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Beautiful
(Feathershipping)
Curiosity had always been one of his major weak points...well, it wasn't so much a weak point as it was a...hindrance, and even then that was only some of the time. Like now, for instance. He hadn't meant to look, he really hadn't...it had just happened. Over the past couple of weeks London had made it a habit to take the time when Taye, his blond haired housemate, companion, and (in his opinion) lifesaver was in the shower to try to help around the apartment; not that there was ever much to do as Taye kept a very tidy house which London honestly wasn't sure was a good thing since the doctor was a habitual nervous cleaner but he digressed. To his credit he had been attempting to organize the linen closet in the entry hall before the feeling of warm steam and the strawberry honey smell it carried with it pulled him unconsciously towards the hall bathroom.
He'd followed the alluring trail of heat to the room, fully expecting the door to be closed as it usually was. The residents of the household had a certain set of unspoken rules, most of which were designed to respect one another's privacy, with a special set in place for their 'head of household' whose needs were, so they thought, more sensitive than theirs so it came as a surprise to London to find that the door was cracked, ever so slightly, to allow the water vapor and heat to escape from the room. Quite likely his modest housemate had failed to properly shut the door. It had a tendency to slide open if it wasn't shut properly, which had lead to earlier instances of embarrassment for guests to the apartment. Taye had actually commented on the possibility of writing a caveat in regards to the problem earlier that week, but as it was currently just London and himself in the household he hadn't bothered. Still, the door was open, just far enough that, quite without intending to, he'd caught sight of the blond's back as Taye stood at the counter, towel around his waist, brushing his teeth.
London knew that the responsible, polite thing to do would have been to leave, or at least to turn his gaze away but he couldn't, not once his eyes had fallen to Taye's backside. The scars...he'd known they were there. He'd seen them twice over the course of their acquaintance. He'd just never known how far down they went, how extensive they were. They sat jagged and discolored against fair, milky skin, a blatant reminder to Taye, and to anyone who saw them, that some things wouldn't go away with time. He'd known that the scars on the doctor's back were rough and many but now, as he caught sight of them in the bright, clean light of the bathroom, with the white from the towel offsetting Taye's skin, he saw them in a new sense.
Three scars in particular stood out exceptionally well to London. The largest of the trio of marks started near the middle of Taye's left shoulder blade and wound its way down, past the line of the towel, stopping nearly at mid-thigh, and another, this one lighter than the skin around it, branched from the tip of the angel's right shoulder past his hips, snaking a path across smaller, equally horrifying marks to rest just below the top of the terry cloth towel. The third was deep, deeper looking than the ones surrounding it, which, in London's mind, indicated that it must have been an especially painful one when it was made, a fact which made the man wince in sympathy. He'd never noticed them before, not all together; they were older than others, which was why he'd missed them, but those three stood out to him now. He wondered, absently, how Taye had gotten them, though a part of his mind screamed that he didn't really want to know.
To be sure, the scars embarrassed the angel to the extent that he was never willing to talk about them more than he had to. He was, London knew, ashamed of what they symbolized, of the events in which they were created. Years trapped in an bad relationship had left Taye with scars that were both physical and emotional, both of which were healing very, very slowly. Taye took great steps to make sure that his scars were seldom seen. The doctor's clothing consisted entirely of long sleeved shirts and pants which hid the marks from sight, and even around the apartment Taye was careful to avoid exposing the scars, donning layers and over-large clothing even when the apartment was ridiculously hot. London suspected that the clothing was a way for the blond to avoid pitying looks, inquiries, and whispered sympathies. London wished, in that moment, staring at Taye through a rapidly thinning layer of steam, that Taye didn't hide the marks as he did. London thought they were beautiful.
The running of water and the sound of Taye spitting out his mouthwash (Listerine antiseptic mouthwash in wintergreen scent, London had memorized the brand,) drew him back to the present moment with a jolt. A warm rush of embarrassment and arousal stained London’s face red as his eyes traveled the length of Taye's spine, over the pattern of marks, past the towel, down long, slim legs and back before settling on nape of the blond's neck. London leaned forward, wondering if he could possibly catch a glimpse of his housemate's face; as he did so, his shoulder brushed by the edge of the doorframe and pushed the door open with a soft squeak. The man at the sink jolted in shock, shutting the water off quickly as he straightened, turning to face London with a wide-eyed, pink-cheeked expression. "A-ah...London..." Taye began, the flush in his cheeks deepening as he settled, fidgeting awkwardly and lowering a hand to the hem of his towel, as if in fear of it falling. "I'm sorry...the door..."
