HOME IS WHENEVER I'M WITH YOU ☆ many bubble bath

[michael t.]

ALL I FOUND THE SPACE BETWEEN THE SPACES
STANDING IN THE NOTHING, AND TIME RECLAIMS YOU

Pain. Despite knowing that he hadn't sustained any physical injuries following Trevor's death, Michael still felt as though he woke up every morning since then with his body aching. Everything felt heavy and stiff, and it was actively a chore for him to slowly push himself from bed. Today, however, he was aiming to change that feeling. As soon as the pads of his front paws connected with the smooth wooden floorboards, he had a plan in his mind. He would need to make a bit of an effort on his part in order to execute said plan, but that was fine. He liked having something to do these days, since it stopped him from being stuck in his own head.

The dealer slowly made his way out of his bedroom and into the small storage room of his family's hut, his teeth eventually sinking into the lip of what he was looking for - a small wooden tub. The act of dragging the tub all the way outside was a bit of a hassle, but Michael felt pretty determined, a stern expression on his face as he tugged it out and onto the porch. After that, it was a simple matter of pushing the tub down the front steps, watching as it sunk down into the sand below, sitting firm and still. That was perfect for what he planned to do, honestly. The next step would also require a bit of effort, considering he had to bring several buckets of warm water over to the tub, pouring them all in before he was finally finished. He had just what he had been looking for: a nice warm bath.

Finally seeing an opportunity to just relax and let his muscles stop aching, the bobcat slowly tugged himself up and over the lip of the tub, settling down inside and letting out a breath of relief. The warm water washing over his back was a godsend, and he was quick to rest his chin on the edge of the tub, closing his eyes and just letting himself tune the world out around him. Of course, this also meant that he was utterly oblivious to what was going on behind him - namely, Midas sneaking up with an entirely full bottle of bubble bath in his jaws. The multicolored coyote had a crooked grin on his face as he approached his father, standing up on his hind legs as he said cheerfully, "Hey dad! Here, this'll make your bath even nicer!" He then proceeded to dump the entire bottle into the wooden tub, sticking his long limbs into the water and shaking them around vigorously in order to make the bubbles start to rise. Michael let out a surprised shout as the bubbles rose up and began to spill over the side of the wooden tub, drenching the sand below. He was only able to send a stern look in Midas's direction as his son went running off, laughing mischievously.

With a sigh, the bobcat just watched as his bath continued to bubble over around him, shaking his head from side to side. At least it seemed as though Midas was finding ways to make himself happy, even following Trevor's passing. Remaining comfortably seated within the wooden tub, Michael muttered as he gently splashed his paw at some of the bubbles, snorting, "Well... I guess at least I won't have to clean up too much..." The bubbles really seemed as though they had no end in sight, but at least they were just soaking the sand. It wasn't as if the beach was going to get ruined.

— Reggan