Trust

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Just something self-indulgent that I did back in December on Twitter. This is definitely one of my favorite pieces I've written. It really captures everything I love about these two characters, and how they both care about each other, even if that means giving some pretty heavy things up.

Honestly, though? I don't think I've ever had such a hard time writing a bath scene - and I have written a good many of them over the years, lol. There's a distinct difference between a character that doesn't like something, and one that has a legitimate phobia of something, and it was a learning experience to be sure. In the end though, I'm super-happy with how this piece came out, and I hope you all enjoy it as well~! Thanks for reading!


Maybe it was all the subtle hints Ginger had dropped while they were out. A "wouldn't this just look darling on him?!" here, and a "he's just so small; I bet he's perfect for cuddling!" there. Of course, she'd said these things where Cartel couldn't hear - which was undoubtedly for the best - but for whatever reason, they refused to leave Echo alone. Suddenly, all she could think about was how soft his fur felt against hers, and how large his eyes were at times.

Now that it was just the two of them as they made their way back to the apartment, a strange sort of need began to poke at her. Exhaling slowly through her nose, she tried to focus on anything else. After all, she knew how little Car cared for being babied to any degree, and she respected that, but...

"What's the matter? You've been quiet all day." He'd said it without stopping, or even turning around to look at her, but as she fought for something to say, she found those cool, teal hues upon her.

Nervously, she worked her thumbs around her fingers, "I..." Echo shook her head, "It's nothing. I'm just quiet today, I guess." Was that believable? She hoped it was.

He quirked a brow and then shrugged, "You don't have to tell me, but I know you're lying."

It wasn't.

'And what do you want me to tell you, exactly?' she mentally tossed at the back of his head. "I...guess I've just been thinking about some things Ginger said today..." There, the truth, but not too much of it. With any luck, he wouldn't press, and the conversation could drop.

"Oh. Yeah, well, Ginger says a lot of things." Were his hands fidgeting in his pockets? Without missing a step, he turned back around, "She said some things to me, too..." Echo felt her heart stop for a second. Had that tabby been working them from both ends all day?!

It wasn't until she suddenly sucked in a breath that she realized she'd been holding hers. "O-oh?"

His ears momentarily swiveled before quickly orienting themselves forward again. "Yeah..."

Maybe it was best not to-- "What about?" So much for letting the conversation drop.

The tip of his tail flicked; he was irritated. She really shouldn't have asked. "About you..."

She was going to strangle her best friend the next time she saw her. Suddenly, Echo became aware that her claws were digging into her hands due to the tightness of her fists. With another breath, she flexed her fingers, her tail now curled loosely around her knees to mark her nervousness, instead. The blonde cleared her throat softly, "Well...just take whatever she said with a grain of salt..."

"She said I should be more mindful of your needs..."

Echo was going to be a gray Ragdoll by the end of this conversation, she was sure of it. "Mm." Nope. Nothing to say to that. Not her can of worms to open. She didn't want the fish that badly.

He stopped so abruptly that she nearly ran into him, but as he turned to look at her, there was something new about his expression. Something she couldn't quite put her finger on. Irritation mixed with determination, perhaps? He looked thoroughly flustered at any rate. Crossing both arms over his chest, Cartel refused to look at her as he continued, "You know I'm not good with words, but...ya take good care of me, and...I wanna do the same for you...so..."

She hoped her fur wasn't standing on end like it felt as though it was. "It's okay, Car, I-"

"No! It's not!" Clearly, he hadn't meant to shout, as his voice was much softer as he went on, "I mean it... I'll make an exception - but only for you... Got it?"

Maybe June would be up to the task of strangling her partner? It'd certainly be faster. Echo sighed, "Got it..."

Turning as if to start walking again, Cartel's ears swiveled back and he looked away, "Just...don't do it where anyone else can see...okay? And...maybe not as over the top as Grim...?"

A smile tugged at her lips, "I'll try. Thank you..."

The pair walked the rest of the way back to the high-rise in complete silence, though Echo noted that the Maine Coon was considerably twitchier now, and he only grew more so the closer they got to home.

Home at last, they each discarded - or, in Echo's case hung up - their coats, and a long silence passed between the two before Car softly broke it, "Well...?" She looked up just in time to see him swallow hard, and then reach out for her with both hands.

