A Touch of Blue - 17. Unwanted Scars

Roy

Deciding that Zafiro can live with the cut up suit as ‘underwear’, I grab the clothes that were in the black bag.

A black tank top and red shorts.

Hmm...I think I know who dropped him off here now.

I ease off his gloves and boots. Apparently there was more blood on his hands and foot so I wash them off with warm water and tend to the cuts.

Just as I move his feet into the shorts, Zafiro stretches a tiny bit and turns his head the other way.

I freeze and don’t dare move.

After a few moments, I realize he is not awake somehow. Not sure how. I feel like stretching would be too painful at the moment which would have woken anyone up.

I pull the shorts up and then grab the tank top.

How do I do this?

Staring down at him while biting my lip, I shrug and toss the top back into the bag.

It is probably best that he goes without a shirt for now.

Now it is time to awkwardly carry him up some stairs.

Great…

I try to be as gentle as I can. I pull him into a sitting position on the table, then I grab him by the back of his legs and his lower back. Next, I haul him onto my shoulder for balance.

There is probably an easier way to do this, but I am way too paranoid about hurting him if I touch anywhere near the giant cuts. I do not want to mess up Avery’s work.

Carefully, I walk up the stairs with Zafiro. He groans against me when I reach the third floor.

I push open my bedroom door and sit him down on the bed. He still is not quite here. He almost flops over onto his back but I am quick to catch him.

I pull the blankets out because I am not sure if he will bleed on them.

When those are gone, I lay him on on his stomach and place a pillow under his head.

Zafiro’s face wrinkles at all the movement and slowly his eyes open.

Honestly I thought he would have still been out like a light till maybe lunch.

His eyes can barely stay open. Every time he blinks, he almost falls back into sleep.

I would find that cute if he did not look like he just ran through a wood chipper.

“Roy?” He rasps out, almost in whisper.

That made something in my chest bloom. He has never said my name before. I do not think he is in the mindset to tease with that other name right now.

“What have I done to sneak myself into heaven?” He sighs with a lazy smile.

I roll my eyes but smirk. He seems a bit out of it right now.

Pulling up a chair to sit next to him, I rest my arm on the nightstand.

“You’re safe now, Zafiro,” I say. “You should sleep.

“Am I,” He says more than asks. Still smiling with his eyes closed, “I guess I am since I am with you all of a sudden. Did I ever mention how pretty your face is? I just wanna smack it real, reeeal good.”

Now he is sounding a pretty weird. I get that he is out of it, but has he possibly been drugged? He is saying his words a bit slowly and he is surprisingly not showing any pain. How is he fine?

“Since I am in heaven,” He tries to open his eyes but ends up squinting up at me, “can I finally earn my kiss for saving you earlier? I promise I won’t tell God or any of the other Angels.”

I laugh and shake my head. “You’re not in heaven and you sure as hell won’t be getting a kiss from me.”

Zafiro pouts and pokes out his lower lip.

“Rude. What have you got to lose? Not like they can kick us out now that we are here, right? Wait, are you lying to me? You should totally kiss me if you are lying to me.”

He seems so certain that he is dead. It is a bit scary to think about.

“Looks like you are not getting that kiss. I’m not lying,” I say with a smirk. I poke his hand a few times. “You feel that right?”

At first he shakes his head, then after a moment, he nods. Now he is moving his head in slow circles for no reason.

“So you are not dead,” I say, laughing at how weird he is being right now. “Pretty sure heaven would not be in my room.

“That’s what you think,” He smirks and gives a wink, or at least he tries. He can’t exactly manage that since his eye is swollen. Instead he tries winking with the other eye. He ends up blinking both at the same time, almost losing consciousness again.

“You know what,” He says with a sudden burst of energy. “Just to double check, I am gonna try and kiss you. Don’t move too fast because everything is moving in slow-mo for me.”

He then he tries to sit up on his knees. Instantly he regrets that.

Zafiro lets out a sharp hiss and collapses back onto his stomach.

“Whoa, whoa!” I reach a hand out and rest it on his lower back. “Just keep resting. You are really messed up right now.”

His chin trembles as his eyes slowly begin to water.

I rub my hand in circles along his back but realize that might not be a good idea. Instead I move my hand to his hair and run my fingers along his bangs.

He bites his lip to stop it from trembling and letting out any noises. He also brings his hand up to grip onto my wrist.

