Simon

Jan 04, 2007 17:02

WARNING
Mature Content.
Cutting, some language, mentions of drug use, mentions of abuse, etc. Involves homosexuality.


His hands were cold, trembling, pressing lightly against the edge of the bathtub. It was easiest in here, over the white porcelain rim. It was easiest, because when he was done he could simply turn the shower on and wash the dark crimson away. The sink? Out of the question. Too small and the requirement of him standing was too much to ask. The toilet? No. Unsatisfactory. He wanted to be able to see the thick drops hit the pristine white at the bottom of the tub. He wanted it to remain there, unblemished and dark until he was content with his work. He did not want water ruining that pretty crimson.

Slowly he reached for the razor, turning it to inspect the fresh blade as if doubting it would be good enough despite the fact that it was newly removed from its plastic packaging. His thoughts wandered back to that afternoon, spent in submission to the violence of his 'boyfriend'. Is that what he was? 'Friend' did not quite fit their...relationship. Like all of the ones before, this one was dominant, demanding...And just like the others, he hated Kain. They all did and they all told him the same things. 'Be glad I even look at you, as much as it disgusts me'. 'Don't talk to me in public.' 'Don't touch me. I'll do what I want with you, but don't touch me.' 'You aren't good enough for anyone.' 'Don't fucking look at me, whore.' 'You make me ill.' 'Dirty.' 'Ugly.' 'At least bathe, slut.'

He shuddered, dropping the razor and wrapping his arms around his stomach, head resting on the cool rim of the tub. He was used, every day of his life, tossed around like he meant nothing and treated more like a terrified dog with a bad owner than anything else. Was it right, everything they said? Probably...His parents seemed to have thought so, too. Why else would they hand a newborn child over to a struggling orphanage and disappear off the face of the earth? He wasn't good enough. Not for his parents, not for his adopted family, not for these so-called 'boyfriends' that he allowed himself to be taken and beaten by. He didn't quite have the will to care anymore. His adopted family, his 'parents' and his 'siblings' tried to help him, tried to make him feel like part of them but it never worked. His parents did not want him, did not love him, so why should anyone else?

Fighting back another shudder, he lifted a still-trembling hand to retrieve the razor, draping himself over the edge of the tub as he traced his finger along the scars from previous nights like this. It had been this way for so long. He and the others, the only people who he felt honestly cared for him, were all like this. Abandoned by parents? Himself, Tal. Raped and molested as a child? Devin, Alex, Kalin. Beaten and abused by their families? Brian, Riley. Half of them had tried or still used drugs, though the lack of money and something else was lessening this occurrence. All of them, on occasion, drank. All of them cut. All of them had remained outcasts through their entire lives, except among each other. But none of them ever talked about it.

They knew, somehow, what the others did. They knew that they had these things in common, even if none of it was ever, ever mentioned. They would sit around, usually at his or Brian's house, the lights off in the bedroom, someone at the computer, the TV on. Silence, with the exception of the occasional murmurs of comments or the clacking of the keyboard. And someone would stand, leave the room, lock the bathroom door behind them and not return for a long time.

And they all knew what was going on.

And no one said a word when their friend came back.

Perhaps another would stand, doing the same as the boy before.

And still, no one said a thing.

The tracing of his old scars stopped, hand shifting and adjusting to hold the blade in an all too familiar manner. Closing his eyes, he carelessly pressed the blade to his skin and dragged it across the warm flesh. The sting caused his hand to twitch but nothing more. He tried again, a little further down, slicing again at his exposed arm. Again, merely a sting. Frustrated, he opened his eyes, watching the blood bead for a moment before dripping to the floor of the tub below.

What was wrong with him? Why couldn't he draw the reaction out of this that he so desperately wanted? It hurt. Yes, it hurt. But didn't he usually find comfort in this? In something he could do on his own? Having dominance over himself, the ability to do the punishing on his own? But it just wasn't working this time. Why?

More cuts were made, the blade viciously applied as the tub continued to be painted in the thick red droplets. Yet it still was not the same. He couldn't find his anger. He couldn't find his pain. He couldn't find his desire for control. Instead, a flash of words darted across closed eyes, imprinting themselves in the darkness of his mind. They seemd to glow there. Shimmering as he struggled to discern just what they said. It was familiar. Something he saw every night, something that threatened to make him happy every time it came up.

