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[Oh. Wanda senses that pride and grins - until his fingers dance over the blooming bruises on her hip and she shivers and goes still.]

I'll leave those for you, [she says, a little breathlessly,] but I might need that shoulder.

[Gently, she kisses his cheek. She doesn't mind if people know that someone loves her.]

Unless you want everyone to see for a little while.

[ He leans in to place a very light kiss on her shoulder as well. ]

That is also your decision. [ He mulls over it for a few seconds, lightly caressing her shoulder. ] It's... different here. No one knows who I am.

[ He never realized what a relief such a thing could be until now. He's been a living legend too long. So if Wanda wants to walk around with a bite mark on her shoulder... it's her business. It's not an item of particular curiosity for anyone, not a matter of keeping the shreds of privacy he has. ]

[She turns her head to kiss his hair.]

And no one knows who I am or thinks I'm anything that strange here.

[The media is terrible and ravenous, and if she ever had a lover at home they'd be hounded relentlessly. It's not easy for any of the Avengers, but she's sure it would be worse for anyone seen with one of the more 'unusual' members of the team. It's not something she'd wish on anyone.]

I will leave that one tonight just for you and decide in the morning. Unless it makes you uncomfortable.

[ It's a strange commonality for them to have, and a sad one, even if Shaxx is well aware there is a different flavor to their fame. Wanda's is far less positive than his, which makes for scrutiny even more difficult to deal with.

He places another light kiss on the mark. ]

Of course it doesn't.

[ It's a physical sign of what they shared, and as far as he's concerned, what they just shared was very good indeed. ]

[She shivers again, fingers briefly tightening in his hair. It's all well and good to talk about keeping or not keeping it now, before the real pain has had a chance to make itself known as she tries to live her life.
But even though she'd most likely keep it hidden under her clothes, a bite mark from a man who almost never removes his helmet is something special.]

My nails didn't get you, did they?

[If they did, it was an accident. Being marked is one thing, but she has such a kneejerk reaction to causing anyone any pain at all that she wouldn't try to mark someone else without being asked, or without being deep in a Ruby frenzy.]

No. [ He flashes her a quick grin. ] Though I wish you had.

[ It's certainly a mark he'd bear proudly. Though he knows Wanda well enough to know she wouldn't do something like that on purpose. It's part of how she is, and he accepts that. ]

Edited 2021-08-02 04:08 (UTC)

[She lightly trails the back of her nails over his shoulder, a ghost of what could have been. She can't help but wonder: if Shaxx told her he wanted it, would she feel the same pride that he does in seeing marks he left on her? Or would she just feel guilty? Since her powers aren't involved at all, would it feel different?]

Maybe next time, but I need to know that you want it.

[For something like this, communication (verbal or otherwise) is key. He is not fragile but she never wants to do anything he won't enthusiastically enjoy.]

Will you stay tonight? I have something else I think we will both like.

[ He makes a low him, a pleased shudder running through him. ]

I'll be certain to tell you, then. [ Probably, he ought to have asked her in words about what they did this time; no recriminations, however, since there's no regret between them to be found in the synch. ]

Yes, I'll stay. [ He's still not very good at actually sleeping around other people, but he certainly doesn't mind staying with her. ]

[She can't always take such rough handling, but tonight they were both so wound up that it was exactly what they needed. She's sure there will also be times when Shaxx will prefer her to be soft. But their bond is strong, and she trusts in it completely. They fit each other well.]

It's in my room when you're ready to go to bed. [A beat. Ah, whoops. Not that kind of surprise.] For sleeping.

[She's laid out a futon for her so she can sleep curled up next to him this time and they can both be comfortable.]

[ He laughs. ]

All right. I'd like to see. Though first, I ought to get you cleaned up.

[ He leans in to nuzzle her temple. ]

You should let me wash your hair.

[ He's still fascinated by her hair, and probably always will be. ]

Please.

[There is no hiding the wave of delight that passes through her. It's a good thing he's so fascinated by her hair, because she loves when he plays with it.

She tips her head to kiss his neck again.]

I would be a bad host if I didn't make sure that you are cleaned up too.

And you are nothing if not a good host.

[ Feeling very pleased with himself, he takes a gentle hold on her and stands back up, planning to just carry her to the bathing room. ]

A good host with excellent hair.

[ Teasing just a little. ]

[Wanda snuggles into the crook of his neck and manages to wrap her legs around his waist. It's a good thing that he's carrying her - she still feels absolutely melted although somehow Shaxx is as strong as ever.

The benefits of having a Titan for a lover, apparently.]

Then I guess it is only polite to let you touch it as much as you want.

Your generosity as a host will be remembered in legend.

[ He grins at her.

The bathroom is downright opulent, but he's come to realize that's how things are done here. The nice thing is, that means the tubs are intentionally made to comfortably fit two people. Which means Shaxx actually can mostly fit in them, and there's still room for the other person if they're friendly.

