used to have, and yet it still keeps them close, but that's the part he can actually deal with right now.

Shigaraki looking so damn pleased that he's gonna talk in his sleep, is the opposite of that. ]

What part'a talkin' in my sleep don't you understand? If I fuckn' knew, I wouldn't be sleepin.

[ Tomura might even just outright be teasing. ]

You know you talk though, [ he points out. There's a beat, then a little more seriously he adds: ] If it's that private, I can leave when you start up.

[ Look, boundaries. He's learning—even if Dabi's boundaries are significantly further out than anyone else's. ]

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