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Jove visibly tensed up as Mathias stepped towards the closet, his nonexistent heart leaping into his throat. It was the action of any scareling the moment before their parents open the door to prove nothing frightening was lurking in there, that sense of overwhelming dread that whatever it was would spring out and devour them all. He was just steeling himself to jump forward and pull his friend back, but then Mathias appeared to have a change of heart.

The pup's shoulders slumped with relief, but the moment Matty met his eyes he glanced down bashfully. Head tilting in an indecisive sort of way, he stood and fidgeted with the hem of his nightshirt. He had gotten himself too worked up to simply admit he was still sleepy, and besides, how did one describe his need or lack of need for sleep? It was not strictly necessary, he had gone days on end without sleeping and suffered few ill effects. Yet it did give him a refreshed feeling. Maybe it was because he was still a pup, but he was less irritable after a good nap, and could think better. It let his mind rest.

Jove glanced up at Matty's back after a second, just a quick look, and then a glance over at the closet. But it was dark and still.

He closely trailed behind Mathias anyway, and butted his head against his friend's shoulder again, leaving it there a little longer than his usual playful headbutts.

Jove wanted to ask if it were lonely, being awake in those hours of the morning between midnight and dawn. He had spent many nights awake, whether because of his studies, or his nightmares, or even those times he wanted to prove to his brother that he could stay up all night. But it was that not-quite-morning period that was the hardest for him to bear. Often he found himself antsy and waiting for the pumpkin sun to rise.

The pup wasn't able to spend much time on those thoughts, because the next thing he knew, Mathias was undressing. His pale cheeks began to glow a rosy pink, and he quickly turned around with his tail tucked between his legs. The topic of changing clothes was not one Jove could handle easily, not like his brother who didn't seem to care what state of dress he paraded around in. To the little foxfire, going without clothes seemed even more naked than being in one's natural form. It was like stripping down the fur and fluff, taking off clothing, and even if he wasn't the one changing he certainly felt enough embarrassment for the two of them.

In one regard his awkwardness proved useful, he was no longer shooting worried glances towards the unused closet, nor was he butting his head against Matty's shoulder or making forlorn noises. He was just standing there facing the opposite direction, glowing a little pinker than usual, perhaps even covering his eyes with his hands.

He was... still wearing clothes? Jove was still feeling a little embarrassed, and he was not keen on letting others see exactly how embarrassed he could get. Especially in the dark room, his blush was literally glowing, and although he could avoid unnecessary attention during the day it was impossible to avoid it at night.

Jove's ears turned slightly as he listened, but when he finally glanced back timidly, Matty's headbutt made him stumble forward. But that was okay. His friend was indeed still dressed, and although it lacked the 'fluff' effect of his own nightshirt, there was nothing wrong with it.

Except at that moment, the pup noticed the scars. His eyebrows furrowed, and a worried, sad expression crossed his freckled face. Jove had only really seen one set of scars like that, and although the wolpertinger's scars were not the same long, directional scars he was familiar with, the little ghost couldn't help but worry about them regardless. In his experience scars brought feelings of anger, and sadness, and frustration and darkness.

With a slight whimper, Jove seemed to retreat back into that sad, nervous state he had arrived in. Did Mathias suffer like his brother did to get those marks?

Fluffy ears turned forward briefly as Mathias smiled. The sad expression slowly became one of doubt, and when the pup glanced up to meet his friend's eyes it was like he was searching for any trace of untruth. Thinking of those marks like 'earned' things was new to the pup. But the wolpertinger seemed to regard them with a genuine pride, not with regret or sadness. Jove's ears turned forward again when Mathias showed the heavy scarring on the back of his neck. So there could be a 'best' scar? Ren would have never described them in such terms...

Jove's expression turned pensive as he listened and processed the new information, reconciling this view with his long-held negative ones. His head tilted. Then he reached out, and gently touched one of his friend's shoulder scars with his cold fingertips. They were so many of them...

When Matty spread his wings, Jove pulled his hand back quickly, but he certainly stared like he wanted to touch those wings too.

Still, the things his friend was going through were so similar to his own struggles. Being small and weak was something he had fought against in himself, and he often felt like he had something to prove. So he had worked extra hard to learn how to be strong. Sometimes it still wasn't enough, but that pride, and the desire to be of value kept him going.