I freeze. A small shiver runs down my spine.

Ok, I touched his face earlier and that was the first time we properly touched skin to skin. This time is different however. He is awake and somewhat aware that I am here.

I swear it has gotten a lot hotter in here. My face feels like it is burning.

“Why did you stop?” He mumbles. He is about to drift off again.

My body moves without me thinking. I start to run my fingers through his hair again.

Not entirely sure why I am doing this. Maybe it is because I am too scared to ignore him. Maybe it is because I am too nice.

Most likely the first thought since I am not that nice.

Zafiro’s breathing eventually evens out. He has either passed out or drifted off into dreamland. Not entirely sure which but I for some reason can’t pull myself away.

Now that all the blood is gone, he looks ten times better. His eye is less swollen but the scars that run through it are still pretty nasty.

He looks calm again.

He was a bit calm when he woke, but it was more like a drugged up awakening. It was weird.

I smirk at how much he wanted to kiss me.

So stupid. He should not say things like that.

It has been an awfully late night. It is a little past four in the morning. I should have been in bed long ago.

My sleeping schedule is all kinds of fucked up, but at least I can throw the blame on Zafiro tonight.

It is a bit chilly in this room so I grab the thinnest sheet and lightly lay it over Zafiro.

He does not move or make a noise at the touch so he should be fine.

Since he won’t be needing them, I grab my comforter and snatch a pillow before he manages to steal it as well.

Honestly I am a bit sad that I decided to let him sleep here, but it was for the greater good I guess. Right?

Shrugging to myself, I walk down the stairs with my ‘camping gear’ and head for the living room couch.

At least the couch is not rock hard. I won’t completely ruin my spine.

I grab a remote off the coffee table and put on the news. Not necessarily to watch but to have some background noise to sleep to.

Grabbing another remote next to it, I press the grey button and the window covers slide into place.

I make sure to close all of them.

Maybe it is because Zafiro is here, but I am a bit paranoid someone will see him in here.

Hmm...Arturo dropped him off here so he knows Zafiro is here.

I set up my stuff on the couch and make it as comfortable as possible. Next, I go the cabinet full of all my food and dig into the popcorn box.

Pulling out a gun, I make sure the safety is on and then bring it with me to the couch.

It would probably be best to be ready incase anymore unwanted guests come into my house.

I really need better security set up.

Also, I am not saying that Zafiro is an unwanted guest. He is moreso an unexpected one.