A shiver ran up her spine at the sight of him. She took a step forward and immediately paused, "Are you sure...? It's okay to change your mind."

Eyes closed, he nodded roughly.

"Car..."

"I-It's fine! Just...just let me have it! I want it!" Even his ears were turning red at this point.

Crossing the gap between them, Echo knelt in front of him, taking both of his hands in hers, "Car, look at me..." Slowly, he complied, though he struggled a bit. "I don't want to hurt you..."

"I trust you...!" he blurted out, gripping her hands to steady himself.

Where had he gotten all of this? From Ginger? "Car-"

"Please!?" It was unusual to see the hot-headed Maine Coon acting so submissive, but whatever the case, it seemed he'd made his mind up.

"Alright..."

Gently, she lifted him, positioning him so that she could carry him on her hip, though they didn't have far to go. Instinctively, he wrapped his arms around her, burying his face into her shoulder a moment later. Easing herself into things, she nuzzled him affectionately as her heart pounded away inside her chest.

Once inside the bedroom, she carefully sat him down on the end of the bed, where he remained as still as possible as she gathered his diaper bag, somehow looking smaller by the second. Slowly, Echo got back down on her knees, simultaneously reaching for the bottom of his shirt. Leaning in, she kissed his stomach as it was exposed, trailing kisses upwards as she went, until finally his top was removed. His breathing hitched from time to time, but as she folded the shirt so that she could put it away for later, he almost seemed to be holding it.

Turning back, he had laid down, assuming the general position he'd adopted from their morning routine - hands over his head, knees apart - so that she could remove his pants and undergarments. Echo inserted herself between his legs and began undoing his belt buckle, then the button, and finally the zipper. Expertly, she hooked her fingers into both articles of clothing and began to slide them down together, trailing a new route of kisses downward.

At some point along the way, his pale, pink shaft - already semi-erect - popped out from underneath his clothes to greet her, and she considered it for a second as she folded the last of his clothes. With his forearm over his face to hide his embarrassment, he never saw it coming. Silently, she reached into the open bag for the pack of wipes, and managed to pop the top without his notice. Cool, wet wipe in hand, she gave his length a firm stroke, causing him to gasp in surprise. "Easy now~" she purred, laying her free hand on his inner thigh to remind him to move it back out a bit.

After perhaps a bit more clean-up than was necessary, Echo felt decidedly saluted, and with that, she gently pressed her lips to his tip. "U-uh?"

After a moment or two she pulled back, "Too much, Car?"

"N-no! I just...wasn't expecting...this..." Waiting for whatever was to come next, his toes flexed rhythmically to either side of her as he watched with a nervous sort of anticipation.

A warm chuckle emanated from her throat, "You deserve a little spoiling, I think. After all, you're being such a good boy, Car~" At the trigger phrase, his training collar activated, eliciting a short pant from the small feline as it activated its pleasure mechanism. After a short pause, she moved her hand to his base and slowly pumped him a few more times. "How about a bath first, hmm~?" It'd been a while since she'd been able to corner him for one, and this seemed as good a chance as any.

Whatever fog lingered after the praise was quickly shifted through, leaving him to squirm beneath her as he stuttered, "A...b-bath...? Echo, I..." He ground his teeth, a whimper escaping as he realized he was already caught. "Before...the diaper...?" he asked at last, ears pinned back.

That was true. She had always given him a bath after he was finished for the day. "You'll be able to sleep in tomorrow morning," she offered warmly. Again, his knees tried to close; clearly, he wasn't keen on the idea. To be fair to him, the only other time she'd made him remain diapered overnight was as a punishment, and she had promised not to make him do that otherwise. Maybe that was asking a little too much. Still thinking it over, she tried to keep him occupied, "You're being a _ very good boy, Car_~" Again, his collar activated, and he quickly inhaled as the heightened waves of pleasure hit him, this time his cock bobbed just in front of her. What to do?

Antsy and on edge with the threat of a bath having been voiced, Car came down from the high faster than she'd expected, another whimper indicating that he'd like a real answer from her. Again, Echo chuckled softly; she had time. "Alright, we'll save the bath for last, like always." Expertly scooping both of his ankles up with one hand, and the diaper bag with the other, the Ragdoll stood, essentially baring his rear and privates to her in the process.

