A Touch of Blue - 16. How Shameful

Roy

For a good moment, I think that Zafiro is actually dead on my doorstep. Thankfully, I notice his fingers twitch.

His suit is absolutely destroyed right now.

It looks like the top has been ripped to shreds. Strips of the fabric hang over his waist. It really shows a lot of skin that I have never seen before.

The only things remaining are the legs and one of his boots. Not even the gloves are here.

There are so many markings of old scars. Some even look old bullet wounds.

Where his wrists and arms were once covered, they now reveal pale lines from cuts. These look old but the idea of who and how they were made is not entirely great to think about.

Now onto the new scary damage.

Brand new cuts are littered all over his body. The suit covering his legs also have been cut up in some areas. The skin cannot entirely be seen since there is dried up blood caking the skin.

One of his eyes are swollen thanks to three cuts that run from his eyebrow down to his cheekbone.

Gently, I ease the eye open and see that the eye does not appear to be damaged.

The only sign that he was looked after is the bandage that has been wrapped around his waist. I can tell it used to be white but it has turned red from Zafiro’s blood.

When I look at it closer, I see that blood is dripping down his side.

I need to get him inside.

Should I call the hospital? U.U.P.P?

I have a feeling they would not help at all. Hospitals will not help anyone in the city who does not have special I.D chips.

U.U.P.P. would fix him up but then they would arrest him right after. Do I really want to let that happen? Something tells me that, that would be a huge mistake.

Carefully, I slip my arms under his knees and his back, I freeze when I feel a warm wetness along his back.

Pulling my hand back, I see that it is completely covered in blood.

Taking a shaky breath, I lean Zafiro forward so that I may inspect his back.

My heart almost stops when I see the giant cuts that line his back.

What the hell happened? It looks like something forced itself out of his back!

I am not sure what kind of weapon did this but jesus...how is Zafiro still alive?

This time I have to awkwardly pick him up in a way that does not touch the large open wounds. Blood begins to spill over my pants and shirt.

Since I am not entirely sure where to place him, I bring him to the kitchen.

I lay Zafiro over the dining table and push off clutter that was gathering there.

I make sure he is laying on his stomach. There is the bandage that is being bled through, but I will deal with that in a moment.

The cuts on his back are big and ugly. The skin is red, irritated, and it is gruesome to look at.

In a way to keep myself from throwing up at the sight, I run upstairs and into my bathroom.

After opening all the drawers and cabinets, I finally find a medkit. Not entirely sure what is in here but I hope it will be enough to fix Zafiro.

When I return, I see someone standing over Zafiro’s body.

Avery hears me walk from the stairs and she turns to me with wide eyes.

“What is going on?” She exclaims. “You said I was coming for someone in your garage!”

I push her to the side and place the medkit on the table to open it up.

There is a needle and thread that I will most likely need to close those cuts.

Some body wraps will probably be needed. Should I use alcohol? Yeah for the needle.

“Roy,” Avery says in a stern voice. “Step back, go sit in the living room, or just stay out of my way.”

I narrow my eyes at her. “Like hell I’m letting you do this.”

She glares at me and raises her voice. “He is bleeding out on this table! I am going to do this whether you like it or not!”

I stare down at her and then at Zafiro. He looks like he is sleeping right now. His skin has lost some of its color but he looks almost peaceful.

Does he even realize he is bleeding out?

Deep breathes. I must remain calm.

Avery is a friend who wants to help. Sure I prepared myself mentally to do this on my own, but now is not the time to get angry about random things sidetracking me.

“We will do this together,” I grit out.

Avery does not even nod. She moves to the sink to wash her hands. I do the same.

After putting on some gloves, she then turns to Zafiro and immediately pulls out some kind of spray can from the medkit.

She sprays back and forth over the two giant cuts.

Zafiro’s eyelids flutter at that and all he manages is a small whimper.

That causes something in me to feel like it is being squeezed.

“You’re hurting him!” I shout.

Avery shakes her head, keeping her eyes on Zafiro’s face.

“Only for a second,” She says. “It is a numbing spray.”

As she sprays another layer over the wounds, Zafiro’s face eventually relaxes.

“What happened?” She asks as she cleans around the cuts.

I give a small shrug.

“I have no idea,” I say. “My doorbell rang and when I went to answer, I found him leaning against my doorway like this.”

She frowns before preparing a needle and thread.

“I need you to hold the skin closed. Please don’t screw this up.” She gives me a look.

