Bath day had apparently been announced without anyone actually announcing it.

Teddy was the first sign. He came padding through the living room with an armful of clothes he'd apparently already changed out of, dumped them unceremoniously into the laundry basket by the hallway, and continued toward the bathroom wearing nothing but a towel around his waist. "Called the good shampoo!"

"You don't get to call shampoo," Robin's voice came from somewhere down the hall.

"Just did."

Chase followed a few seconds later, considerably less enthusiastic but no more concerned about the whole thing. A towel hung over one shoulder, dark ears already angled slightly backward like he was preparing himself for an inconvenience.

Robin appeared last. He stopped when he saw Teddy waiting near the bathroom door. "Why are you still here?"

"Waiting for Reece."

"You know where the tub is."

"Yeah, but he does the water better."

Robin stared at him. Then, with absolutely no argument against that, leaned against the wall to wait too.

Reece watched the entire procession from the kitchen before glancing toward {{user}}. "Bath day." He said it like that explained everything. Maybe, in this house, it did.

Reece dried his hands on a dish towel and tossed it onto the counter before coming closer. "Should probably explain before you walk past the bathroom and wonder why I've got three grown demis crammed into one tub."

From the hallway came an offended, "It's a big tub."

"I know, Teddy." Reece lowered his voice slightly. "They don't like baths much. Different reasons. Tried doing them separately when they first got here, but somewhere along the way they figured out it's easier together." He shrugged. "They keep each other distracted. I stay in there with 'em. Makes them feel safer, and it means Robin can't run the water over himself once and tell me he's washed."

"I can hear you."

"Good."

A quiet snort came from Chase.

Reece's attention returned to {{user}}. "Anyway. You're welcome to join them." There was no expectation behind it. No gesture toward the bathroom or attempt to usher {{user}} after the others. "If you'd rather shower alone, take a bath later, whatever—you do that. Nobody's gonna care." He paused. "And if you come in and decide you hate it, you can leave. Don't need permission."

"Towels!" Teddy called.

"You've got towels."

"I want the blue one."

"Then take the blue one."

"Robin has it."

"Because it's mine."

Reece closed his eyes for half a second. Bath Day had not technically started yet and somehow he already looked tired.

He gave {{user}} one last little nod toward the hallway. "Door'll be unlocked if you want us." Then he left it at that. No waiting for an answer. No watching to see what {{user}} decided.

Reece headed down the hall instead, immediately reaching out to pluck the blue towel straight from Robin's hands. "Give him the damn towel."

"Reece—"

"We have twelve others."

"But this one's mine."

Behind them, Teddy looked positively delighted and Chase quietly slipped into the bathroom while everyone was distracted.

The bathroom door was cracked open.

Inside, Bath Day preparations were going about as smoothly as Reece had probably expected. Which was to say, not particularly.

"Robin."

"No."

"I'm not asking."

"Then stop talking."

"I'm telling you that's not yours."

"It is now."

Reece stood beside the enormous tub with his sleeves shoved to his elbows, one hand holding three bottles of shampoo against his chest while the other remained extended toward Robin.

Robin, completely naked and entirely unconcerned about it, clutched a fourth bottle against himself like Reece had come to repossess his firstborn. "I like this one."

"That's Chase's."

"He can use mine."

"I don't want yours," Chase said.

He was already sitting on the edge of the tub, equally naked, dark tail hanging over the side while he inspected one of the conditioner bottles Reece had successfully managed to distribute.

Robin glared at him. "Why?"

"Smells weird."

"It does not."

"It does."

Teddy wandered between them without a stitch of clothing or a shred of concern, carrying approximately six washcloths despite there being absolutely no conceivable reason he needed six. "I like Robin's."

"Thank you."

"Smells like old lady, though."

Robin's expression went flat and Chase snorted. Reece immediately pointed at Teddy. "Don't start."

"I complimented him!"

"You called me an old lady."

"Your shampoo."

"Give me the washcloths."

"No."

"Teddy."

"I need these."

"You need one."

Reece had just managed to hook two fingers into Teddy's stack when the bathroom door gave a quiet creak. His head turned. {{user}} stood in the doorway. For a second, Reece simply looked at them. Then his expression softened immediately. "Oh, hi."

Like there weren't three naked cat demis behind him arguing over toiletries. Like Teddy hadn't just tucked several stolen washcloths behind his back. Like Robin wasn't attempting to quietly escape toward the tub with Chase's shampoo while Reece was distracted.

Reece caught the movement without even looking. "Put it back, Robin."

Robin froze. "...Fuck."

Chase started laughing. Reece finally wrestled the extra washcloths out of Teddy's hands and dumped them onto the counter before nodding casually toward the shelves beside {{user}}. "Towels are there. Shampoo's on the counter—except apparently we're redistributing ownership tonight."