"I didn't mean to uh...intrude, but...the door was just, kind of open. I didn't see anything, really, I promise!" London apologized, backing up a step as the door slid open further, the handle in Taye's hand. The taller male inhaled sharply, holding back a flinch as he waited for Taye to react, to burst out yelling or, perhaps, crying. London’s momentarily panicked expression was met a calm, blue gaze. "I really didn't mean to. Are you m-" he paused, tilting his head, his brows creasing as he stared at his companion in confusion. Taye had spoken, he thought, though it had been soft enough that London may have been mistaken. "Come again?"
"...I'm sorry," Taye mumbled, raising a hand to brush damp bangs away from his eyes. The blond's gaze was trained on the counter, a self-conscious smile crossing his features. "It's alright. I should have...checked the door first..." the angel said, his tone light and airy and, if London wasn't imagining it, slightly hollow. The dark haired male frowned, wondering whether or not he should say something, pull the blond into a hug, or simply accept the man's acknowledgment and walk away. A simple heuristic analysis of the situation brought him to a quick decision as he noticed Taye turning back to the counter, where his night time clothes (a sweater and jeans, as usual) sat, waiting to be put on.
"No! No! It's my fault. I should've closed the door or turned away or something," London blustered, shaking his head. His eyes fell to the three scars again, his blush deepening in shame. Taye probably felt incredibly awkward now, and it was entirely his fault. He hadn't meant to upset the blond in the slightest and he felt guilty for doing so. Taye was upset, or at least, he reasonably should have been upset after having his privacy invaded. "I'm sorry..." London concluded, grimacing as Taye paused, staring over his shoulder at him.
"London...I..." the medic started, biting his lip. Taye shook his head, his brows creasing slightly into a frown. "...no....it's okay...nevermind..." he whispered, turning his attention back to his clothing.
"W-wait...what is it? Are you okay?" London asked, politely averting his eyes. London stuffed his hands into the pocket of his jeans, fidgeting awkwardly as he waited for Taye's response. His mouth went dry at the soft thumping of a towel hitting a hard surface. He licked his lips to wet them, clearing his throat.
"Mmmm," Taye replied, nodding. "I was...worried though...are you...well that is, you were looking at them, right? The scars?" Taye asked, pulling on his briefs and jeans. The towel lay discarded in the dirty clothes hamper. The doctor's voice was soft and tremulous, belying his nervousness as he anticipated London's answer. "I'm sorry if they...bothered you..." he continued quickly in an attempt to lessen the silence that had fallen between the two of them.
London made a non-committal noise, hazarding a glance back to Taye as he pondered how best to respond to Taye's statement. "They don't really bother me. It bothers me how you got them, but they don't really bother me, you know..." he murmured, grinning doggishly at Taye in the hopes of setting the antsy blond at ease. "What I mean is, I don't find them...disturbing or anything..."
"They're unpleasant to look at, I know," Taye whispered, his expression falling. He turned to face London fully, raising an arm across his chest to rub his shoulder, his cheek falling to rest against his hand as he did so. "It’s rather embarrassing…” the blond added, his tone softer and more despondent than normal.
London shook his head, his grin faltering as he did so. "No...no....I...well..." he paused, taking a moment to compose himself before pressing on, "I think they're beautiful." They were part of Taye after all, and the angel was beautiful in his eyes, very pretty and fragile and precious so the scars, by association, were as well.
Taye seemed stunned by the confession, his eyes alight with inquiry as he tried comprehend what London had said. "But… They’re a deformity...something I should be ashamed of. No one...no one wants to see things like this..." he argued, his voice cracking as he did so. He didn't understand what London was thinking, couldn't comprehend what the darker haired male possibly could have meant by calling the scars beautiful.