"O-oi!" Hurriedly, he tried to shove his hands between his legs to cover himself but paused mid-action as he saw her challenging expression. "E-easy...please...?" Admittedly, she was getting a little carried away, but it was a good distraction from talking about the bath. 'Now time for another~' she thought, playfully.

With the bag now beside him on the bed, Echo deftly maneuvered her hand through its contents until she found a small jar, and without releasing her hold on his ankles, pushed it out toward him, "Unscrew the top, please."

"That's the red top..." he stated cautiously, voice trailing off at the end.

"Yes, it is." Echo gave him a knowing smile, pushing it just a little closer to him for emphasis. He knew what she was about to do. They hadn't had to use the sensitizing cream for a while, now. Once he'd learned not to fuss so much about being changed, there was simply no need to make his workday that much more uncomfortable, but for a short play period like this, it would work well. "Come on, Car; be a good boy for me~"

For a moment he seemed to fight with himself until, all at once, he thrust his hand out, hastily unscrewing the lid before dropping it so that he could, instead grip the soft comforter beneath him, all the while biting his lower lip as if concentrating.

"Good boy, Car~" Echo praised again, truly quite proud of him. This time, however, he couldn't quite fight the half-moan, half-cry the collar evoked. He wasn't happy, but she would make this worth his while in the end.

Briskly working the rash cream look-alike into his private areas, it didn't take long for him to start squirming again as she was sure he could even feel the air gently caressing his skin at this point. As she lifted his ankles a bit more - and by extension, his rear - Echo slid his usual monochrome, star covered all-in-one under him, and then lowered him before letting him down. "Almost done~" she cooed.

Choosing not to reply, he shifted this way and that, obviously wanting to touch himself, to somehow ease the hyper-sensitivity, though he knew better than that. After a generous sprinkling of powder, and a deliberately slow application of it, Echo slid the soft, thick padding up between the Maine Coon's thighs, and snapped it closed. "There we go~Good boy, Car~"

For added effect, she gently rubbed the exterior just over his needy erection, earning a frustrated grunt in response as he tried to pull away one second, and then a rough pant as he ground himself into her ministrations the next. "Now, how about some formula?"

He stopped dead as she reached for his bottle, "You mean milk...right...? Not that shi--stuff Felicity gave you...?" At least he'd remembered not to swear.

With a shake of her head, Echo held the canister up so that he could see that it was precisely as he'd feared, "Afraid not. You didn't take your meds this morning before we left, so it only seems fair."

Eyes wide, he shook his head fiercely as he tried to sit up, "C'mon, Echo...I forgot! You just want me to drink out of the bottle, right? I-I can, I can still do that! Just let me take them with some milk, or water, or whatever. That stuff tastes like sh--"

"Shhh...." Placing a digit over his lips, she cut him off, "That's enough. Be good."

"Mm..." He stiffened and then laid back, clearly rethinking his decision to go through with this.

With both bottle and container in hand, Echo headed for the bedroom door, "Be still, and no rubbing; I'll be right back, okay?" He gave a curt, singular nod, and she was gone, headed for the kitchen.

Usually Ginger mixed his formula once he got to work, but the instructions Felicity had printed on the side were coherent enough that she felt confident in her abilities to measure and pour. Still, feeling a bit guilty for subjecting him to all of this, Echo added a bit of sugar to the mix hoping that would help. If Felicity made it, there was no doubt he was telling the truth about its taste. After a brief spin in the microwave, she was able to get the sugar to dissolve, and now it was time to check in on her little man.

Pausing just outside the bedroom door, she could hear Car whining and wriggling around, but as she peered inside, she found him with his hands above his head, clinging to a pillow for dear life as he fought the urge. "Good boy, Car~"

He practically screamed as his collar activated this time. Maybe she'd used a little too much cream on him. But then...when was the last time he'd gotten off? 'Oh dear...'

