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Post by Mister Stewart on Jun 23, 2011 0:06:42 GMT -8
The inside of Michael's room looked...remarkably like him. It was neat as a pin, furnished in light colors and sparkling-clean. It was, compared to most of the mansion, rather small - there was a desk, a long, short bookshelf filled with books of all descriptions, a queen-sized bed with white sheets, a wardrobe, and a nightstand beside the bed. A door off to one side was closed - probably to a bathroom - and the walls were hung with odd paintings.
As he stumbled in, he slit his eyes open...soothed a bit by his own territory. He knew how things were in here. He could still the compulsions and chatter somewhat - ignore the one item out of place; a white handkerchief was thrown to cover something atop the nightstand.
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Post by Ashlin Thomas on Jun 23, 2011 9:08:26 GMT -8
"Let's get you sitting down." Ashlin insisted with a nod, before she really looked around the room. It really did fit Michael she thought, but it seemed a little empty to Ashlin. She had keepsakes and souvenirs from all her travel, but Michael's room seemed to be devoid of any kind of knickknacks (she wasn't sure the paintings counted.) Of course he seemed to like things neat and orderly so perhaps that was why. It also made the handkerchief all the more obvious. She wondered what it could possibly be covering and how Michael in his current state had managed to ignore it when he left the room this morning. In any case she had more pressing concerns.
He seemed a bit calmer now Ashlin thought, but she waited a moment rubbing small circles on his back. "Alright?" she asked softly.
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Post by Mister Stewart on Jun 23, 2011 18:28:18 GMT -8
Shuffling over to his bed, he sat upon it, starting to slouch - and then thoroughly regretting it, straightening with a hiss through gritted teeth. His scars HURT...they felt tight, stiff, and moving too far was more painful than usual. He breathed slowly, trying to steady, staring straight ahead at one of the paintings as he collected himself.
Calm. Calm.
"...It's...it's fine. I'm...I'm fine."
Oh, right, Michael. That was believable.
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Post by Ashlin Thomas on Jun 23, 2011 18:51:42 GMT -8
Ash might have been oblivious but she wasn't stupid. Instead of calling him out on his very obvious lie though Ashlin just patted his arm lightly. "The lotion is ready so why don't we try it on your scars now." she suggested, noticing the way he flinched when he moved. She desperately hoped this helped him.
She bit her lip as she dug through her bag. "You'll probably need to take off your shirt, so we can reach all your scars." At any other time telling Michael to take his shirt off (no matter how innocently it was meant) would have had her blushing and stuttering like mad. This was a special circumstance though, and at the moment Ashlin was much too focused on helping her friend to worry about her little crush. "I've got some bruise cream as well that you can use."
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Post by Mister Stewart on Jun 23, 2011 19:38:13 GMT -8
There was quite a bit of hesitance as Ash suggested that he remove his shirt - he had shown so few people the extent of his scarring, and only two in remotely recent history had seen. He trusted her, but the concept was still enough to give him pause...enough to make his hands shake as he began to undo the buttons on his double-breasted jacket, sliding it down his shoulders and setting it beside him on the bed.
Then off went the tie, set down atop the jacket. Then the sword, which had to have been painful to wear - He glanced to Ashlin - shy, uncertain - and then, finally, he began to undo his shirt. As he unbuttoned it, she would begin to see the damage...the way that his scars went from just below his sternum down to his waist in sickly patches. Once the shirt was completely off, the full extent of the wounds were visible.
The scars on his arms and back were much worse than the ones on his front - and at the moment, they were dark and irritated, cracking in spots in painful looking ways. His back was almost completely covered in burns, from his waist to the back of his neck...and his arms were just behind in severity of burns. The bandages around his hands were easier to see now, wound around front and back...but now, another bandage around his wrist was visible.
He cast his stormy gaze downward, feeling...exposed.
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Post by Ashlin Thomas on Jun 23, 2011 20:08:15 GMT -8
Ashlin gasped as Michael slowly removed his shirt, her hand flying to cover her mouth. "Oh Michael. . . " she whispered sadly, eyes filling with tears. She'd known it was bad but this. . . What had he been forced to go through? It looked so painful, and it seemed like his entire body was covered in them. She started to reach out a hesitant hand, but stopped herself.
No, no she couldn't cry now. She had to be strong for Michael's sake; he needed her now. "We, we should start with your back." she said with a wobbly smile, wiping away her tears. "I can put it on for you; do you want to lie down or stay sitting up?" She asked after taking a deep breath to compose herself. She could still feel the sting just behind her eyes, and the lump in her throat that told her she was on the verge of tears but she would do her best to hold back.
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Post by Mister Stewart on Jun 23, 2011 20:57:53 GMT -8
Michael didn't look at her - he couldn't. He seemed...ashamed, eyes remaining downcast as she looked him over. Reaching over, he shifted his jacket and tie out of the way, moving to lie on his stomach with his head cradled on his forearms. This was the silent answer - he shook a little where he lay, shoulders taut with anxiety.