Not that, that means I like him or anything.

~~~

Two Days Later

At least I think it has been two days…

It feels like it has been way longer.

I miss my bed. Zafiro has been passed out on it for two whole days. How he has managed that, I do not know, but I guess that is a good thing?

My guess is that in the middle of his dreaming, his body shut down.

Obviously that should be a red flag to most humans. Mainly for the ones who have not taken on an Augment.

They really wear your body down. As soon as you get them activated, they use a ton of your body’s energy and you end just being out of it for days.

That is the main thing I keep reminding myself to keep me from freaking out and calling an ambulance.

Lucky for me, my parents got me Augmented on when I was around one or two. I have no memory of this happening to me and I am grateful for it.

As for the fact they pretty much put this on me without my permission, yeah it is a bit fucked up. To me at least.

Everyone else saw it as a sweet thought from my parents.

‘What a smart way to guarantee your son’s safety!’

It led to a lot of other families following their ways and they ended up putting Augments into their children.

Just thinking about it makes me sick.

Yes, it has its perks, but this should be a decision made by the kids themselves. Not the parents.

Pushing off my blankets, I walk over to the kitchen and make myself some cereal.

If only I knew how to cook.

I really wanted to learn when I younger, but of course my parents wanted me to look at far better things that will bring honor to our name.

It did not stop me from sneaking into the kitchens every now and then.

Obviously I did not manage to pick anything up but I guess now would be a nice time to try.

Hmm…

I look between the cereal and the fridge.

Avery brings in food all the time. She sometimes makes me things when she comes over.

Pretty sure I can’t eat gorditas or enchiladas for breakfast.

I mean I could but I really don’t feel like putting that much effort.

Maybe I should check what I have first.

Opening the fridge, I see I have eggs, a bag of meat, another bag of meat, some milk, a bar of butter, and limes.

Yeah I have nothing.

I could make eggs, but I don’t really know how.

Ugh! Avery I need your help.

Next time she comes, I will ask her to teach me how to make at least the most basic stuff. Living off of chip bags, peanut butter sandwiches, and ice cream is getting old.

Just then, I hear a toilet being flushed upstairs.

Huh. Does this mean I am finally getting my bed back?

Closing the fridge, I decide to check on sleepy beauty.

Two days of just laying in the same position must suck.

Oh wait.

I will bring painkillers.

Grabbing them, I make for the stairs.

Wait no.

I will bring water too!

Now I can go upstairs.

Actually, you know what? I’ll just bring the whole medkit. Who knows if anything needs to be looked at.

Not wanting to possibly scare him, I try not to stomp up these stairs.

As I near my bedroom, I don't really hear any noises.

I frown at that. I thought he would be feeling a lot of pain right now.

Slowing down, I peek around the edge of the door.

Zafiro is standing with his back to a mirror hanging on the wall. It is at an angle that should keep me from being seen hopefully.

I almost yell at him when I see that the bandaging has been ripped off. His wounds are out in the open and that is both stupid and dangerous.

At least, it would be if his wounds were looking like they did two nights ago.

What was once crazy messed up skin that clearly could be seen as split open, it now looks far better. Almost like it has been healing for weeks.

The skin has somewhat come back together. It looks more like two giant scabs.

When Zafiro picks as it, he hisses as it rolls off in one large pull.

I cringe at the sight but then my eyes widen when I see that the cut is completely healed over. All that is left is a large pink line of fresh skin.

Zafiro does the same with his other scab line and it shows the same results.

He tosses the nasty scabs into a trash bin and turns to pick at the ones on his eye.

Once that is done, he steps closer to the mirror to inspect his back.

I see him frown and run a finger along the new pink lines. Not just the giant ones, but the smaller ones as well.

Is this some kind of weird side effect from the Augment? Rapid healing sounds like what Mekaias could do.

Did they somehow make something that could imitate his powers?

Zafiro sighs and pulls at a large line as if he wants to tear it out. He then turns and leans closer to inspect his eye.

At that, he sees me in the corner of his vision and turns to me.

“Hi,” I give a small wave with my fingers. I still have all the stuff I gathered in my hands.

At first he narrows his eyes at me but when he sees the medkit, his expression softens.

“I do not think I’ll be needing that,” He says, turning back to the mirror. “Not unless there is something in there to get rid of these ugly lines.”

He says it mostly at a joke, but with the way he is staring at his reflection, I can tell that he really hates it.

I set the medkit down on the bed and walk up to stand a few feet behind him.

“You still look fine,” I say. “You have nothing to worry about.”

He shakes his head.

“You’re cute, but no,” He sighs. “They just had to get me on the face. At least the back I can hide. Now I look ugly. These lines are ugly and they are going to stay with me forever. Fucking assholes!”

His voice rises with each word and then he ends up kicking over a chair next to him.

“Hey, hey, hey!” I grab his arm to stop him. “Calm down!”

Zafiro’s jaw clenches and he tries to pull himself out of my hand.

“Let go of me, ya big-titted soda can!” He growls and pulls his arm away. “Don’t touch me!”

I lift my hands up as a way to make space for him. I end up crossing my arms over my chest at his words.

Never been called that before...

“Sorry,” I say. “Just don’t go around trying to beat up on my furniture.”

