(January 28, 2020)

Knocking on doors is a great way to enter a room, especially when you know someone else is in there.

Ren flushed red when he accidently opened the door, seeing Scar looking in the mirror, shirtless. However, that embarrassment was quickly turned into shock when he saw his back.

“Oh my God, Scar, why do you have so many words carved into your body? … Why do you have scars on you body in the first place?” Ren asked, forgetting about the embarrassment he previously held. Scar whipped around, eyes wide. He brought up a shirt, a feeble attempt to cover his body.

“What do you mean?” Scar asked, subtly moving away from the mirror, sitting on the edge of his bed. He pulled the cream-colored shirt onto his body, covering up the scars that littered it. However, it was only a t-shirt. It left his arms out open for the world to see.

“You know what I mean, Scar.” Ren said, stepping forward and crossing his arms.

“I don’t.” Scar declined. Ren frowned, slowly approaching Scar. Scar recoiled, squeezing his shoulders tight. Ren sat on the edge of the bed next to Scar, setting a gentle hand on his shoulder.

“You know, you can tell me. You can tell anyone on this server. You can trust us.” Ren said in a low volume.

“Can I really though?” Scar asked, uncertainty on his face.

“Yes.”

They were silent for a few minutes. After that time period, Scar started to pick at a scab.

“Ever heard the saying ‘words hurt’?” Scar quietly questioned, looking at Ren. Ren slowly nodded, fearing where this was going. Scar sighed, hugging himself.

“Well, that’s kinda the case for me. They’re literally like knives when someone says something unkind to me and I take it personally. A weird and rare disease I have.”

“Looks more than just unkind words.” Ren muttered, seeing some rude words on his arms. Scar nodded, a frown on his face.

“But you don’t have to worry about me. It doesn’t really hurt, and it only bleeds for a few minutes. I can use a healing potion and whoop-de-do, it’s okay.” Scar said in a fake happy voice.

“That's a lie. I hear it in your voice."

“Ren, I fear of falling apart, breaking down and getting looked down at for my scars. I don’t want to fall apart, but one day, it might get too much for me.” Scar whispered, a hint of fear in his eyes. Ren turned to Scar, putting both of his hands on the man’s shoulders. He lightly shook him, looking Scar in the eyes.

“You’re not going to fall apart if I don’t let you. Okay? It’s not going to happen. You’ll get through this, and with all of our help. You just have to ask us.” Scar groaned, putting his hands to his face.

“That sounded so cheesy, but okay Ren.” Ren grinned, standing up. Scar followed him, grabbing his coat off the coat hook.

“We’ll talk about this more at a later time, alright?” Scar asked.

“Agreed.” Ren said, smiling. Scar walked towards Ren slowly ,slipping on the brown coat he always wears.

“Alright, ready to go?” Ren asked, holding the door open. Scar nodded, stepping out of the room and adjusting his hat on his head.

(inspired by This is Gospel, by P!ATD. lyrics were ‘words are knives and often leave scars. also yee, i know its short and rushed. yet another story i wanted to get out, and lost inspo for, lo siento.)