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Muriel was somewhat of a gentle giant in your mind. He was huge- bulky and muscular, but he never really seemed like much of a fighter, which is why you were surprised to learn that he used to fight in arena battles for the Count. It was briefly mentioned by Asra, but you didn’t press the matter at the time, but now… You were curious.
Your hands absentmindedly ran over the myriad of scars lining Muriel’s abdomen, feeling the different texture of them under the pads of your fingers. Now was as good a time as any. “Did you get these when you were in the arena?” You asked.
Muriel, who had previously been quietly absorbing your touch, seemed to stir. You gazed up at him. His expression seemed pained, and it hurt your heart to think of what Muriel went through. Though, he answered your question. “...Yes.” He glanced at you. “Why?”
“It’s just hard to imagine you like that… You seem so… Gentle.” You stopped your hand on a particularly deep scar. “You didn’t want to fight… Did you?” You met his eyes. He shook his head. Of course he didn’t. He doesn’t like hurting others.
You shifted, bringing your hands up to Muriel’s face, planting a gentle kiss on his forehead, then traced your fingers down to the heavy collar around Muriel’s neck. “Did you get these from that time, too?” Muriel gave a single nod. “Why… Why don’t you take them off?” You asked. Muriel glanced away. “Is it… Is it because you don’t feel like you deserve to?” Again, a single nod. You touched his face again, then winded your hand back into Muriel’s hair. He met your eyes, holding your gaze steadily. “Muriel… It wasn’t your fault. You did what you had to to survive.” You gently massaged into Muriel’s scalp. “You shouldn’t have to live in discomfort.” You touched the collar once again, running your fingers over the cold steel. Muriel let out a soft noise, looking away again.
“... If you want to take it off…” Muriel seemed to trail off. You looked at him cautiously.
“Could I?” Muriel hesitated, but finally nodded.
You shifted, looking over the collar, trying to figure out how to get it off. It seemed there was a lock on it, and you looked to Muriel. He shook his head. “I threw out the key a long time ago.” He said. You hummed, then shut your eyes, focusing your magic. You could feel the mechanism keeping the collar locked, and you were able to unlock it. You carefully brought your hands under the heavy metal, trying to lift it off his shoulders. You couldn’t though. It was much too heavy for you to lift. Muriel hooked his fingers under it, lifting it off of himself, clanking it down on the floor beside the bed. You pulled back, looking at Muriel.
It was odd seeing him without his collar. This was the first time you’ve ever really seen his neck. It looked tender, and slightly discolored from the years of it being hidden from most contacts. More concerning, many bruises had been left from the weight constantly pressed into his skin. You gently reached out, touching it softly. Muriel seemed to wince, and you pulled your hand away. “Does it hurt?”
“It… Just feels odd.” He said. “You can continue.”
With that, you put your fingers back on the tender skin, being overly careful. You traced them over the bruises, wincing. It was hard to see this. He endured so much pain, and for what? Something that wasn’t even his fault?
You leaned into Muriel, embracing him, carefully pressing your face against his neck. “I’m sorry he did this to you.” You whispered, feeling yourself on the verge of tears. You felt Muriel’s hand on your back, rubbing soothing circles.
“It’s… In the past…” You felt the rumble in his chest when he spoke. “You’re here now. It helps.” You couldn’t help but smile at that. You were glad you could be of some comfort.
You pressed a gentle kiss to Muriel’s neck, causing him to shudder. He gently touched your back though, so you assumed it wasn’t a bad shudder. You pressed another, and another into the bruised flesh, as if trying to ease the pain he must have felt. Your fingers gently caressed the other side of his neck, hands gently gracing over his collar bone. You gently rested your forehead against his jaw, breathing out a soft sigh. It was hard to imagine someone hurting Muriel, and painful. It took him so long to be able to open up enough to allow you to barely touch him, but now you’re here, pressed up against his front, caressing him softly. “I’m happy I’m here with you.” You spoke softly. Muriel smiled, and planted a tender kiss on your forehead.
“I’m happy, too.”