The small feline arched his back as pleasure surged through him. Eventually, he wiped his face with the back of one arm and sat up slowly, panting and wincing as he did so, scanning the room for her. Oddly, he seemed surprised to find her sitting in the plush, over-sized reading chair with his bottle. Had he expected her to come to him? She couldn't make this that simple, now could she? "Come here, Car~"

He let out a confused grunt, but when she offered no further help or commands, he started crawling toward her, only to realize that was a horrible idea as the front of his diaper touched the mattress. "Mm!" Immediately, he straightened, a hand shooting toward his lower regions, but he stopped just shy of touching himself, "I can't! Echo, please!"

With a gentle smile, she extended both arms out toward him, "Come on, Car; you can do it~ Walk to Mommy~"

His entire face and ears were crimson as he shook his head, "It's too much!"

"Does Mommy need to come get you~?" Everything was silent for a moment as he stared, wide-eyed at her. Finally he blinked and leaned back.

She reiterated herself, "Can you ask Mommy nicely to come get you so you can drink your bottle like a good boy?"

He ground his teeth for a moment before, reaching both hands out toward her in return. Slowly, he even flexed his fingers at her. "Mmmn!"

Was she still awake and alive? It felt as though her heart had just exploded. 'Close enough...' After sitting the bottle down on the coffee table, she stood and quickly closed the gap between the chair and the bed.

As per usual, it wasn't any big deal to lift him - Cartel weighed practically nothing - but as his body touched hers he began panting hard. "S-Sorry..."

"It's alright; once your bottle is finished you know what you have to do to get it off, and then it'll be bath time." He groaned into her shoulder as she returned to the chair. 'I'll make it worth it...' she mentally added, as she nuzzled him. Back in the chair, she made quick work of positioning him on her lap and reaching for the star-covered bottle. "Alright now, open~"

At first, he leaned back as if he might fight her, but slowly he did as he was asked, "Ah..."

Echo inserted the nipple into his mouth, but it wasn't until she squirted the first little bit into it that he really started to suck the liquid down. "See? It's not so bad, Car..."

"Mmmngh..." Focused as he was on getting this over with as quickly as possible, that was the only response she got...until she lowered a hand to start rubbing the front of his diaper.

Coughing, the small feline made a loud pop as he let go of the nipple, his hand swiftly reaching for hers to make her stop. "Mmn!"

She patted his back as he choked, feeling guilty once again, as she hadn't intended to do that, "Easy, easy.... I'm sorry..." Once he stopped, he immediately reached for the bottle, intending to chug what was left, and managed to do so before she had a chance to wrestle control of it back. "Alright, alright; I get it..." Now all he had to do was that one last thing...

Carefully, she positioned him so that he was straddling her lap and resting against her shoulder, "Good boy, C--" Interrupted, every last hair stood on end as his lips heatedly pressed against hers and his hands moved to fondle to her breasts.

As if he'd done it a thousand times before, his thick fingers traced the top lining of her bra. Naturally, her hands fumbled for his, and he took them, pinning them easily to the back of the chair as he kept his lips locked on hers. When he finally pulled back, she realized he wasn't the only one panting this time. "Tired of being praised...?" she questioned between greedy breaths.

Eyes half-lidded, Cartel smirked like she had only ever seen him do, "Can't be a good boy all the time...Mommy..." Echo wanted to scream. "Besides..." he continued under his breath, "I want out of this thing, and it's impossible for me to pee with a hard-on..." He licked his lips, and she was sure he had intended to look sexy doing so, but it seemed his tongue found left over formula, and instead, he grimaced. She smiled, not wanting to laugh as he was trying to be intimate. He bit his bottom lip for a moment, before clearing his throat, "Can I play now...Mommy...?" His tone was low and husky with just a hint of desperation lacing it.

Quizzically, she tilted her head. 'Play?' Almost as if he'd read her mind, he let go of her hands, ghosting his around the hem of her shirt as if asking permission to remove it. "Yes..." she whispered softly, and her icy-blue hues fluttered closed...then she realized what he'd done. Quickly reopening them, his face held every ounce of cocky "Prince Cartel" she'd come to know over the past few months. He knew exactly what he was doing and had likely known it for a while!

Not giving her the chance to scold him, he pulled her shirt up and over her head, and then promptly threw it on the ground beside them. He then leaned in for another kiss, starting at her lips, glancing across her cheek, and landing firmly on her left ear, which he nibbled as his fingers played with her bra straps, snapping the elastic bands on her shoulders.

