at long last, i struggled my way up through dangerous perils, hands shaking and face worn in, but i have finally done it: i have finally written something

anyway yeah, i got caught up playing fire emblem *shrugs* at least it inspired some ideas for this verse

Careful when you clean up after her

One thing Roman didn't get about Ruby—or at least one of the multiple things—was her aversion to bathing/ To him, it was bliss to soak in a warm tub or stretch in a steamy shower, and to be fair, she didn't understand his love for bathing, but still dealt with his near obsessive cleaning. As such, shower and bath time was his time, and he used it well on his allowed Saturday extended bathing to be undisturbed and relaxing. At least normally.

"No!" A piercing wail cut through Roman's quiet, followed by loud thumping of feet and the bathroom door nearly ripping off the hinges. Ruby burst in, jumping next to the tub as Roman jerked to a sitting position to cover himself.

"What did you do to Beowulf?" She was frantically waving a black stuffed wolf in his face with an accusing look. He raised an eyebrow and chose his words carefully.

"He was tearing at the seams," he spoke slowly, reaching forward to unplug the tub, "so I stitched him up for you."

The girl wailed again, collapsing on her back. Roman moved quickly to grab a towel and wrap himself up, keeping an eye on the dramatic girl who was now in hysterics. She continued groaning in pain as he dressed himself, not reacting when he got on his knees near her head and tapped her.

"Why are you upset? I thought you'd like it?"

"Sure," she groaned, looking up at him "if you like that kinda thing! Look, Roman, it's real sweet of you to think of me, truly, but this was an awful idea!" Ruby pushed herself up, crossing her legs as she shoved the plush in his face again.

"He's all clean now! There's no strands of thread hanging out! His eyes are new and undented! His fur is soft and unmatted! He doesn't even smell like dirt anymore! Mights as well be brand new!"

"Why is all that bad?"

She groaned again, throwing her head back. "You don't get it!" She didn't bother explaining as she got up and stormed out of the small room.

Since when was doing a nice thing for your girlfriend a bad thing?

.

Later, when Ruby had finally calmed down, Roman approached her. She had stationed herself in their room, face down and limbs spread out on their bed with her stuffed wolf held in one hand. He cautiously took a seat on an empty spot and rolled her over. Surprisingly, she let him, only giving him a weak glare in return.

Might as well try to get an answer out of her.

"You good now?"

She let out a strained whimper in response, throwing the arm that held her plush over her chest. Roman sighed and leaned back on his hands; at least she wasn't crying anymore.

"Most people would appreciate having their favorite stuffed animal cleaned up, you know. Can you tell me why it's such a problem for you?"

Ruby moaned again, louder this time, and pushed herself to an upright position next to him.

"Look, Roman," she sighed heavily, "yeah, most people would, but I thought it was clear that I'm not most people? Your kind just doesn't get it."

Ah, that cleared some things up: it was a werewolf things.

"Then explain it to me, I'd like to know why you don't like it."

"My kind just kinda, I dunno, likes things dirty I guess. I'm not sure how to explain it." She pulled her knees to her chest and turned her plush to face her. "The more torn or dirty or broken something is, the more precious it is. Some werewolves even collect broken items as treasure. I guess it's really the smell that entices us…"

Roman didn't know what to say, and even if he did he figured it wasn't his time to say anything yet. The girl sighed again, this time resting her head on his shoulder.

"I try to act a little more human, like, a little more clean, but something like this just kinda threw me off…I've had Beowulf since I was a pup, he was a gift from my mom and the way he was worn in was just a reminder of all the times I've had with him…"

It was quiet, Ruby stopping to sniff, slightly nuzzling his shoulder. Wow, now he felt guilty. Sure, he didn't know any of that so it wasn't exactly his fault, but he guessed he probably should have consulted her first.

He looked over at her as she picked at the plush fur carefully. "Sorry…" he whispered, almost inaudible by human ear. Ruby didn't seem to react at first, still focusing on her toy.

"It's okay," she finally responded, turning to wrap her arms around him, "you didn't know."

"Still, I really should have talked to you first."

"Shh, you didn't know so shut up." He could tell she was pouting and he held back a grin at her childishness. "Besides…I guess now he can have new memories…memories of us…"

"Yeah, I guess he can."

The two stayed that way, Ruby holding Roman as they reclined in their bed, for some time until they both slowly closed their eyes and slipped into sleep. The plush wolf, still clean, remained between the two, held in Ruby's hand as Roman's held hers.