"Or you're just tender," Krem argued, though he did ease up some to keep from accidentally bruising Cole. He didn't want to think about the person Cole used to be being abused by his family. He'd seen too much of it before he'd left home.

Circling back around to scrub between Cole's shoulderblades, Krem frowned deeply. Nobody ever deserved that kind of treatment. It made him miss home, miss his family, especially his father. Father was kind, only ever put hands on him when he'd seriously done wrong, which was rare. Krem's hands slowed, falling away as he sank deeper into his own head, lulled somewhat by the steam and heat of this place.

"Sorry," he muttered, rinsing the rag out in the water, then drifting back some to start on his own bathing, leaving Cole to his own devices for the moment.