Echo could only sit there, dazed and distracted and drunk on the feelings that crash into her like waves. Doing her best to reciprocate, her hands found his small, thin hips right above where his diaper sat, and began to rhythmically rub them up and down. He stopped his playing to catch them again, straightening so that he could place her hands on his soft, fluffy chest, stroking the pair of them as he spoke, "You work so hard all the time, Echo... Why not let me do the work tonight?"

Without pausing to think, her fingers toyed with the excessive mound of fluff beneath them, and she nodded. With a smile he pulled back, kissing her fingertips before quickly grabbing something out of the diaper bag and returning to her. After twisting the lid off a familiar, small jar, he placed the opened container on the coffee table beside him and got back on her lap. At a bit of an awkward position, he nuzzled against her, wrapping his arms around her torso as he fumbled at her bra's clasp. Quickly, she realized he needed help, and after a second she had the thing undone, baring her generous chest to the cool air and his hungry gaze.

Cartel wasted no time in pulling the bra off and away, flinging it heaven only knew where before dipping each forefinger into the jar. "Do you trust me~?" he purred softly, rubbing his index fingers against his thumbs.

"Yes..." Her response came as naturally as breathing. And just like that, he had her nipples between his fingers, pinching and tugging at them as he applied the same cream she'd used on him earlier. They hardened at his touch, and she had to bite her bottom lip to stifle a breathy moan as he continued. Through half-lidded eyes, she saw him quirk a brow at her, and then gasped as he gave one nipple a rough flick.

"If you're too quiet, I might start to get the idea that I can play rougher with my toys...Mommy..."

Echo couldn't help but chuckle softly, "If you play too roughly, you'll wind up over Mommy's lap~"

For a moment, he seemed to pout, crossing both arms over his chest before admitting some form of defeat, "Fair..." With that, he leaned in to roughly lap at the nipple he'd flicked, latching onto it a second later while his other hand tweaked and toyed with her other one.

This went on for several minutes before a simple question finally registered in Echo's mind, "What's your endgame, Car? Stall me until you can use your diaper? Or...?"

"I've already done that..." he stated curtly, roughly popping back off of her breast, "Honestly, I was trying to distract you for a minute there, but afterwards I was just having so much fun playing with my Mommy~"

"_ Very good boy, Car_~ I guess that means it's time for you bath~"

Still coming down from the emotional high, herself, Echo shivered as she watched him go from cocky, to pleasured, to dread in a matter of seconds. Cartel had long since explained why he hated being in water, and she hated bringing up past trauma, but this would be good for him.

Without giving him the chance to flee or protest, she lifted him and started for the bathroom. "H-Hey, wait! It's just going to be a q-quick rinse, or a sponge b-bath, right?!"

She could feel his claws digging into her as he subconsciously tried to climb over her shoulder. "No, Car; I thought we'd take a nice bubble bath~"

"No! Echo, please! You know I can't do that! C'mon! You said you'd be easy with me!" His voice was starting to crack.

"Easy, Car; it's just a bath. I'll be right there with you." Careful to avoid letting him latch onto the door frame this time as she carried him though, Echo even managed to catch the door with her foot as she entered, and pull it closed in one, smooth motion. Letting him down in the center of the room, he immediately started to crawl toward the door, but she towered in front of it, shaking her head, "Ah-ah... It's time for a bath, Cartel. Come on, now."

Tears pooled at the corners of his eyes as he tried in vain to reach the doorknob from the floor in front of her, "Echo, please!"

The Ragdoll sighed, "You're very cute when you try to beg, Car, but it's just a bath, and you really do need one."

Reaching for his hands, she gently eased him to the floor so that she could remove his wet diaper. "I...I'll wear the diaper!" he pleaded.

"I think we both know you don't really want that..."

"I don't want a bath!" Tears leaked freely from his eyes as he tried to sit up.

At times, it was easy to see him as a Mafia heir, and others...well...he truly matched his kitten-like exterior. Echo sighed, "You're working yourself into a tizzy over nothing, Sweetheart. I'm not going to hurt you; you told me earlier that you trusted me. Trust me, Car..."

"I do trust you!" he wailed, kicking one foot dangerously close to one of her knees as she tried to position his legs for a change, "But not this, Echo! Anything else - please! _ PLEASE _!"