Biting my lip, I pinch one of the wounds closed. Apparently, I needed to be a bit more rough than that.

The entire time, Zafiro’s blood spills over my hands.

Avery grabs a bunch of towels and wipes off as much as she can until the blood slows down.

Seeing the blood starts getting to my head.

Avery will give me orders as she starts to push the needle into Zafiro’s skin. I have to look away to keep myself from getting sick.

I still feel Zafiro’s warm blood touching my hands and it starts to have another affect on me.

There is a heat boiling in my chest at the random thoughts of how he got these wounds. Not just the ones on his back. The ones all over his body. The small cuts, punctures, and bruises.

Who could do this? Why would anyone do this to him?

I get that there are his moments where he can be a bit irritating, but I know he is actually a somewhat good person.

What did Zafiro do to deserve something like this? It is messed up and they should receive the same treatment that he has gone through.

It just makes something burn inside me and I feel myself wanting to hurt whoever did this.

I watch Avery’s face as she works. Anything to keep myself from looking down.

Her brow is knit together in concentration. Her eyes however look a bit watery.

“Aves?” I call out gently.

“What?” She clears her throat and sniffs. She does not remove her eyes from the stitching.

“Are you alright?” I ask.

She nods. “Of course I am. Shut up and move to the next cut.”

I do as I am told.

When I pull the skin back together, I feel a strange lump underneath it.

Just before she pushes the needle in, I stop her.

“Wait,” I say. “Something doesn’t feel right.”

She pushes my hands away and places her hand over the cut.

Her eyes widen and she looks up at me.

“Pinche bastardo,” She hisses to herself.

“What?” I say, a bit worried with the way she said that.

She licks her lips and wipes sweat from her brow.

“Uh,” She says slowly. “I take it you would not be entirely fine with seeing me dig into his back, would you?”

At that I swear I can feel the blood leaving my head, leaving me lightheaded.

Avery nods and points to the living room. “I’ll let you know when I am done.”

Without question, I walk over to the couch.

“Perdóname," I hear her say behind me.

I grab my phone and some headphones to keep myself from hearing any noises I really don’t want to hear.

Instead of concentrating on the music, I just think about how only hours ago, Zafiro was here. He was perfectly fine and without a single scratch on his body.

Well, that is not entirely true, but still. He was not at all this messed up.

The anger I felt before is starting to return. Everything in me is screaming to go out and try to find Zafiro’s attackers.

Surely Avery would be willing to help me with that? She sees what is under her hands right now. This is someone we thought was somewhat invincible. Who the hell was able to catch him and why did they do this?

Ok, I said we, but Avery thinks more realistically.

I thought of Zafiro as some kind of mastermind who would never be caught. Looks like I was wrong.

Zafiro said two gangs were looking for him. Did one of them do this? Why? Over some stupid plans? What could he have possibly done with them?

That killer robot from before is in my garage at the moment. Zafiro said it was sent by someone named Arturo. A gang leader.

If the robot was sent here and he is looking for Zafiro, then obviously he knows Zafiro was here. Does that mean being here got him in trouble? Did he think that Zafiro was going to snitch?

Well he was not wrong, but still, this is messed up.

Zafiro seems so...nice. Sure he is a bit weird but I would never think it was to the point that anyone would want to kill him.

Wait a minute. If they meant to kill him, why did they drop him off here? Why did they bring him when he was on the brink of death? They could have easily killed him off and that would be the end of it.

My head is starting to hurt just from thinking about that.

Why would they drop him off here? Were they hoping I would arrest him?

Glancing back, I see Avery’s hand holding a scalpel and it is digging into Zafiro’s back.

My face pales and I turn back around.

A chill runs down my spine and I close my eyes.

No never mind. Bad idea. It is stuff in my head now.

Quick! Think of something else!

Space! That is always a good thing to distract me.

Stars. Aliens. Mekaias? No, he reminds me of Zafiro in some strange way. Um...Traveling? Starships. New friendships. Friends bring me back to Avery. Oh god, scalpel in her hands!

I drive my fists into my head and try to squish it like a grape.

Anything to get that image out of my head.

Think of something else? How about happy moments of Zafiro? Maybe the first time he stopped by. He was perfectly healthy and not as all bloody and bruised. His suit was not ruined either.

He was smiling that whole time. Not his teasing smile. Something else. A nice smile on nice lips. A beauty mark is over his top lip.

I shake my head. Too much thinking. Not a good idea.

Think of something else.

The sky? Clouds?

