Friends with Benefits: Bath Buddies

It was early in the evening when Kyle and Lucy returned to their apartment from their respective jobs. "Man, what a day." Kyle sighed as he collapsed onto the sofa, with Lucy doing the same shortly after. "Tell me about it." She grumbled "Sometimes I really hate being around people, you know?"

Kyle nodded. "Believe me, I get it. Especially when those people are being complete A-holes for no real reason. If it wasn't for the company's policies, I'd probably end up getting into a brawl in the parking lot at least once every few days." Lucy actually laughed. "No offence, Kyle, but when was the last time you were ever in a physical fight?"

"Fifth grade. But in my defense, the other guy started it. He was a real jerk that just liked to make others miserable."

"Did you win?"

Kyle chuckled as he remembered. "He tried to punch me, but I ducked and he ended up hitting the brick wall behind me. Then I punched him in the groin for good measure. So he ended up with a shattered fist and sore nuts on top of that!" They both laughed. "I got detention for a week after that, but it was worth it!"

"Did you really have to hit him there after he'd already broken his hand? Seems a bit excessive if you ask me."

"Trust me, this guy deserved it. I don't know what happened to him, but If I had to guess, I bet he's stuck in some job he hates, with a boss who's an even bigger prick than he was. One can only hope. Come to think of it, I think that was shortly before we met. After that, nobody picked a fight with me again."

Lucy grinned. "That's because nobody messes with me or my friends." She ruffled Kyle's hair in a playful way. "I had a hell of a day myself, and could really use a little time to relax and unwind. I'm thinking a nice bubble bath should do the trick. Care to join me?" Kyle gave her a surprised look "Join you? In the bath? But we're never done anything like that before!"

"I never swallowed you whole before last night, either. But that didn't stop you."

"That was because I was cold! This is something completely different! I know we're friends, but that seems more like a romantic couples thing to me."

"It's not like we're gonna have candles and rose petals around us! I just thought you'd like to relax after the day you had."

Kyle hesitated, thinking it over before finally agreeing. The next thing he knew, he was naked in a tub full of suds, Lucy sitting opposite from him. Their apartment came with a large square shaped tub, big enough for both of them. To his surprise, Lucy brought a bottle of wine into the bathroom, along with two glasses. She poured them each a drink as they enjoyed the hot water against their bodies.

Lucy had shifted into her werewolf form before getting in the tub, and slowly sipped her drink a she lazily played with the surrounding bubbles with one hand. "So, wanna tell me about your day?" She asked "Why? Are you actually interested?" Kyle responded. She chuckled "To be honest, not really. But it's good to vent your frustrations to someone. Better than just talking to yourself, and helps you relax."

"Alright. Well, first there was traffic, that's always a pain in the ass. Then somebody ate my lunch I left in the fridge again, even though it was clearly labeled. After that it was..." As he was going on, Lucy reached down to retrieve the wine bottle and take a swig, her glass being empty at this point. But she'd accidentally grabbed the bath soap, and ended up with a mouthful of it before realizing her mistake.

She coughed and sputtered, as Kyle couldn't help but laugh at the situation. "Are you okay?" He asked after catching his breath. "I'm fine." Lucy said, still trying to get the taste of soap off her tongue "But I think I swallowed some..." Just then, she hiccuped, and a large soap bubble exited her muzzle, floating in the air before popping. This caused Kyle to laugh even harder at such a silly sight, and Lucy couldn't help but join in, more bubbles coming from her mouth in the process.

After they finished with their bath, they both slipped into their pajamas and watched a movie on the sofa together, with Kyle once again cuddled up against Lucy's fur for warmth as the two of them wrapped up together in a big woolly blanket. They didn't talk much during the movie, but unknown to either of them, in their minds they were both thinking the same thing: Was this the penultimate step in their friendship with each other? What would the next one be? And more importantly, where would it lead them? They both pushed the thought from their minds for now, just happy to enjoy each other's company after a stressful day.

Thank God tomorrow was the weekend.