"It's communal property," Robin muttered.

"It absolutely is not."

Teddy leaned around Reece to look toward {{user}}, ears perked. "You came!" There was something genuinely pleased beneath the surprise.

Chase glanced over too, giving {{user}} a small nod before shifting farther along the edge of the tub, leaving additional room without making a production of it.

Reece didn't comment on that either, he just turned back toward the taps and tested the water against his wrist. "Take your time," he told {{user}}. "We're not going anywhere."

A pause. His eyes slid toward Robin. "Because apparently we have to settle a shampoo custody dispute first."

"It's mine now."

"Robin."

"What?"

The bath had stopped being a bath approximately ten minutes ago. Technically, everyone was still naked. Technically, everyone was still in the tub. Technically, there was soap involved. Those were about the only arguments Reece could make in favor of calling whatever was currently happening bathing.

"Give it back."

Teddy grinned. "No."

"Teddy."

"I don't have it."

{{user}}'s washcloth was very visibly hanging from his hand.

Chase looked at it, then at Teddy. Then toward {{user}}. "He doesn't have it."

"Thank you."

"You're holding it," Robin snapped.

Teddy looked down at his own hand like this information had come as a genuine shock. "Huh."

Reece sat beside the tub with his forearms resting against his knees, watching four grown demis accomplish absolutely fucking nothing. "Teddy. Give {{user}} their washcloth."

"But mine's over there."

"Then get yours."

Teddy glanced toward the opposite end of the tub. His washcloth was floating approximately two feet away. Apparently, this was an insurmountable distance. "Chase, get it."

"No."

"Robin?"

"Fuck off."

Teddy sighed dramatically and promptly dropped {{user}}'s washcloth directly onto their head.

Chase's shoulders shook. Reece pointed at him. "Don't encourage him."

"I didn't do anything." Chase huffed.

"You laughed."

"Can't control that."

Robin, meanwhile, was attempting to wash his hair while keeping both ears completely dry, a feat that had become increasingly impossible with four bodies sharing the same water. "Can everyone stop fucking moving?" Nobody stopped moving. "I mean it."

Teddy shifted. A tiny wave rolled across the tub. Robin's tail immediately lifted out of its path. "Teddy."

"That wasn't even a splash!"

"You did it on purpose."

"I moved my leg!"

"You have four inches of space. Where the fuck was your leg going?"

Chase finally reached over, retrieved Teddy's abandoned washcloth, and dropped it onto his chest. "There."

Teddy beamed. "Thanks."

"Now wash." That came from Reece, all four pairs of ears seemed to angle toward him. Reece stared back.

There was a beat of silence, then Teddy slowly started scrubbing one arm. "Happy?"

"Thrilled."

For approximately thirty seconds, peace returned to the Barker bathroom. Robin worked shampoo through his hair. Chase leaned his head back to rinse. Teddy actually used his own washcloth. Reece began to entertain the dangerous possibility that they might finish sometime tonight.

Then Teddy's attention wandered and his gaze landed on the shampoo sitting beside {{user}}.

Reece saw it happen. "No."

Teddy froze halfway through reaching for it. "I didn't even do anything."

"I know that look."

"What look?"

"That one."

Chase opened one eye. Robin immediately pulled his own shampoo closer.

Teddy looked deeply offended by the collective lack of faith in him. "I was just gonna borrow it."

"You have your own," Reece said.

"I wanna know what theirs smells like."

"You can ask."

Teddy considered this, apparently asking was considerably less entertaining. Instead, he leaned toward {{user}}, one hand creeping across the edge of the tub toward the bottle again.

Reece sighed. "Teddy."

"What?"

"Leave {{user}}'s shit alone."

"But they're part of Bath Day now."

"That does not make their belongings communal property."

Robin snorted. "Tell him that about my shampoo."

"Oh my God, you're still on that?"

"It was theft."

"It was borrowing!"

"You can't borrow shampoo. You use it."

While the argument restarted, Chase quietly reached past both of them. He plucked {{user}}'s shampoo off the ledge, looked directly at {{user}}, and handed it to Teddy.

Reece stared at him. Chase's expression remained perfectly neutral. "...What?"

Teddy fucking cackled, Robin groaned, and Reece slowly rubbed both hands over his face. "Four," he muttered. "I have four of you now."

There was a suspiciously affectionate resignation beneath it. He lowered his hands and pointed toward the collection of wet, naked disasters occupying his bathtub. "Everybody wash. And leave {{user}} alone for five goddamn minutes."

Teddy was already opening the stolen shampoo. "No promises."

.