No, the blue color makes me think of Zafiro’s eyes. His pretty eyes. Unnatural eyes. Why are they like that? I never asked. The blue is way too shiny and bright.

His eyes were smiling as well that night. It was almost sweet. Or it was sweet? Are sweet.

He had eyeliner on that night. I saw he was wearing some right now as well. I tried not to notice, but I did when I saw the cuts on his face.

Oh my god. What is wrong with me? Stop it!

These are not thoughts I should be having. This is a criminal! A thief! He is wanted by U.U.P.P.

But is he really? They barely care for the crime in Sector 4 anymore. Doesn’t that mean that Zafiro is ‘in the clear’?

No. A crime is a crime. I have been raised to know that crimes are unforgivable. Criminals are shameful.

‘They deserve the Death Penalty’ Father once said idly as he scrolled through his phone. Texting one of his many mistresses.

Mother would only nod along and move on to sleep with her bodyguard behind my Father’s back.

‘If you do not, you will bring shame to the family’ I am pretty sure they both said that once upon a time.

Shame. That was a word used a lot. I am afraid of it.

My parents used the word as if it was the worst possible threat that could be used against me.

‘Do not look at boys that way, Roy. It will bring shame to our family.’

‘Look at this program! This bootcamp will restore the honor you lost for kissing that boy!’

‘Bootcamp not enough? Signing up for U.U.P.P. will do wonders to bring back your honor. I am sure of it.’

When my parents saw Mekaias and Norian together for the first time on one of the U.U.P.P. interviews, they said I should leave the organization immediately and come back home.

At first, I almost did as I was told, but when I saw them together, hand in hand, it made me want to stay. It made me want to stick to something that felt familiar.

I am twenty seven and I almost listened to my parents push me again.

Does that mean I have truly brought shame? Are these thoughts about Zafiro...shameful?

A tap on my shoulder makes me look up.

Avery looks at me with a look that is what I assume a good mother would give to her child. She reaches up and wipes her fingers under my eyes.

I was crying? Why the fuck was I crying?

Pulling my earbuds out, I wipe my face and look back at Zafiro.

He is still on the table and his back has been bandaged up.

“Are you alright?” Avery asks. “Did the blood get to much to you?”

I shake my head. “No. Just...random thoughts in my head.”

She nods slowly.

“You know you can tell me anything you need to,” She gives a smile.

She glances at Zafiro and then back to me with a sigh.

“Do you think you can bandage up the wound on his side? I really need to get going.”

I frown. “You’re leaving now? What if he wakes up? I might need you.”

She shakes her head. “I can’t. I got a message from the Director saying that I need to come in.”

I let out a sigh and nod.

No reason to get upset with her I guess. Whenever the Director calls, you drop everything and run.

Avery stands and walks over to look down at Zafiro.

He still rests on his stomach and still looks like he is resting.

I see a ziplock bag on the table. Inside is a strange deformed looking bone. I frown when I look at it.

“Is that what was in him?” I ask.

Avery nods. “Yeah. It was from an Augment. I believe it was forced on him. I heard about this being a new way of gangs making their products. They grow wings on random nobodies and then use the feathers to grind it up into their drugs and such.”

My brow furrows in confusion and I walk over to stand next to her.

“How do you know that?” I ask.

Avery keeps her eyes on Zafiro’s face.

“Just something recent that I learned off the radar,” She says.

So she does do things on her own. She really is like me except I got caught multiple times and she hasn’t.

Avery brushes some of Zafiro’s hair off of his face.

“It is a bit surreal, isn’t it?” I ask.

She arches an eyebrow at me.

“You know,” I gesture to him. “We have been chasing him for years and here he is. It almost doesn’t feel real, right?”

Avery gives me a tight-lipped smile and nods. “Something like that. I am guessing you are calling U.U.P.P?”

Biting my lip, I shake my head.

She smirks and hands me a roll of bandaging.

“I’ll take the garage man off your hands and bring him in,” She says. “Take care of your boyfriend for me, will you?”

I look at Zafiro and see his hand twitch.

Looking back at Avery, I nod.

“I will. You be careful on the road.”

Avery gives a lazy salute and walks into the garage.

Not even a second later, Avery calls my name in an annoyed voice.

Peeking through the doorway, I see her staring at the robot on the floor next to the man in the chair.

I see he is awake finally. He grunts and struggles in his bindings. I guess Zafiro put something to cover his mouth under the headcover.

“What is this?” She sighs and pointing at the robot.

I just give a nervous laugh. “Um...story for another time?”