I love you guys.
Goodnight, sweet dreams.
Sleep tight, Kain.

The razor slipped, slicing a little deeper than usual but not enough to have much of an ill effect. Why wasn't he stopping? Again, another cut, longer this time and criss-crossing the other. He couldn't stop himself. He wanted to, he needed to, but he couldn't. It was like being on auto-pilot, his mind elsewhere while his body worked diligently at his ruined arms. He watched, like one of those people separated from their bodies in movies, where they are supposed to be dead but they hover above their own cold body, watching it as if it will suddenly decide to move. But this is different. He isn't dead. Not yet. He would be soon, though, if this didn't stop. Shit.
Damn.
Fuck.
Would you stop?
What the hell is wrong with you?

...But the blood is too pretty, too familiar, too normal to him.

He just can't stop himself.
So he keeps going, ruthlessly, mercilessly.
He was going to die.
Die.
And he deserved it, too.
Right?

Kain started, hands clenching in something soft as his eyes snapped open. His breathing came harsh and heavy, stirring the soft blonde locks of the head in front of him. Swallowing and trying to calm himself he looked down to find his hands, curious about what he had grabbed hold of when he had jolted awake. Embry's yellow nightshirt, it seemed, had taken the abuse from his tightly fisted hands. Breathing in deeply, he released his hold and began to gently smooth the wrinkled fabric against the other's back.

The body that lie against his stirred, a cold face finding Kain's neck and burying itself there as the younger male began to wake up. "Mmm..." It wasn't even a word or anything that was directed at anyone but that alone, just the sound of his voice, made Kain's chest tighten. That...That was the voice of the one person who had dragged them all out of their world of darkness. Even Brian, who was the 'leader' among their group, the one who hated everyone else in the world with a passion. Even Brian's personality and outlook on his own life had been drastically altered by this one person. This boy that Kain could call his without shame or doubt or fear.

Half-closing his eyes, Kain moved a hand up to tug the long, silky locks out of their hair band, only pausing to set the band aside before he buried his fingers in the mass of soft hair. Affectionately, he ran his fingers through Embry's hair, cheek resting against the top of the other boy's head as he did so. Absently, he remembered that they were supposed to start cleaning the house today by Ms. Moore's request. Later in the week she was expecting clients and none of them had time to clean during the weekdays. Embry, Kain and the others had offered to help her out. It was a large house, after all, and would take some time to clean properly.

"That feels good..." Embry murmured, breaking Kain out of his thoughts. The older boy paused, pulling back a little to try to get a look at the face buried in his neck in order to figure out whether Embry was awake or not. "...Why'd you stop?"

"Sorry," He replied, resuming the gentle combing of his fingers through the blonde locks. A contented sigh escaped Embry and he shifted closer, snaking his arms around Kain's waist and beneath his shirt to stroke the warm back that was found there.

"You had a nightmare..." The words were murmured against his neck, the feel of warm lips on his flesh pleasing. It sent shivers down his spine, an action that was not missed by the stroking hands. "...I wanted to wake you...You looked so sad..." Kain shrugged at this, closing his eyes fully as Embry spoke. They both knew that Kain hated being woken up in the middle of a dream--or a nightmare-- because it left him disoriented and on edge. "...Do you want to talk about it?"

Kain considered this, not immediately going with the negative answer that he would have given so long ago if asked that question. He never replied to Embry's serious questions without thinking first as he felt he owed Embry more than a thoughtless, careless response. Did he want to talk about it? No, he did not. Would he? Yes. "...The last time I cut..." He said quietly, feeling Embry's hold on him tighten protectively though his soothing hands never faltered in their movements. "...I didn't want to do it...but I couldn't stop myself..."

Embry swallowed, kissing Kain's neck comfortingly, hating the reminder that his love had been through so much. Kain sighed quietly, shifting his hand out of the soft hair to brush his fingers across the younger boy's cheek. "...I remembered what they used to call me...it's part of what pushed me to cut that night, I guess...And...I thought about you...About what you would say every night before going offline...I wanted to stop after that, but I felt like my mind was elsewhere and my body was acting on its own..." This was a story he had never heard. He knew that Kain had stopped cutting quite some time ago, several months before they had met in person by accident at Embry's own school after an exchange-student sort of event. He had been told before that he was the reason for so many of the changes in Kain and their friends, but he had never been told when or how it had stopped.