"Shhh...." He gripped on of her arms tightly as she started to undo the snaps on the sides of his diaper, simultaneously trying to push her off as he tried to get up. Using this to her advantage, she let his weight undo the rest of the fastenings, and as he turned away from her, she grabbed him from behind. "Alright. There we go; let's get into the tub, Car."

Echo felt quite fortunate that there was nothing for him to latch onto as she stood...and also that she'd chosen to wear pants with an elastic waistband that morning, as she was able to slip her lower garments off with very little effort.

Settling the two of them down in the bathtub, his hands shot to the sides, and for a split-second he tried to stand, but he oddly seemed to be calming down, now. He wasn't fighting as much as she knew he could have been. "That's a _ very good boy, Car_~" she praised.

"Mmmngh..." he shivered in her tight hold. If only slightly, his erection started to twitch to life again as well. Good.

"I know, Sweetheart..." She smothered the back of his shoulder with kisses, "You're being such a good boy, Car~ I mean it~ I'm really proud of you~"

He swallowed loudly before leaning back. "O-okay...okay...I'm okay... Let's...let's get this over with... Please...?"

Echo nodded, "Alright... I'm going to let you go now, okay...? Can you turn the water on, or do you need me to?"

The smaller feline exhaled loudly, "Water...right... I'll...I can..." he trailed off.

Echo kissed his cheek, slowly removing her arms from around his waist, "It's okay, Car; I trust you." For a moment, she thought he might jump up, but he was full of surprises today. His attention seemed torn between the faucet and the door, and finally she wondered if there was a connection, "Do you need to open the door? Would that help?"

"M-maybe..."

She nodded, "If you think it'll help, go open it. I trust you to come back to me." At first he hesitated, obviously unsure if he had as much confidence in himself as she did, but he slowly stood, carefully exiting before heading toward the door, ears pinned back, tail twitching. From across the room, she could see his hand shaking as he reached for the knob. He wanted to run, and she understood why. "It's okay, Car. No matter what, it's okay."

For a moment, silence reigned. Then, all at once, he flicked the knob, allowing the door to swing open. Starting to hum a jazzy tune, Echo slowly turned the faucet on, and reached around for the bubble bath in the corner, pouring a generous amount in. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched the Maine Coon as he stood with his back to her, presumably staring out into the bedroom.

"Coming, Car?" she asked gently. He seemed to inhale deeply and then exhale before turning to face her again, eyes dilating and constricting quickly as he mentally fought the fear. "Good boy, Car~ Come on, you can do it!"

He barely reacted to the collar's trigger this time, ears straightening for a second and then flattening back again. She reached a hand out for him as he took another step closer, "Good boy, Car~ Keep coming!"

He panted this time, and took another step, one of his hands reaching out for hers as he stiffly toddled the last few steps to her, gripping her hand as if he might fall apart without it. "_ Very good boy, Car_; I'm so proud of you! Now all you have to do is get in, Sweetheart."

His eyes closed as she gave the stronger command, though she was unsure if he shivered because of his fear, or the pleasure. "Don't think about, just do it. I'm right here, I won't let you fall." A new set of tears streamed down his face as he lifted one foot and promptly brought it down in the water. That foot was swiftly followed by the other, and now all he had to do was sit down.

As if reading her mind, without opening his eyes, he coiled his tail around himself and sat. Slowly, Echo eased him back against her until the back of his head rested against her chest. He was shaking. There couldn't have been more than four or five inches of water in the tub, but Echo sat up, twisting around him so that she could turn the faucet off anyway. That was good enough. She wouldn't dawdle. "Alright, sweetheart. Just relax, okay?"

"Don't s-stop talking... I can't..." he swallowed hard, "I can't open my eyes...but...your voice...helps..."

Although a bit surprised by his request, she was eager to do whatever she could, so she obliged. "Alright. How about a song?" He nodded. Summoning the calmest tune she could think of, she was oddly reminded of a lullaby she'd heard in a movie she'd watched a lot as a child, so she began with that, simultaneously using one hand to steady him, while the other worked to wet his fur.