She rolls her eyes but chuckles.

Closing the door behind me, I go back to Zafiro’s side.

Honestly I just want to run upstairs and stay in my room. Just looking at Zafiro is bringing those thoughts from before back into my head.

I really need to fix his side though.

It is not a deep cut like the ones on his back, but it needs new bandaging.

Someone forced an Augment into him? What did it do?

I look at the strange bone in the ziplock bag. It looks oddly familiar to me. Where could I possibly seen it before?

Grabbing some gauze rolls, I set them aside and gently ease Zafiro to his side. He breathes through his teeth but does not open his eyes.

“Zafiro?” I whisper.

No answer.

I do not want him resting on his back so his side will do for now.

Should I get to his other cuts as well? Not just the one here?

There are a ton of tiny ones on his arms, stomach, legs, back...just everywhere.

I should wash away the blood at least.

Grabbing a bowl of water and a ton of napkins, I start to dab and rub on any dried up blood on Zafiro’s skin.

I try not to stare at his face while I am working.

My phone dings as I receive a text message.

‘3:46am: There is a bag on your doorstep. Might be Zafiro’s.’ -Avery’

Making sure Zafiro won’t wake or fall while I am gone, I jog for the door and open it.

I do not really see a bag until I step out more. A black cargo bag is sitting there on the steps.

Was that there before? I guess I did not notice it.

Narrowing my eyes, I reach behind my door and grab a detector bar.

U.U.P.P. made everyone get one when bomb threats were being thrown our way years ago.

I press a button and pass the bar over the bag. It beeps but it says no bomb is present.

Unzipping the bag, I find clothes. Clothes and another suit.

Zafiro had his clothes ready for this? Did he know this was going to happen or did someone drop these off with him?

Frowning, I bring the bag inside.

I guess that answers the question on if I should cut off Zafiro’s pants to get to the blood on his legs better.

Wait a minute.

Placing the bag on the floor, I reach over Zafiro and gulp on the bubble in my throat when I slowly slip my finger beneath his suit.

It is already hanging low on his hips. I keep expecting for my finger to make contact with some kind of fabric. I just keep feeling smooth skin.

Pulling my finger back out, I close my eyes and dig my fingers into my temples.

He does not wear underwear.

Why? Why is this a thing?

I stare bitterly at his ass. No holes thankfully there.

Maybe I can cut away the legs and leave him with short shorts?

I stare at a cut that is pretty damn close to the bottom of his butt.

Really short shorts.

Pulling some scissors from a drawer in my kitchen, I decide to start from his ankle. I pull off the only boot he is wearing and start to cut a line through the suit.

When it is high enough, I stop and cut around his thigh.

I bite my lip to keep myself from staring at it or anything else.

Why is this having such a huge affect on me?

Just keeping thinking about what he is, Roy.

Criminal. Criminal. A shameful criminal!

I turn him onto his stomach again and for some damn reason I end up looking at his face.

He looks calm. I hate it. Why must he look calm right now? It makes this feel even weirder.

At least the color is starting to return in his skin.

I start cutting along the other leg, I have to lean over him more for this and it just keeps leading me to his ass and it is really messing me up at the moment.

Once that leg is done, I start to regret my decisions.

Is it weird that all the cuts and bruises is kind of turning me on? It is and I feel weird about it.

All of this is weird. I am staring at a Zafiro in tight underwear right now. I sure as hell never thought I would have something like this happen to me.

Once Zafiro’s cuts are all cleaned, I then have to get to his eye.

Saving the best for last I guess.

I keep a hand on the other side of Zafiro’s face as I wash away the blood around his eye.

This is all going to leave a ton of scars on him. Maybe it is just me, but I think he will look nice with them.

Obviously he did not need them. He especially did not deserve to go through this for them. He should just know that he is still the same cute brat as before. Just right now...he looks like shit.

Zafiro startles me when he takes a deep inhale through his nose and sighs through his mouth.

When the blood is gone, I have a moment to just...take in his features. Never could before. Never this close. If I were to lean in, I could just kiss him.

Of course I wouldn’t do that. I do not want to.

The little beauty mark over his lip keeps drawing my attention.

At least I think I don’t want to.

I will say one thing about him. He seems oddly familiar. Almost like someone you know yet can’t quite place the face.

Gently, I run my finger over his lips before brushing hair off of his eyes.

Maybe I should let him sleep on my bed and get him into some better clothes.

Looks like I’ll be sleeping on the couch tonight.