"...I thought I would die. It felt like I would...I don't really remember how I stopped...but I did...And I never did it again after that..." Kain murmured, relaxing as Embry again kissed his neck. This was so much different than his relationships with the 'boyfriends' he had had years before. He was not submissive with Embry. He had never been hurt with Embry. He had never had reason to be afraid of betrayal. And above all? He loved Embry. He loved Embry.

Kain shifted, rolling them both over so that Embry was on his back beneath him before he propped himself up on his elbows and rested his forehead against the younger male's. "...Hey..."

Embry tilted his head a bit, moving his arms to wrap them around Kain's neck, threading his slender fingers in the other's short black locks. This was different, too. Embry, like no other, did not seem to care at all that the dark hair that he was currently toying with was not necessarily as clean as it should be. It wasn't important to him. It didn't bother or disgust him.

"Hmm...? What is it, sweet?" Embry said softly, offering a warm smile to encourage the other to continue with whatever he was about to say.

A deep breath was taken, inhaled sharply as if he had been caught off guard by something regarding his angel. "...Why are you so beautiful?" He asked, speaking more openly than was normal for him, even around Embry. The younger boy blushed, squirming a bit in embarrassment at the question. No one else's opinion of his appearance could make him blush like this.

"I...I don't think I'm particularly special," he murmured, the blush darkening as Kain brushed his bangs from his eyes and kissed the spot where his fingers lightly touched his brow. "...Where did that come from, anyway...?"

Kain shook his head, lowering himself that he was laying down, his face pressed into the warm junction of Embry's neck and shoulder. "Nowhere...That wasn't what I meant to say..." He admitted, inhaling deeply and savoring Embry's vanilla-laced scent. It was comforting for him, as he had been told his scent was comforting to Embry, though he was not quite sure why.

Embry gave a light laugh, nuzzling Kain's cheek lovingly. "What was it that you meant to say, then?" He asked, his warm smile again in place.

"That I love you," Kain said quietly, the words only just audible due to his speaking against the other's hot skin where his nightshirt had slipped from his shoulder.

Embry shivered slightly, tightening his embrace as he sighed happily. His breath brushed Kain's ear, bringing the other to shiver as well while Embry kissed his cheek. "I love you, too, Kain." A light knock caught their attention and Embry turned his head a bit, yawning before he managed to respond to the knock. "It's unlocked," he called, waiting to see who it was. He knew most of the others would still be asleep so he guessed it was either Brian or his mother. As the door opened to reveal his mother, he gave her a bright smile. "'Morning, mom."

She smiled in return, leaning against the door frame as Embry resumed threading his fingers through Kain's dark hair. "Good morning, you two. I'm about to head out but I just thought I should tell you that the vet is coming by at around one to check up on Feather and the foal. I'd also appreciate it if you guys could start cleaning by noon or so," she said, waving at Brian over her shoulder as he dragged himself down the hall to the bathroom-- He wasn't a morning person, perhaps even less so than Kain was. "I know you were all up late last night, but we only have a few days to clean up so it's best to start as soon as we can."

Embry nodded, giggling as a string of curses was heard from the bathroom having been preceded by a worrisome thud. "I think he tripped over a cat," he commented, smiling as he felt a near-silent chuckle from Kain against his neck. He doubted his mother had caught it. "We'll get up soon, mom. Good luck out there. Be safe, okay?"

Ms. Moore laughed, returning his nod and moving away from the doorframe. "I will. Thank you for helping out with the cleaning. I really appreciate it."

When the door was closed again, Embry shifted a bit so that Kain's weight was only half on him, allowing him to achieve more of a cuddling position rather than just holding the other boy. "Hey, hey, guess what." His response was only a grunt but he really hadn't expected anything more from the content dark-haired boy. "In case you didn't catch it earlier...I love you."

He could feel the smile against his skin as one scarred arm moved away from his slender waist to stroke his hair. "Mm...I heard you the first time...but I won't complain if you say it again..." Kain whispered, cracking a brown eye open to look at Embry's own sparking green eyes. He didn't have to voice his laughter. Kain could hear it regardless.

"I love you."

You don't know why they had to go this far,
traded your worth for these scars
for your only company.
And don't believe the lies that they have told to you,
not one word was true.
You're alright
You're alright
You're alright

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