bakerstreet | Let's braid each other's 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

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"That is true." He replied with a nod, "Though I do sometimes have more tact about these things."

Sometimes, not always, sometimes tact was drastically overrated and really not worth the trouble. This wasn't one of those times, however.

Ganymede just smiled. "You're more tactful than many I've met who intended to convert me,"he said lightly, dipping his head and kissing a slow trail up Nicky's neck towards his jaw.

"Tell me what you like about your faith. If you want to."

"That's probably the difference." He replied, "I've no intention of converting anyone."

He made a thoughtful sound, fingers working their way up into Ganymede's hair again, scratching gently at his scalp, the movement idle, oddly contemplative, finally he shook his head, "I used to know the answer to that question." He replied, voice having dipped a little, "I never stopped liking the stories, if that counts for anything. The way the music moves people, I suppose. Though that could be said of any music, really."

He chuckled gently at that, humming as Nicky's hands pushed up into his hair again. Ganymede genuinely loved being touched and petted.

"Mmm, I do enjoy the music," he murmured. "I'm not...overly familiar with the stories, sadly. Ithink anything you love about the faith you hold still counts. I still hold some things of mine quite dear, but I don't practice anymore."

He nodded, "Remind me to tell you some sometime when my long-term memory isn't mash." He said, "And I can't truly say I practice either. Midnight service on Christmas eve, when I'm able, Easter services sometimes, too."

He shook his head a little, "But only sometimes, while those should be the more uplifting sermons they aren't often." Another thoughtful little sound, "Sometimes Joe and I will go to Mosque instead, when we're allowed, or Synagogue even though neither of us is Jewish, I appreciate the Judaic way of discussing theology and what it means, and occasionally Joe likes to argue with someone simply for the sake of the argument, so it can work out well for both of us."

"I can introduce you to a friend that can help you with that," he murmured, resting his chin on Nicky's sternum. "I knew his father a few years back, and Elisha is a lovely man. He'll also argue with you, over anything, until you're blue in the face. He'd love to go to Synagogue with you sometime."

Ganymede would, if he could guarantee he wouldn't be hit with rocks again. Once was enough for that, and he generally avoided similar circumstances after that. "I wish I could show you the temple my brothers and I went to, when it was new. It was beautiful."

"Joe will be thrilled, I'm sure." He replied, making a thoughtful little sound at the rest, warm and curious, fingers still threaded through Ganymede's hair, scratching gently at his scalp, idle and relaxed.

"Sometimes I find myself missing the monastery, before I remember that I was miserable there and realize what I actually miss is the chapel back home." He shook his head, "It's just that the monastery still exists and the chapel does not."

If Ganymede could have purred at that scratching, he would have: as it was he settled into a long, stretching sigh, completely boneless.

"I miss the building," he murmured. "The way it looked in the sunlight, like the marble itself was absorbing it and glittering with it. But I don't miss...who lived there. But it's over and done now."

He nodded, humming quietly before commenting: "It seems like we've managed to veer towards maudlin even without the alcohol. Which I think means it's time we wash off the worst of the stickiness, simply so we don't wake up uncomfortable, and then get some sleep."

A thoughtful little sound, "See what the options are for food when we wake."

Let's braid each other's hair

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject