#there's also no running water in this type of sauna so wash basins are required

[ghouletteanon]

Mushy May: Day 1 - Bathtime

It's Mushy May, it's Mountain Monday so of course I'll combine the two. Cumulus helping Mountain with his mane of hair, very mushy and affectionate. Bathing in a sauna counts as bath time, right?

Word count: 498. Rating: T, non-sexual nudity

“Be a dear and lean back for me,” Cumulus gently pushes Mountain with a soft hand on his back, and he complies with a fond smile. She had ambushed him in the garden shed earlier, dragging him to the baths after a long day in the gardens. She had already run him through a gauntlet, making him wash off the worst dirt in the lake before she sat him down on the bottom bench in the large sauna. The sauna is still warm, but nowhere as hot as when the fire ghouls bathed which suited Mountain and Cumulus just fine. It was just the two of them, unglamoured for once as there are no siblings around. Mountain’s antlers are almost as wide as the bench he’s sitting on, almost towering over Cumulus who is sitting on the top bench.

Mountain closes his eyes, feeling Cumulus scratch his scalp as she gently begins detangling the crow’s nest that Mountain’s mane has become. She passes the homemade bar of conditioner through his hair, the smell of lavender from Mountain’s personal garden spreading in the warm room. Taking care of his hair is a two-ghoul type of job, and he’s grateful that Cumulus has taken it upon herself to help him out. He usually ignores styling his hair, just putting his hair in a bun to get it out of the way when working in the garden but it is the night before they leave for tour, and it must be done. Lake water left his hair soft, unlike the water in the hotel rooms that made matted fur even worse.

Mountain starts purring when Cumulus starts just running her fingers through his hair, the tangles dealt with. Going back on tour feels much less daunting now that he’s warm all over and there are no knots pulling his scalp. Cumulus stops at some point, and Mountain registers that Cumulus asked a question. “I’m going to start rinsing now, alright baby?”

Mountain blinks sheepishly, having dozed off in the warmth of the room. “Yeah, sorry. Of course.”

“It’s alright, dear.” Cumulus chuckles, affection clear in her tone as she picks up the water basin and carefully pours it over Mountain’s hair, making sure none gets in the earth ghouls hair even as he scrubs out the leftover conditioner. “I’ll just wash your back and then you can get some sleep before we leave tomorrow.”

“Join me tonight?” Mountain asks, unsure if the ghoulette would even consider it as she usually holed up together with the rest of the ghoulettes.

“Of course,” Cumulus assures him as she lathers up the soap and then starts scrubbing Mountain’s back. “Copia will probably assign me and the girls together on tour again. I’ll miss my big boy.”

Mountain’s purrs rumble echo through the empty sauna again as Cumulus works in silence. Tomorrow, they would be confined in a small space with all the other band ghouls but tonight they could enjoy the sweet, sweet silence.