The Manly Pursuit of Bubble-Bathing
Weiss learns that a bath can be the best way to relax after a hard week.
Spoilers: The Two (S3 premiere)
Rating: PG
Characters: Weiss, hints of Syd/Vaughn
Disclaimer: None of the characters on which this fic is based belong to me. They belong to JJ Abrams, ABC and many others. I am only borrowing from them and make no profit.
Notes: To Em-Meredith for the idea and the beta.
What was he doing here?
He was a man, a virile CIA agent used to facing constant danger during covert operations. He'd killed more international bad guys than he could count, and wounded many more. He liked sports and beer and smart women and there was never any reason to doubt that he was all male. At least, until now.
Men took showers, not baths. They enjoyed the natural smell of sweat and the outdoors, not girly floral scents. They were, well, manly. Yet here he was, lounging in a tub full of frothy lavender-scented bubbles and wondering how it had come to this.
He'd thought Carrie had been joking when he'd talked to her after the failed mission in France. He'd been so exhausted and worried that he'd barely been able to stand straight. She'd suggested that he pamper himself and forget about the trouble with Syd and the chip. He'd been thinking of indulging in a steak dinner at Morton's when she suggested a bubble bath.
At his startled glance, she'd laughed and explained that she wasn't suggesting an intimate bath for two ? the baby and Marshall were all the men she needed in her life right now ? but thought perhaps a bubble bath might relax him. It always seemed to work for her.
He'd chuckled but had declined her suggestion, telling her that real men didn't take baths, especially not girly-scented bubble baths. She'd shrugged and told him maybe he should go talk to Vaughn instead.
Talking to Vaughn hadn't helped, though. Weiss had tried to broach the subject with him, but as soon as Sydney's name came up, Vaughn had withdrawn into himself, too self-centered to focus on anything more than his guilt about moving on with his life when he had thought she was dead. His self-pity left him in no condition to make Weiss feel better about letting Sydney go off half-cocked on a solo mission.
Even when Syd returned unscathed with the chip in her possession, Weiss still couldn't seem to relax. She was furious at Vaughn's lack of faith and Vaughn was too busy blaming himself to fight back. He'd looked on sadly as he watched the relationship of his two closest friends fall apart, two years after the actual relationship had died along with Sydney.
When he returned to the Ops Center, Carrie had taken one look at his weary face and pressed a small package into his hand. It works wonders, she had assured him, when added to a tubful of hot water.
He'd stared at the parchment wrapped herbs and crystals and shoved them into his jacket pocket. He'd humor Carrie now and toss them out when he got home.
Two hours later, after a couple of beers and some time in front of the television watching sports, he still felt too tense to go to bed, despite his exhaustion. Remembering the packet Carrie had given him, he opened the closet door and fished it out of his jacket. What the hell, he thought. It certainly couldn't hurt to try it.
He wandered into the bathroom and, after several minutes spent looking for the plug to the drain, ran a scalding hot bath. He dropped the scented packet under the running water and was greeted with the subtle scent of lavender. Not too bad, he thought as he undressed and stepped into the steamy water. At least he wasn't surrounded by the scent of roses or any other overwhelmingly feminine scent.
This was nice. The fragrant steam surrounded him and he relaxed into the warm water. No wonder so many women liked long, hot soaks, he mused. He could already feel his muscles start to loosen and he sank lower into the water. He could get used to this.
When the water started to cool, he dragged himself up from the tub and got ready for bed, sure that the scented herbs and hot water had done the trick and that he would be able to sleep. Right before he turned off the light, though, he jotted a quick note to himself for the next day.
"Ask Carrie where to buy more bath mix."
~End~
Posted by Cassie on 11:38 AM