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They walked together in silence.

Myka had almost immediately excused himself at Axel\'s arrival. Alice, for once in her life, was left speechless.

For his part, all that Axel had said was that they should go home.

As they trudged through the snow, Alice could only hear the loud thumping of her heart and the endless panic in her mind. How much had he heard? Did he misunderstand?

Nearing their home, she tried desperately to swallow down her nerves, to push her fears far out of reach and think of a way to turn the situation around. To explain away the things he had heard without making it any worse.

Axel opened the door, stepping inside ahead of her. Alice swallowed as she followed him in. She closed the door, holding her position for a moment as she tried to steel herself to the fear and panic before she turned back to face him.

"Axel, what you heard–"

She gasped as her words were cut short. The moment she had turned to face him, Axel had wrapped her in a tight embrace, pulling her body flush against his and burying his face in her shoulder.

Though it took her a second to recover her senses, as soon as she did, she wrapped her arms around him and held him just as tight.

They held each other in silence for a long time.

It was Axel that broke their silence.

He took a deep breath and loosened his grip on her. Then, pulling away from her, he pressed his fingertips gently to her face.

"You\'re cold," he whispered.

Alice swallowed; her heart was in her throat.

Axel moved away from her, removing his coat and hanging it on the coat rack beside the door.

"I\'ll run you a hot bath," he said quietly as he moved toward the stairs.

Alice furrowed her brow, confused and unsure how to feel.

"Axel…" she called out to him.

He paused on the stairs and glanced back over his shoulder.

"There will be time to talk," he said. "For now, we need to get you warm."

***

The first time Axel brought Alice to their home, they slowly toured the house together. She looked in each room, smiling at the small things that reminded her of him.

Like the row of brushes, combs, and hair ties of varying sizes, the beads, and small metal clasps he alternated as decorations within his braids.

Every room was decorated in a simple but warm style, and there was nothing that she didn\'t like. But there was one thing that she had found strange.

The master bedroom had its own bathroom, larger than she had expected. Two sinks, with matched sets of toothbrushes, soaps, and basic toiletries. There was a large linen closet filled with fluffy towels and two robes that hung on the outside of the door. The toilet was in its own separate room, while there was a large standing shower with a bench and two removable shower heads.

But the feature that had made Alice tilt her head and look at Axel with a confused smile had been an oversized freestanding copper soaking tub. When she had asked him about it, he had shrugged with a slight blush creeping into his cheeks. He told her he had found long ago that a warm bath could calm his nerves and help him think through the things that left him feeling shaken.

During all the time they had lived here together, Alice had never once used it.

She stepped into the bathroom wearing only her robe, her hair loose, falling just above her shoulders. It was warmer than their bedroom had been. The tub was already filled, and a gentle sweetness in the air told her Axel had likely used some kind of fragrance in the water.

As she stepped closer to the tub, the gentle scent of roses tickled her nose, and she could see red petals floating on the water\'s surface.

She smiled, reaching her hand in and feeling the warmth of the water.

Alice removed her robe, placing it on a small rack beside the tub, which also held the towel she would use to dry herself when she was done. Then, she carefully stepped into the tub. Immediately, the hot water against her skin sent small relaxing ripples of warmth over her body.

As she settled into the water, she laid her head back on the small towel Axel had left on the side of the tub. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

Alice had never experienced something like this before. She had never had a bath in her life, only quick showers meant to clean her body, except, of course, for the ones that she had taken with Axel, which were hardly meant to clean anything.

But as far back as she could remember, no matter who the role was, she had never just taken a bath for relaxation or warmth. It was nice.

After a few minutes, she heard the door open. She opened her eyes to look at him as he entered the room. Immediately, she was surprised and disappointed. She assumed that his entering the bathroom meant he planned to join her. That they would make up in the way, they best knew how, through touch and pleasure.

But as he walked into the room, it was clear that was not the case. He had taken his braids out, so all his hair hung loose past his shoulders, but he didn\'t wear a robe. Instead, he wore lounge pants and a t-shirt.

Alice swallowed as he approached without a word. Then, from behind the bathtub, he pulled out a small stool, placing it at the head of the tub, where she lay back watching him.

"Is the water warm enough?" Axel asked but didn\'t quite meet her eyes.

Alice nodded and swallowed nervously.

"You could come in," she offered, "feel for yourself."

Axel let out a soft chuckle. He stretched his arm out over the side of the tub, reaching in just enough to let his fingertips dip into the water.

He nodded.

"Feels warm," he replied.

Alice didn\'t know what to say. He had ignored her offer; she could only assume he didn\'t want to be with her. She swallowed and looked away. Her hand absentmindedly played with one of the rose petals.

Axel watched her expression from the corner of his eye and saw her concern, hesitation, and fear. He saw the petals she played with.

"Do you know why people put rose petals in baths?" he asked.

Alice looked at him and then back at the rose petal she held between her fingers.

"No," she replied.

"Sit forward," he said gently.

Alice hesitated for a moment but then did as he asked. She leaned forward, bringing her knees up so that her chest was pressed to them and her back was exposed to him.

Axel reached his hand into the water, bringing a handful up to her shoulders. He poured it over her, letting it flow gently down her back.

Alice closed her eyes, resting her chin on her knees as the warmth fell over her.

He reached for another handful of water, this time with a petal. He again poured the water over her back, and the petal stayed against her skin, clinging to her spine.

"It soothes the skin," he whispered.

Axel reached out and pressed his thumb gently against the petal on her back. Alice let out a soft gasp, surprised at the touch.

"When the petals soak, they release their natural oils and create rosewater," he said, placing another petal against her back. He massaged them gently against her skin. "Which is known to soothe the skin and enhance the mood."

Alice drew in a deep breath. She closed her eyes and felt the warmth of the water that surrounded her. The strength of his hands kneaded at the sore muscles in her back.

Axel continued to massage her back until he felt the tension in her easing. Then, he slowly moved his hands back to her shoulders, gently squeezing and kneading them as she let out soft breaths and gentle moans, letting him know where it felt best.

"Axel," she called to him softly.

"Yes?"

"Why are you doing this?" she asked.

"I wanted to warm you up and help you ease your mind," he replied simply.

Alice sat back against the tub, not allowing him a chance to remove his hands. Instead, they moved over her shoulders and down her chest. By the time she had laid back with her head resting on the small towel and looking up at him, his hands lay on her breasts in the water, his fingertips almost grazing her firm nipples.

Axel swallowed and licked his lips. He looked down at her; a gentle expression was on her face. One he had only seen once or twice. An expression of vulnerability, of honesty.

He couldn\'t help himself. He leaned forward and kissed her lips gently. Alice returned his kiss, stretching her mouth toward him as he pulled away.

"I\'m sorry," he whispered. Then, sitting up straight and pulling his hands away from her body. "This is supposed to be about helping you relax and process some of what you\'ve been feeling."

"What about you?" Alice asked.

"What?"

"You also have a lot on your mind," she said. "And not just about me."

He nodded.

"That\'s true," he sighed, running his fingers through his hair.

Alice turned in the water and laid her chin on the tub\'s edge, smiling at him.

"Axel…" she whispered with a sultry lilt in her voice. "Don\'t we do our best thinking together?"