Which he and Wanda obviously are.

He sets the water running and sits on the edge of the tub with her, a little impressed by the massive array of bath products. ]

I don't even know where to start with this collection.

[The bathtub is one of Wanda's favorite things about this apartment. It's large and deep, so she can actually take a proper bath in it. It's one of the luxuries she's embraced since escaping dire poverty and there's a wide array of products lining the tub and neatly stored in a hanging caddy: shampoo and conditioner of course, body wash in several scents, a tin of body scrub, bubble baths, and another container with bath bombs.

There's really only room for them to sit because she has the caddy. Wanda leans into him, kicking her feet idly in the water.]

You've never had a bubble bath, have you? Or used a bath bomb?

[Yes, Shaxx, bath grenades are absolutely a thing...it's just a very different sort of 'explosion.']

We could use one, but after you wash my hair. The water won't be good for it.

...definitely no bubbles. And I've been told I'm not allowed to use grenades in the bath. [ By an entire stick in the mud. But if Wanda's going to make his day by giving him permission...

This is a lot of implied information for someone who is very much a 'scrape the blood off and take a five minute cold shower' kind of guy. ]

Why? What does it do to the water to render it unusable? [ And if it's not safe to use on your hair at that point, why the hell would you want it near the rest of you? ]

[She'd ask why he wanted to use a real grenade in the bath, except she'd fairly sure that she doesn't want to know.]

These are made for baths. But they have ingredients that might be bad to accidentally get in your eyes, or it might not be the best water to wash all of your hair in.

You'll see. After you wash my hair I'll let you put it in.

[ The answer for Shaxx and grenades is always, "But why wouldn't I?" ]

Huh. All right.

[ He looks thoroughly unconvinced, but he'll give it a try for her.

There's enough water in the bathtub now to be quite comfortable; he climbs into the tub and lifts her down settling her in front of him, between his legs. It's enough to raise the water level quite a bit, too. ]

Let's get your hair wet.

[She's sure he's going to love it - she's already got her eye on a particularly dramatic one for the occasion.

The tub is, to Wanda's delight, the perfect size for them both if they sit like this. It's nice to be encircled by him, and she breathes out a soft sigh of contentment.]

I can do that.

[She tips her head back and to the side a bit, scooping the water up onto the top of her head.]

There. [She calls the bottle of shampoo to her hand and offers it to him because no, she's not getting up. It's a nice floral scent.] Here's the shampoo when you're ready for it.

[ Shaxx does his best to help with the water scooping, without getting in the way. He slides a hand over her back and then laughs softly. ]

The water won't be going cold on us.

[ He takes the shampoo and squeezes slightly more than he'd use for himself into his hand. Then, starting with her scalp, he starts working the shampoo into her hair. He's very much taking his time and enjoying this, as odd as it seems. For someone with his large hands and generally brutal tendencies, he's very consciously gentle. ]

I really do like your hair.

No. We can stay as long as we want.

[The benefits of having a Ruby for a lover: portable heat source!

Wanda very quickly melts into his touch, the occasional soft sounds and sighs of contentment escaping her. He is incredibly skilled with his hands, despite the false impression one might get from his general Titan-ness.]

I like when you play with it. You are very good at this.

At least until we wrinkle like old clothes. [ He does know that's a thing that happens with prolonged damp. He still knows the value of dry socks.

He'd know he was doing something right even without the advantages of synchrony. And he's finding this very enjoyable in its own way. It's not often he has this particular effect on someone. ]

Didn't you know? I'm good at everything.

[ He swipes a bit of suds off her shoulder and places a quick kiss there. ]

Especially with your hands.

[This feels amazing, and Wanda's honestly not sure how much is what Shaxx is doing and how much is because Shaxx is doing it. It's probably some combination of the two heightened by synchrony...and her weakness for people playing with her hair.]

I mean it, some people who don't have very long hair don't know what to do with it.

[Source: Wanda's poor bald father couldn't braid hair to save his life...and Pietro was not much better. So Wanda had to go to her mother, or later, learn to do it on herself.]

[ He smirks. He does like having his talents so recognized. ]

I had to learn to do a lot of odd little things, when I ran my keep.

[ While defending a bunch of Ghostless had been his primary job, he hadn't been just their shield wall, even if he hadn't allowed himself to be friends with any of them. But he'd still awkwardly taken care of babies, and helped them with their clothing repairs, and even been cornered into learning to braid hair by two very demanding little girls. They hadn't been impressed by his suggestion that they cut their hair off like reasonable people. ]

[Wanda's imagination isn't far from the truth, then - never underestimate the power of little girls on a mission, and she's picturing a small army of them demanding he brush out their hair.]

I'm glad your muscle memory is so good.

[She can't help but wonder how often he gets to have soft moments like this. Not as often as he deserves, if she had to take a guess.

Her tone turns playful.]

But if you ever decide you want to practice, I volunteer.

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