forum Turns out Trauma is a Good Thing to Bond Over // OxO with Iris

Started October 19, 2019 by @ElderGod-Icefire

tune

Cameron ran his hands through his hair, looking at Cal. He still rather felt bad about this. He hadn't meant to spoon Cal like that, not at all.

Not that he would admit it, it made him feel even more awkward as Cameron stared at him. He thought about his injury a moment. Stars, why couldn't the damn thing heal faster? Then he wouldn't make the other man feel so bad and he could get out of his hair finally.

Cameron blinked, looking away again after a moment. "Uhm…did you sleep okay?" he asked. "If you slept?"

The question nearly took him by surprise. He was entirely expecting another long string of apologies. He didn't know if he felt relieved or not. "Uh, I did. Sleep. And it was fine," he replied, not knowing what else to really say. Despite the situation, he really found it odd to not maintain eye contact when they were speaking. But again… things were really awkward. He noticed the curve of Cameron's shoulder blades through his shirt. He didn't really plan on looking, but he seemed well defined all over.

Cameron nodded a little bit. "Oh. Well. That's good." he said, a touch awkwardly. He rubbed the back of his neck. The patch over his tattoo had peeled nearly all the way off, hanging by a small strip. He didn't seem to have noticed.

Cal turned his head. He needn't be staring at Cameron's muscles, especially for that long. His gaze returned to the man's face. Specifically his cheek. "Your patch," he said simply. Hopefully he would understand what he was hinting at now.

Cameron blinked, reaching up. "Oh." he pulled it off, setting it aside and rubbing his cheek for a moment. "Well. As long as I don't need to answer the door, this'll be fine."

Calixto glanced at his bare cheek a moment before looking away. He didn't know how to word it correctly, but it felt nice not to have to hide anything for the time being.

(AAA I JUST THOUGHT OF A THING)
(Cal always kisses where the patch was when Cam takes it off, so even if Cam never quits his job, it'll always be the spot only he can kiss-)

He hummed faintly, closing his eyes, and then slowly stood, trying not to jostle Calixto too much. "Uhm…is there anything you need?" He questioned.

(:O y e s)

Calixto shook his head. "No. If you're still tired, you might want to go get some more rest. It doesn't feel like either of us slept long," he suggested, shifting his legs a bit to give Cameron a bit of room. Man, this sucks. All I can do is lay here.

Cameron shook his head faintly. "No, I should…I should bathe." He replied softly. "It isn't good if I keep the dye on too long; it starts turning strange colors."

Cal stared at Cameron a moment, imagining the dye turning a strange shade of green for some odd reason. "Alright," he replied simply, not really knowing what else to say.

He shifted a little, standing and stretching. "So I'll be in the bath. You want anything before I go?" He asked, looking curiously at Cal.

"No," he stated simply. Stars above, this man asked a lot of the same questions. Seriously, what was the point? Humans were weird in the ways they expressed themselves.

"Alright." He left the room, grabbing a towel and heading to the bathroom, where he prepared the bathtub for bathing in. He stripped off as he waited for the water to get warm enough.

Now that Cameron was gone, Calixto casted a few quick glances around the room. The other wasn't all too far, but it would likely be awhile before he came back. Stubborn as he was, Cal began to shift himself on the couch, slowly aiming for an upright position. His chest screamed in agony, but he continued anyways. He wanted to attempt standing so he wouldn't be stuck lying there anymore. Stupid habits. He just couldn't stand to be still for long. Back nearly upright, he swung his legs off the cushions and attempted a forward sitting position before standing. Well, it was almost there. To avoid his wound opening, he moved stiffly, so he was still a bit lopsided. Frowning, he stayed as he was for a moment. That was one thing the collar did. It made him work through immense pain effortlessly. Every second was torture, but… strangely he missed not being idle.
The man scowled at the thought, before trying right himself on the couch again.
He wouldn't be able to stand. Not today.

Cameron got into the bathtub, and started to scrub at himself. The dye started coming off, starting to turn the clear water brown with color, his pale skin slowly coming to light. It took him about ten minutes to finish bathing, and he got out of the tub, dried off, and got dressed, then came back out to the living room. His hair was a soft blonde again, his skin pale. His eyes were still that same brilliant green.

Cal had worn himself out, his stitches were obviously not happy with the excess movement. Hearing footsteps, he looked over, nearly terrified with the contrast in appearance of Cameron. It was as if they were the same kind with how stark the change was. But… it looked… well, less like a lie. It was what Cameron was supposed to look like. What he was mostly worried about now was the other man scolding him for moving.

Cameron studied him for a moment. "Goddamnit, Cal, you moved!" He exclaimed, padding over on bare feet. "Your stitches!" He looked at Cal with those green eyes, his blond hair sticking up in tufts.

Calixto flinched slightly at the profanity, but let it pass. "I can't just… lay here! I didn't rip them open or anything, dang it," he huffed, feeling a bit annoyed. He looked back at Cameron for a moment before looking down at his chest again. The skin was a bit irritated, but the stitching was still intact. His skin was cool from not having a shirt on. Cal nearly sighed. Now Cameron might not even trust him with one so he could monitor the wound constantly. Great…

"Dang it?" Cameron echoed. "Just swear. Damn or fuck or something. Dang is for kids." He chuckled softly, but still looked worried, coming closer to examine the stitches and make sure they weren't damaged. He trailed a finger carefully over them, and when he didn't feel any damage, seemed satisfied.

Cal flinched as Cameron stroked over the injury on his chest. It stung some, and it was unnerving that the other was that close. He also hated hearing those words. The more he kept around Cameron, the more unsure he was of everything. He had helped him, yes, but the other had been overly doting over him only to suddenly not care about casually snuggling with him again.
Stars, why were people so confusing? At least with those humans in the alleyway were obvious in their intent…
As Cameron was still close after moving his hand away, Calixto stared back in silence. Why did he want to believe that Cameron was different so badly?