Zafiro just purses his lips and ends up sitting in the chair he kicked.

“What happened to you?” I sit on the bed. “Who did this to you?”

He rests his head in his hand to cover his eyes. He shakes his head before answering.

“What does it matter? It isn’t like anything is going to be done about it.”

From what Avery has said he has possibly gone through, I do not want him to ever think that. I just know that we will get back at this guy. Avery and I will make sure they get what he deserves.

In hopes of comforting him, I move from the bed and sit on the floor by the arm of his chair. He does not look at me.

Careful not to touch him, I sit my hand on the arm rest to at least let him know I am here.

“I think we might be able to get something done this time,” I say. “Avery took in that guy you captured. As soon as he gets talking, we will get whoever did this to you and they will pay. They will regret laying a single finger on you.”

The last thing ends up coming out with more anger than I hoped to let out.

Yes, I am aware that this is a thief, but Zafiro is also a citizen of Sector 4. I made a promise to protect these people so I’m pretty damn angry that something like this would happen.

It does not help that I have gotten to know him a bit better these last few nights. That makes it harder to know that someone I am closer to has gotten hurt.

“If I didn’t know better I would think that you cared.”

Hearing that makes me bite at my tongue to keep from snapping back.

Instead I take a small breath before I answer.

“What would you mean by that?” I ask. “I do care. I want to help you, Zafiro.”

He huffs out a small laugh. “No you don’t. None of you have ever cared. If you cared, this shit never would have happened.”

I frown up at him.

“We don’t control the actions of others,” I say. “If Arturo had this all planned out way before, then no matter much things could have changed, we would probably be here with the same result.”

“It wasn’t him,” Zafiro says a bit quietly.

“What?”

“It was not Arturo,” He says.

“Cody then,” I say. “Either way, I want to beat the living hell out of them.”

At that, Zafiro finally looks down at me.

“What did they do to you?” He raises an eyebrow.

I roll my eyes and start dramatically pointing at all the new marks on his skin. He chuckles and swats at my hand whenever I get too close to touch him. When I also point towards the one on his eye however, I regret it instantly.

His mood drops instantly and he brings his hand up to cover it.

“No, no! I’m sorry,” I reach forward and tug his hand away. “I never said they were bad. I swear they did nothing to make you any less handsome. You look just fine, I swear it!”

Zafiro shakes his head and tries to look anywhere else but at me.

“They are hideous,” He says. “Forever there until I rot. No one is going to want someone who is all battered up like a piece of metal that was used as a soccer ball replacement.”

Since I know he will just ignore me if he doesn’t look at me, I reach for his cheek and turn him to look at him.

He glares at my hand and sighs before looking at me.

“If they think that then screw them,” I say with a smile. “They were not worthy enough for your time. If they can’t handle a few battlescars, then they were too much a little bitch to handle being with you anyways.”

Zafiro raises an eyebrow but smiles. “You seem rather fond of me. Am I growing on you, Tin Can?”

Rolling my eyes, I smile nonetheless. “Like a fungus.”

We both laugh.

Somehow my gaze ends up wondering to the beauty mark again.

It is so cute to me. I just want to poke it. Softly. With my lips.

I blink at those thoughts and try to look somewhere else.

That ends up being Zafiro’s eyes.

They are smiling eyes like last time. Not at all teasing. I like them. They are so bright and pretty. Just two blue sapphires staring right back at me.

Wait a minute. When did we get so close?

I am inches from his face and I can tell that somehow I have been leaning in.

Even now, I don’t really feel the need to back away.

“See something you like, Tin Can?” Zafiro smirks.

I try to laugh. It ends up being a small croak.

Clearing my throat, I just smile. “Maybe. Depends if you do.”

Zafiro leans forward a bit, our noses almost touching.

“I must say, I do like seeing these giant arms of yours. You could probably kill a man.”

He bites his lip with the last sentence and I just nervously chuckle.

“Oh, I don’t know about tha-” I get interrupted as Zafiro presses a finger to my lips.

“Don’t ruin it,” he whispers.

He then starts to move dangerously slow to my lips.

I all of a sudden forget how to do anything. I can’t move or breathe. All I can concentrate on is how warm and close Zafiro is at the moment.

All of a sudden Zafiro snakes a foot between us and pushes me back. I end up falling back onto the bed.

I am in shock at how such a small person was able to do that before he jumps over me, straddling my chest.

He leans forward, almost kissing me again.

All of this is making blood run to my head and another very specific area…

“You seem nervous,” Zafiro grins above me. “Afraid a little thief like me will steal your heart?”

Licking my lips, I slowly bring my hands to his thighs.

They end up getting swatted away.

“Nuh, uh,” Zafiro chuckles. “No touching.”

My face feels like it is absolutely burning right now.

Zafiro brushes his lips against the corner of my mouth.

He hums with a smile on his face. “Hmm, I need to make a phone call.”

I blink at that.

“What?” I narrow my eyes. “You do all that and that’s what you have to say?”

He laughs before bending backwards. Grabbing onto my knees and elegantly doing a backwards walkover to properly stand on the ground.

Not going to lie...seeing him casually bend like that did not help my little problem.

Quickly, I cover the tent in my pants.

Zafiro gives a knowing smile before leaving the room.

I fall backwards onto the bed and rest my hand against my burning forehead.

“Jesus christ,” I whisper, a bit breathless.