Although her first impulse was to douse him in soap as she typically did for herself, once he was sufficiently dampened, she quickly worked a small bit of soap into him, instead, knowing that it would be much faster to get less out, especially considering how fluffy he was.

Once the first song was done, she showered him in a brief round of praises before heading straight into another one, working her way from his feet to his head, intentionally saving his sensitive bits for last, as they'd need a little more care.

With the soap finally done, Echo figured she had better explain the next part of the process before jumping straight into it since his eyes were still closed, "I'm going to wash your hair now. I have to get it wet first, though, alright?" He whined softly but nodded all the same.

As the first drops of water gently splashed against his head, his hands clung to the arm around his middle and one foot kicked in protest, but he quickly gathered himself again. "Mmmngh...!"

"Shhh... Shhh... It's alright; you're okay~"

Another song in, and soon she was working shampoo into his hair, quickly followed by conditioner. Once that was out, that only left one last thing. Leaning in, she nuzzled him a bit before nipping at his ear, "Can I just say that you've been a _ very good boy, Car_~?" Echo reached for a washcloth as the trigger distracted him for a moment. "I'm very proud of you, and you're almost done~" She dipped the soft cloth into the water to dampen it, and then added some soap to the mix.

Reaching for his still semi-erect member, she gently began to stroke him. A rough pant passed his lips. "A-ah?" He seemed confused by the strange texture, but he obviously wasn't about to open his eyes now.

"Easy, I've got to get the cream off~ It's just a washcloth." Of course, that wasn't all she intended to get off... Steadily picking up her pace, it wasn't long before he started to buck his hips in time with her, panting and squirming, desperate for release, just as he had been earlier.

Finally, he threw his head back, "E-Echo, I'm gonna--!"

"Come on, Car~ Let's have it." And with one last grunt, he came - hard. His body shuddered in several waves before roughly collapsing back against her. Echo kissed whatever parts of him she could reach as she tossed the used washcloth into the dirty clothes bin and quickly rinsed the rest of the soap off of him. "And just like that, your bath is done," the Ragdoll purred.

Standing him up with her, she unplugged the drain with her foot, and helped him out. "That wasn't so bad, now was it?" At long last, one eye cracked open as she wrapped a towel around his shoulders and began to briskly dry him. His only response was a grunt.

It took a small eternity to dry all of his fur out, but once it felt sufficiently fluffy again, she reached for the bath powder on the counter, and using a fresh towel, began to buff it into him, much to his chagrin.

"O-oi! I already smell enough like a girl, don't you think?! At least use mine!" It was obviously too late now.

Instead, her lips found the back of his neck, "I'm sorry, do you not like the way I smell~?"

"No! That's not what I'm saying, and you know it!"

With a few more, quick motions she was done, tossing the towels into the hamper with the washcloth before reaching for his brush. At least he was starting to act more like himself again. "I'm sorry, it was the closest one, Car."

He groaned in response, but even he liked to be brushed, rapidly becoming putty in her hands as she worked him over.

Just about the time she'd finished, however, she noticed an odd noise reverberating off the walls - he was purring. He really was adorable at times. "Do you think there's any way I could convince you to let me trim your claws while we're at this...?" she wondered doubtfully.

Immediately, the purring stopped, and he took a step forward. "Bath or claws, and you chose bath." And with that, he was gone, bounding for the bed.

"Fair..." Echo took a bit to get herself cleaned up, hopping into the shower to quickly rinse off, then properly dry herself before joining him in the bedroom. As expected, he'd burrito'd himself in _her_blankets and pillows, but that left him wide open... Now that he couldn't resist her, she scooped him up, pulling him back to rest against her chest, giving him a good and proper cuddle as he flailed before eventually laying back so that he could rest on top of her.

"Hey!" he interjected, pulling the blankets away from his eyes.

"Sorry, you were just so peaceful, I couldn't resist~" With a giggle, she playfully stuck her tongue out. It came as quite a surprise when leaned in to kiss her, his mouth opening just wide enough to engulf her tongue, as well. "Mmn~"

Pulling it back into her mouth, she made an attempt to kiss him properly, a hand reaching up to brush his freshly fluffed bangs back, out of his face.

"Thanks..." he said, pulling back at long last.

"For what? I should be the one thanking you."

With a cocky smile, he shook his head, "For trusting in me."