Jove looked at the scars again. It felt like he had been given a rare thing, having Mathias open up and tell him of these things. His tail, still held down against the back of his legs, gave a slight, shy wag. In a way Jove felt like he had to share something of himself in return, and be entirely honest with his friend. Even having revealed his biggest, most unflattering weakness just by appearing in front of Mathias in such a state, there were still secrets he kept close.

One such secret was his own marks, which lacked both the dark atmosphere of Ren's scars, and the pride of Matty's scars. Most friends of his couldn't understand them, and often reacted with shock or such violent concern that Jove felt more comfortable hiding them altogether. But maybe he could show Mathias, right? While they were sharing, maybe it wouldn't be so bad?

The tired little ghost struggled with the indecision, his inward battle visible in the way he glanced to one side, and suddenly wore an expression of confusion and deep thought. And then, as though it had become a standard for their interactions, he bumped his head against Matty's shoulder.

The goosebumps went unnoticed by the little pup. Even had he seen them, it was too easy for him to pass it all off as a reaction to his cold touch. Jove wasn't always cold, but when a chilly night struck, it would take more than indoor air temperature to warm his ghostly body. A hot bath would have been the best, heating him all the way through until the water began to cool.

Matty's laughter had a way of relaxing him, the little pup realized, lingering close just a little longer than necessary for a mere communicative headbutt. It didn't occur to him that he might be communicating something unintentional. He just wanted to be close.

After a long second of silence, Jove took a step back. He fidgeted with the hem of his nightshirt. His cheeks glowed, a telltale warning about the nature of his secret. He wasn't worried about who Mathias might tell, it was a question of how his friend would react. But it was better to show off the marks of his own accord, rather than simply wait and let the wolpertinger be surprised later. There were many reasons to hide, and many assumptions that could be made, and he definitely didn't want Mathias to jump to the wrong conclusion!

So he turned around, took a deep breath, and pulled off his nightshirt. Although he wore mushroom-print shorts underneath, his back was bare, and the large bruises were clearly visible on the left side of his body. They stretched from hip to freckled, glowing shoulder, darker where the lines of his ribs and hip could be stood out on his skin.

Clutching the white nightshirt to his chest, Jove was afraid to look over his shoulder and see his friend's reaction.

The ear scratches were unexpected, as was the ease of his friend's actions, but it was certainly not unpleasant. Quite the opposite, Jove wanted to linger there just a bit longer. Maybe it was due to having such long ears himself, that Mathias could find just the right spot for a little scratch, even through all the ghostly fluff.

But he was surprised again at his friend's reaction to his well-hidden secret. He finally glanced over his shoulder, and caught the amazed look on his friend's face. The pup's ears fell hesitantly, his expression seeking confirmation. So it was okay? It was... beautiful even? He had never heard anything like that before.

Then again, he was starting to understand his friend better and better, and truly appreciate his attitude towards scars and marks. Just because they existed doesn't mean they had to hurt. And just because he had been hurt in the past, it didn't mean he was hurting now.

Jove nodded at first, and then shook his head, answering his friend's questions in order. It had been there as long as he could remember, there were no big, exciting fights to recall. He had still been barely a wisp of a puppy back then. The only fight big enough to leave such a dark, lasting mark on his skin... had probably been his death. Clearly it was a fight he had lost, but he felt no regret.

Although the marks were not painful, Jove made a little squeaking sound and flinched away, his blush growing even stronger as he covered his mouth in embarrassment. Matty had just touched a ticklish spot, and completely caught him off guard.

Jove steeled himself as he saw Mathias reach out again, but the firm pressure was nothing like the light touch that set him off. He could handle that much. The skin itself acted like a freshly purpled dark bruise when prodded, but the pup was in no pain whatsoever. Provided he didn't get any fresh injuries it would stay that way.

Although his blush would not subside, especially with the wolpertinger complimenting him like that, there was the tiniest little tail wag. Most amazing sounded pretty nice.

But sparring! Now that was something that would bring Jove out of the meek little shell his bruises had put him in. The tail wag became more vigorous, and even without the nod his perked ears and focused expression would have been a dead giveaway. It had been far too long since they had fought!

For a second it almost looked like Jove was ready to march right out to the gym in his night shirt, but then a huge yawn slipped out.