Back at the YoRHa orbital base, there had been times when cleaning was required but never in such an outdated way as washing with soap, water, and a towel.
They had designated cleansing chambers. All you needed to do was lie inside, and the emitted mist would dissolve all contaminants from the body. Quick, efficient, and sterile.
This method bathing with clean water in a cramped human bathroom was far more cumbersome for 2B. But not without its merits.
For one, she could wash him. With her own hands, she could feel the unique warmth of a human body, follow the lines of his musculature, and sense the strength beneath.
That kind of physical closeness was impossible with the efficient, impersonal cleansing systems of her world.
After lathering his hair and gently rinsing the foam away, 2B lowered her gaze. "It seems to have... gotten worse."
"That's your fault," Ethan Chen replied, glancing back at her. His eyes met her face, now tinged with a subtle blush such a stark contrast to her formerly stoic, visor-wearing self. The difference was striking.
"My fault?"
"You're too tempting." He kissed the corner of her lips. Though he wasn't a stranger to intimacy, a woman of 2B's caliber beauty that once existed only in dreams was a new experience entirely.
"I'm sorry. I'll take responsibility." 2B reached out with delicate care and resumed washing him.
Though her hands were skilled from wielding weapons, they bore no calluses. Her touch was soft, smooth. Add to that the feeling of her full chest lightly brushing against his back, and Ethan couldn't help but let out a sigh.
This this was life. This was what it meant to live.
2B took the task seriously, her eyes focused, her touch gentle and precise.
As she rinsed away the remaining soap, she couldn't help but feel the same sensation as she had when tasting the grilled eel rice earlier that day mouthwatering anticipation.
She recalled what the support pod had once instructed her. After a brief moment of hesitation, she knelt down in front of Ethan, her lips parting with practiced purpose.
Ethan ran his fingers through her short, silver hair. She really was... unbelievably attentive.
The motions were repetitive, but 2B showed no trace of boredom. On the contrary, she was curious and engaged, watching his reactions closely.
When she saw the expression of pleasure cross his face, she knew she was doing something right.
She even began to adapt on her own, changing her approach for better results.
Eventually, warmth surged, and she reflexively choked, caught off guard. It reminded her of the fizzy beer she'd had earlier sudden and overwhelming.
Now she understood what Ethan meant when he said, "You might not be used to it at first."
But she swallowed everything.
"Not bad at all," Ethan murmured, patting her head in praise. It wasn't just a physical kind of satisfaction, but an emotional one too.
After all, few things felt more surreal than having a woman you'd once placed on a pedestal kneel before you willingly, tenderly.
It reminded him of those stories: the successful men who returned home and reconnected with former classmates under the guise of reunions, chasing lost chances or unresolved regrets. Sometimes even if those goddesses of the past had long lost their glow, the gesture itself was enough.
But for Ethan, this moment was more than nostalgia it was a dream realized.
He helped her up. "Now it's my turn to wash you."
"Okay," 2B responded obediently, rising to her feet.
He cupped her with both hands full, heavy, more than a single palm could grasp.
His touch was steady and thorough, cleansing every inch of her with almost reverent care. And with every slow, deliberate motion, her skin grew smoother, almost glowing under his hands.
2B's body trembled. It was a different sensation from kissing a kind of swelling heat from within.
She looked down, startled to find that her chest had... changed.
"It's like my body is reacting strangely," she whispered, tilting her slender neck back. "I think I'm leaking oil..."
"Leaking oil?" Ethan raised an eyebrow and moved closer to examine her. It didn't take long for him to discover the so-called 'leak' and the place it came from.
"You mean this?"
"Mhm." She bit her lip and nodded. The moment his fingers touched it, the leaking grew worse.
"That's not oil," Ethan murmured against her lips. "That just means... you're ready. Ready to help carry forward the human legacy."
He didn't wait for a reply.
He gently turned her toward the wall, positioning her just right, and pressed forward filling the source of that overflowing warmth with firm, undeniable presence.
2B's mouth fell open. But what came out were not words only breathless, fragmented sounds that carried no meaning.
Bodies pressed tight, they held each other with fervor, heat, and urgency.
In that moment, Ethan had only one thought this was too real. Almost too real to describe.
But he didn't stop.
As they moved in rhythm, the sounds they made echoed in the small bathroom deep breaths, soft moans, and the cadence of movement, like a symphony played behind closed doors.
And just like a crescendo in a grand orchestra, her voice rose higher and higher until finally, it broke. Then silence fell, sudden and complete.
But before Ethan could fully bask in triumph, he felt something shift.
A pull.
It was like a small vessel caught at the edge of a whirlpool drawn in, consumed entirely.
He opened his eyes wide. In that moment, 2B felt less like a woman and more like something built for one purpose a machine, pure and unfeeling, designed only to carry on the legacy of a dying race.
They stayed joined like that for a long time, under the steady stream of warm water from above.
Only when the tension eased did they gently separate and begin washing each other once more, then wrapped themselves in bathrobes and left the bathroom.
The night was far from over.
…
They slept soundly until sunlight filtered through the window.
When Ethan woke, 2B was already sitting on the bed beside him, staring at him intently.
Like any healthy man, he felt… especially energetic that morning.
"You know, in the mornings, it's okay to wake me up using a method men like best."
"A method men like best?"
"Just like you did yesterday."
2B seemed to understand. She leaned forward, brushed her hair behind one ear, and looked up at him. Then she began once again, gently and attentively.
Satisfaction.
Once his morning energy was resolved, the two got up to wash.
As they stood before the mirror, Ethan couldn't help but admire her body again. Her skin was like creamy jade, her figure plump in all the right places narrow at the top, wide at the bottom.
Desire flickered again, and before he could stop himself, he wrapped his arms around her from behind and moved in time with her curves once more.
After their "morning exercise," they resumed brushing their teeth and freshening up like nothing had happened.
While washing, 2B noticed small dark spots on Ethan's chin. She pointed. "What are those?"
"Beard stubble," he replied. "All human men grow it."
"This is my first time seeing it." She touched it, gently. "It's a little prickly. Male androids don't grow beards."
"Just like female androids don't grow body hair."
"Huh?"
"Human women do," Ethan said, gesturing to her lower abdomen. Her skin was smooth and bare, aside from her hair and eyebrows not even a trace of body hair elsewhere.
"Well, some don't. But that's rare… and I happen to like you just the way you are."
2B smiled, her eyes curving like crescent moons. She rose onto her toes and kissed him softly.