oddsandends | 82nd ♫ | nodding off in a chocolate bathtub full of whipped cream bubbles

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

...I haven't told the others yet. But... I have an idea in mind. I ask that you wait to hear it with the others, once I've healed a bit more.

Very well.

[He tips Dimitri's head back so he can start to rinse the soap out.]

Goddess, when was the last time you washed your hair? It's terrible.

[He snorts]

You don't want the answer to that.

Are you telling me you haven't washed your hair in five years, Dimitri?

[Felix doesn't even realize he's used Dimitri's name. He's tired and this feels like the old days.]

I... I wouldn't say that long...

[He notices, but bites his tongue so not to call attention to it]

[Felix shoves at the least injured shoulder.]

Disgusting. How did it not mat?

I rinsed! I just... did not regularly have any soaps.

[Or had the care to bother finding some.]

All those bandits, and none of them had soap?

... I really wasn't thinking about that kind of looting, if I'm being honest. I took weapons and armor if mine broke. Food if I was hungry. I really was not much more than a beast at the time.

When I occasionally stayed in small villages or slums they often offered me a chance to bathe... but I tried to not stay long. So it likely has been months.

[Felix makes the most disgusted noise he's capable of, though his hands are still gentle.]

I guess that explains why your hair looks like it did after I tried to cut it with a dagger.

[They were kids, Dimitri had gotten some of Felix's sticky candy in his hair...and Felix had a knife.]

[He chuckles]

It's a shaggy mess, I know. I will probably have to shave it down completely at some point to get it even again.

Flames, just get someone to cut it normally. You'd look terrible with hair that short.

Do you think? I don't think I've ever had it shorter than my ears... maybe a military cut would be stylish?

[He's joking, probably]

You'd look like an idiot. Only Dedue and my brother could pull that stupid style off and you know it.

Well, last I heard a King is not required to look handsome.

[He's actually legitimately smiling in a very dorky way. Somethings never change it seems]

...I will take you up on that haircut though, at some point.

Edited 2020-07-18 10:55 (UTC)

[Dork.]

I can do it now, if you want. I know where the scissors are.

... hm. Might as well. It would be easier to clean up with me already in the bath.

Alright.

[Felix doesn't bother telling Dimitri to stay in the bath, because where else would he go? He just gets up and wanders over to the desk where he spotted the scissors.]

I'm just going to clean it up. I can't do the style you had before, and even if I could? I wouldn't.

[You looked stupid, Dimitri. Felix kneels back down by the tub with comb and scissors in hand to start trimming Dimitri's hair from hell.]