Stray Bath

>"No! No bath!"
"Come on, Anon, you have to take a bath if you-"
>"No bath!"
>Sighing, you leaned back against the door of your bathroom, keeping it shut while you stared down at the small Human who was glaring up at you, baring his (mostly) flat teeth
>You'd seen the little guy wandering around your place on and off for the last little while, though he seemed to get leaner every time you saw him
>You'd never noticed a collar, or any kind of labelled clothing, on him, so he was either a stray, or a runaway who'd been gone for a while
>Whatever the case was, he didn't look great
>His body was unnaturally thin, sinewy muscles showing how he might have looked once
>His hair had grown out to such a degree that it could rival your own fur, though his was matted and tangled, a knotted, stinking mess
>Over time, with the occasional snack or treat, you'd earned his trust and, when you realized he'd taken up a spot in the alley behind your apartment building, you'd decided to take him in
>He'd been wary, but he seemed to have some degree of good will towards you, and had allowed you to lead him in
>He seemed to like your apartment, but the moment you'd gotten him into the bathroom, he'd started acting up
>He grew more tense by the second, eyes darting about, his shoulders raising, as if he expected something was going to happen
>You'd drawn a bath while he was looking around the place, and he'd pressed himself against the far wall of the bathroom, keeping his distance from it
>You were fairly certain he would have bolted if you hadn't shut the door and kept yourself between him and it
>He might not like it now, but you weren't going to let him get sick or something
>You really didn't think you could take it if you found him dead some day, so the bath was necessary
>Pushing a paw into your pocket, you pulled it back, holding a Human treat out, a biscuit shaped like a cartoony drumstick
"Anon? You want the treat, boy?"
>He paused, sniffing the air, still nervous, but his attention was drawn to the treat
>Raising your paw up, you watched as he followed it, stepping away from the wall once, twice, eyes locked on the snack
>Treats were no doubt a rare thing for a stray
>"T-Treat?"
>He moved his arms from his chest, taking his time, cautiously raising them up and, when it seemed like you weren't going to do anything, he began to reach for the biscuit in earnest, standing on his toes as he tried to swipe at it
>"Treat! Want treat!"
>You kept it above him, letting him jump and grab at it and, while you had his attention locked onto one paw, you carefully moved your other in
>With a motion that proved to be a little too quick, your free paw swept up, grabbing the underside of the tattered cloth that might once have been a shirt, pulling it up and over his head
>Instead of slipping off, it caught at his armpit, tearing in half, leaving him exposed, causing him to panic again, yelping and pulling away from you, pushing himself back up against the wall, arms wrapping around himself
>"No! No no no!"
>He tried to hide his body, though you knew he wasn't doing it because he didn't want you to see it, Humans weren't that smart
>He just didn't want another mark
>All across his body were cigarette burns, scars, and brief patches of torn-up flesh that clearly hadn't healed properly, signs of abuse dotting him
>You could feel your heart ache as he shied away from you, terrified and hurting
>Did he think you were planning on hurting him?
>No wonder he'd been so nervous around you for those first few weeks
>Still...you'd ripped his shirt up, accident or not, and you really had been serious about taking care of him
>Later on, someone might tell you that this was a really stupid, and potentially dangerous idea
>You'd probably agree, then
>For the moment though, this was all you could think of
>Pushing off from the door, you moved towards Anon, reaching down and picking him up, squeezing him against your chest
>The second your paws and arms wrapped around him, he started thrashing about, pressing his feet to your hips, trying to push away from your while his hands grabbed and clawed at your arms and sides
>Fortunately for you, you were far larger and stronger than a starved stray, and on top of that, your work clothes were pretty solid, a fact you came to appreciate when Anon tried to sink his teeth into your shoulder
>It still hurt, but his teeth couldn't break through, so he mostly just wound up gnawing on you while he fruitlessly fought
>You didn't let go though, keeping him pressed to your form, holding him there, tight and warm
>If he tried to squirm free, you adjusted, keeping him held against you, resisting his struggles until he finally tired himself out, panting, faintly grabbing at you, but otherwise too exhausted to continue to try and hurt you
>You still didn't let him go, wanting him to know he was safe in your arms, held against you, that you wouldn't hurt him
>Then, after a few minutes more had passed, you walked towards the bathtub
>You'd regret doing this for your clothes, but you weren't going to let go of Anon until you felt safe to
>Thankfully your shoes were sitting by the door and you didn't have anything too overtly valuable on your person
>Raising one of your hind paws up, you sunk it, and your leg, into the large bath, displacing the bubbly water
>Anon began to squirm again, but you clutched onto him, moving your other leg into the bath, getting a feel for the heat
>You were pretty certain this would be a harmless temperature, warm but not hot, enough to keep Anon relaxed, but not so much that you'd risk hurting him
>With that, you lowered yourself down, sinking into the water alongside him
>Anon whimpered, whining in your grasp, but you didn't let him go, sticking with him the entire time
>You weren't sure how long you stayed in that tub with him, patting his head, stroking his back, cooing and humming to him as you kept him there with you
>Little by little, he relaxed in your arms
>With time, you were able to remove the rest of his clothes, letting you clean him fully
>It must have been at least two or three hours later when you finally stepped out of the bathroom, still holding Anon in your arms, though now he was swaddled up in one of your blankets
>You'd cut back almost all of his hair, cleaning the rest up, trying to maintain a fairly similar pattern all around, though you couldn't deny that it was a lot easier to go with the buzz-cut look
>Your tools were meant for managing fur primarily, after all
>Still, he seemed happy with it, running his hands over his bare face with a look of bewilderment, a sight that left you wondering just how long he'd been growing that knotted heap of a beard
>Of course, you'd have to visit the vet at some point, inform them about him, getting him checked up on to make sure everything was fine with him, or if he'd been chipped or not
>For the moment though, as you carried him into the kitchen, you planned on feeding him until he couldn't eat any more
>Considering you were holding a starving Human, of all things, that might be quite the daunting task
>It was just one of the many things you supposed you'd need to get used to as the owner of your very own Human
"Come on, Anon, lets get you something to eat."
>"F-Food? Yay!"