The tattoos are bothering him, you can tell. The length of pink-red lines that now trail down his chest and legs was a lot of ink to receive at one time, even for him. You had suggested getting them done incrementally, but stubborn as always, he'd elected to have them tattooed all at once.
You've watched him wince and muffle uncomfortable grunts all day long, when the effort of moving and stretching became a little too much to bear. Katakuri tries his best not to show it, not wanting to worry you or perhaps just to keep up that perfect facade that he works so hard to maintain. Either way, you're a little frustrated that he wouldn't just take it easy for once.
From your perch on his shoulder, you're witness to it all, but given he's busy with his duties to the island, you don't say anything during the day. He'd likely chastise you, or urge you to not mention it while you're out and about, where others may overhear you.
But in the privacy and safety of his home, where you often see the stress and weight of his decisions shed away, you're free to give voice to your concerns.
"You're hurting." You say plainly, knowing full well he was aware you'd wanted to speak your mind all day. "You need to sit and rest for awhile."
"I'll be alright. It's just a little uncomfortable." He mumbled. "Nothing I can't handle."
"I know you can, my big strong man." You say with a small smile, climbing up onto his hand so he'd look at you. He holds you up to his face, where he can see you better. "But there's no need to suffer like that just because you can take it. Rest for awhile, go easy on yourself....please? For me?"
It's a low blow, perhaps. You know he can't resist when you ask him this way. Exploiting his weakness...some may call it cruel, but with a man like Katakuri, it's your best bet to make him realize when he needed to put himself first. Sometimes his dedication came at a price.
His eyes close, and you hear the low sigh that goes through his chest. It's clear that he's given in, even without a word that he'll do as you ask. Your smile widens.
"Why don't we take a bath? I think we could both use a nice, long soak after such a hard day."
"Hmm..."
You cock your head to the side, sensing his hesitation. Leaning forward as far as you can, you give the top of his cheek a kiss. "Come on, just you and me, relaxing together in hot, steamy water....I can't think of anything better for those sore tattoos."
He is silent, finally opening his eyes to look at you with a bit softer expression than before. Then, with his other hand not holding you in his palm, he reaches up to pull away the scarf that had covered his face. "That...does sound nice."
"Great!" You shift in his palm until you're dangling from two of his fingers. "I'll start the water for us."
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Steam lifts in transparent tendrils from the surface of the bath's water, heated to perfection and then some. You'd always loved a good, scalding bath, and you were thankful that your lover could tolerate such high temperatures. He was sturdy, and never thwarted your requests for the higher temperatures.
Katakuri lounges solidly against the rounded edge of the shallow tub, eyes closed with content. For once, his expression wasn't marred with concentration, or the distraction of his daily duties and responsibilities. He looked...calm. Relaxed. Right at home. Some of it no doubt had to do with the water leeching his strength, but in the end it helped him to dampen his body, just as you wanted it to.
Surely the soothing aspects of the water were helping the still-healing tattoos, as well. They'd healed enough that he could submerge them in the water, but the pain had lingered much longer than anticipated. Even he hadn't expected them to still hurt this long after. His rumbling groan of approval is enough to satisfy your worries. He was enjoying himself after all, and no doubt the aching tattoos were also being taken care of.
But, always the dedicated lover and affectionate person you were, it was no surprise that you wanted to give him a little extra pampering yourself.
The water's subtle shift causes him to open his eyes. You don't move too swiftly, not wanting to disrupt his relaxation, and simply smile when you notice him looking at you. "How are you feeling?"
"Better." He admits, curiously cocking his brow as you swim up towards where his chest reaches the surface of the water. "The bath was a good idea."
"Of course it was." You say cheekily, grinning despite yourself. It had been an excellent idea, after all. No shame in flaunting it. "Now just sit back and let me take care of you for a little while, ok?"
His silent nod of agreement is enough to have you reach forward.
The delicate touch of your fingers along his chest have him intrigued. So small, they trace and trail along the many ridges of his toned chest. You're careful around the pink tattoos, skimming over them gently. You don't want to harm, even if you know he would hide any pain you might otherwise cause.
Slowly and with great thought, you massage him, patient and slow. His firm muscles are overlaid with pliant skin. You don't know the last time you've truly just shown your love for him so plainly like this, with basic touch and an attention to detail. What a shame. He deserved much more, and you filed away a mental note to do this much more often, aching tattoos or not.
You feel him take in a long breath, before releasing it slowly through his nose, allowing you free reign to touch him as you please. Oh, what wonderful things you could do with that lack of restraint, but for now, you'd stick to gestures of comfort rather than pleasure.
Time enough for your many seamy fantasies later.
His eyes close, trusting you to continue on as you were. Your hands caressed his torso, tracing hot pink with love and adoration. You hear--and feel--a rumble go through his chest as you reach down towards the lower end of the lines. His hips lift a little, managing to scoot you further up his chest, giving you better access to anything you felt like massaging.
You're tempted to ask how he's feeling now, with his aching skin being treated with such care, but the blissful expression he's currently wearing is too precious to interrupt. And so you make sure not to pause, stealing glances at your giant lover even as the bath water begins to cool and he's fallen into a relaxed nap.
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