He was scared. Vulnerable.
Also afraid to speak, lest his tone give his nervousness away.
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Post by Ashlin Thomas on Jun 23, 2011 21:56:47 GMT -8
Ashlin perched herself on the edge of the bed, hesitating slightly. There was a heaviness in the air that Ashlin had to force herself to break. "This might be a little cold." she said softly, barely daring to break the silence. She slowly rubbed the cream into his back, trying to be a gentle as possible as she moved her hand in small circles. She bit her lip, trying to stop herself from sniffling. The burns on his back were even more painful looking than the ones on his chest, and Ashlin could hardly believe he was able to stand them. Michael always looked so calm and composed, and yet he had to be in constant pain. . .
"You're really strong," she said softly. "to be able to just go through everything and never complain." How old were these scars she wondered, how long had he been suffering silently and putting on a brave face? She bit her lip hard, she wouldn't cry, she wouldn't.
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Post by Mister Stewart on Jun 23, 2011 22:23:09 GMT -8
As soon as he felt hands on his back, he cringed, his muscles (which were...actually very firm and lithe - he was strong) tensing under the touch. At first, it stung - the broken skin was unused to being touched like this, and his hands fisted in his bedsheets...but steadily, he calmed, riding out the discomfort as the salve began to soothe the irritation. He let out a shaky breath, finally speaking.
"...It's...been like this for...a long time now," he murmured, quietly, as if testing the waters. His voice was slightly hoarse. "...Since I was...very young." He still wasn't rhyming, but at least his tone was calming down, less frantic. Michael shut his eyes, jaw set as he tried to keep his breathing at a slow, easy rhythm.
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Post by Ashlin Thomas on Jun 23, 2011 22:49:52 GMT -8
She tried her best not to hurt him, but in the end it was unavoidable. Ashlin could only hope it was worth it in the end, and that the lotion ultimately helped. Adjusting how she was sitting a bit to get a better angle (though it was still a bit awkward) Ashlin continued her ministrations. Hearing Michael speak eased the knot in her throat a bit; he'd been so out of it not too long ago, it was good to hear him speaking a little more normally again.
Even if he wasn't rhyming.
"That must have been really hard. . ." she said sadly. She knew how mean people could be to people who were a little odd, a little different. It must have been terrible for him. Ashlin felt her cheeks heating up the slightest bit as it finally started to dawn on her that she was sitting here alone with the man she had a crush on, and he was shirtless. It was much easier to forget that when he wasn't acting like himself.
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Post by Mister Stewart on Jun 23, 2011 23:04:21 GMT -8
"...It...it certainly made things a bit...more difficult. The other children - and when I had appointme-"
He stopped short, unsure if he should...really be talking about this. Surprised, in fact, that he had already said so much. No, he fell quiet again, eyes opening up to stare in a haunted fashion at the headboard of his bed. What was he DOING? He trusted her, yes, but this was....
...Sort of strangely nice, actually.
At least, until she was working at a certain point near the back of his neck, and a bit of a twitch went through his body, a startled little yelp escaping him.
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Post by Ashlin Thomas on Jun 23, 2011 23:20:34 GMT -8
Nodding sadly Ashlin didn't have trouble believing that. She was about to tell him of her own problems with bullies when she felt him twitch. Ashlin pulled her hand away in surprise when Michael yelped. "Are you okay?" she asked sounding startled. For all Michael had squirmed when they'd started this he hadn't made a sound like that.
Cautiously she ran her hand over the same spot. "Does this hurt?" she asked. If it was that sensitive that spot would probably need a good amount of the solve, but she didn't want to hurt him.
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Post by Mister Stewart on Jun 23, 2011 23:24:48 GMT -8
"A-ah - I'm...I'm fine," he stammered, his voice a little...off. When she tested that same spot again, he gave another jolt, his body...starting to feel a little warmer under her hands.
"N-no...I mean, it's...it doesn't...hurt...but...ah...."
Michael had no idea what was going on. Not even the foggiest. But it was certainly helping his worries to...seem a bit...foggy, themselves.
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Post by Ashlin Thomas on Jun 23, 2011 23:35:48 GMT -8
"Well if you're sure. . ." she said uncertainly, still confused by his reaction but willing to give him the benefit of the doubt when he said it didn't hurt. Maybe he was just ticklish?
Either way Ashlin decided to avoid that spot for now, though she knew she would have to return to it later. She leaned over him, rubbing more of the solve into his burns. Now that Michael was more himself it was becoming harder for her to ignore the fact that she was hanging out with her friend, who didn't have a shirt on, and who she had just realized she liked. Ashlin blushed, this hadn't been covered in Emily's explanation of just acting like usual around him.
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Post by Mister Stewart on Jun 23, 2011 23:52:02 GMT -8
Okay. She was...not touching that spot now. He needed to try and calm again, and - why was it getting so warm in here? Oh, never mind. It's...it's fine. He was fine. He was just a man in a room with a girl rubbing his back. Who he...sort of....
....
He wished he had a window to open in here or something.
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