London shook his head again, reaching out and taking Taye's free hand, his actions motivated by one thought only; the need to comfort Taye like he'd resolved to do after they first met. Nervously, slowly, he guided the angel down the hallway, into the living room. Taye's skin was cool and damp, and smelled like soap and London liked the way the blond's hand felt in his. "They're beautiful," he repeated, smiling at Taye over his shoulder.
Taye stared at London in confusion, his expression betraying his thoughts as the other man guided him carefully over to the couch. The blond shivered slightly as he sat, never breaking his gaze from London's. He waited patiently for London to expound on his statement. Convinced an explanation was not forthcoming, Taye opened his mouth to speak. He found himself silenced by a whispered 'hush' and a callused finger set across his lips. He blinked up at London in bewilderment, his expression taking on a nervous cast as he silently thought about what the human might be planning.
"They're beautiful," London said again, blushing heavily as he did so. Gently, he disentangled his fingers from Taye's, raising his now-freed hand to card it through soft, wet, golden strands. "They're beautiful," he murmured, falling to a knee in front of the couch and leaning forward to press his lips quickly to the blond's. This was, perhaps, the sixth time they'd kissed. Taye didn't react, didn't press his lips back against London's in return, but rather stared at him in surprise. "They're beautiful, you're beautiful," London reiterated, moving his hands to massage thin shoulders before gently guiding Taye downward so the doctor’s chest was pressed against the soft cushions of the couch. Rough, warm fingers worked at knots in Taye's neck and shoulders as London continued. "They're not ugly at all..."
"But...they..." Taye stopped, biting his lip as he thought of a way to convey his thoughts. "...they're shameful. They're something that no one should see...because when they do...they're disgusted...I've seen the way people look at them...I can barely....barely stand to look at them myself...it...how can you stand to?" he asked, pinning his arms between his chest and the couch. He felt oddly at ease with London's large, gentle hands on his back, exposed to the other man save for his bottoms, though he supposed that it was because London had conveyed to him time and time again that he would never do anything to overstep his boundaries and that all Taye had to do, in the event that he ever began to do so, was to tell him to stop, to go away, and he would.
"Because," London murmured, resting his hands on Taye's shoulder blades. The man leaned up on his knees, bending over to brush his lips across the largest scar. Taye shivered beneath him, a soft gasp escaping his lips at the touch. "...because they're part of you, and you're beautiful," London said, moving his hands down Taye's back. He trailed his fingers along the length of the blond's spine, smiling softly as the man beneath him shivered once more. "Because I think you're beautiful," he whispered, following the path his fingers had taken with his lips.
Taye trembled as slightly cool, chapped lips etched a blazingly hot line down his back. Hyper sensitized skin tingled in the wake of the kisses, every part of his body touched by London's mouth coming alive as bundles of nerves, spurred on by hormones working in overdrive, reacted in rapid fire succession. The blond moaned, tucking his chin to his chest as best as he could, shuddering and arching his back in uncharacteristic delight as the kisses continued down his spine. London's hands were big and warm and fit perfectly against his body...it felt...nice... "London..." he whispered, his voice quivering.
"Hmmm?" London asked, recoiling in worry. He made to remove his hands, his eyes widening in surprise as Taye let out a disappointed groan in response to the move. "...something....something wrong?" he asked softly, almost reluctantly setting his hands back on Taye's hips, his fingers barely resting beneath the hem of Taye's jeans, gently gripping slim, slender hips. Taye shook his head, humming his dissent, and urged the other male to press on.
London complied, though his eyes never left the blond's shoulders, watching carefully for signs of unease or tension in the prone angel. He kissed the second scar, then the third, and proceeded to do the same to the ones around them, taking his time to pay them all the attention they deserved. He was in the middle of attending to a small one, a burn mark from who-knew-when-and-what, when movement from his partner caught his attention.
"...thank you..." Taye murmured, moving his arms up to rest his chin on his folded hands as the lips returned to his back, gracing another mark with their blessing, "...for making me feel happy...."
London's anxiety melted away at the sound of the purr in Taye's voice. His lips pulled into a soft smile, one that Taye could feel against his skin as he replied. "...anytime..."
 Dr Taye DeLorian · Tue Oct 22, 2013 @ 11:23am · 0 Comments |
