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This was exactly why he hadn’t wanted to take the mask off, but Dandy had tricked him into promising before he knew what the terms were. Now, he was sitting on the forest floor with Dandy staring at what was left of his face. His mask now in the young man’s hands, his fingers rubbing idly against the teeth as if that might remove some of the grim that had built up on it. Or maybe he just liked the feeling of it. Whatever the reason, the clown didn't know, but he tried to keep his mind on speculation as it kept him from worrying too much about how damned embarrassed he was. But this was not something he could simply ignore, a fact that he was reminded of as he felt the gentle breeze across his now exposed and mangled maw.
Twisty wasn’t angry. Not really anyway as he didn't have the energy for anger. He was just tired and frustrated and ashamed and felt that he was the butt of the biggest joke of his life. In fact, he wasn't just the butt of the joke, he was the joke itself. He had hoped on the day that he'd received his wound that it would be his last, that he would end all the jokes and cruelties against him, but all he had done was add another thing to the endless list of the claws in his character for people to pick apart. The way the young man was staring at him so intently must have been an indicator or how completely and utterly disgusted he was with the misshapen that stared back at him pitifully, and Twisty silently awaited the barrage of hurtful words that he had already spoken to himself a million times before. How ugly and stupid and foolish he was...yes, he'd heard it all before, and he was going to hear it again. He clenched his eyes shut thinking that maybe that would help things. Block out some of the hurt if he didn't have to watch those words come out of the young man's mouth.
But the malice and the ridicule never came. Instead he felt a light touch upon his the sides of his face, just above the jagged mark of his shame. The mark of his human weakness and his complete and utter failure. Slender fingers traced the edge and prodded lightly, pulling back after noticing the clown visibly wince when too much pressure was applied.
“Fascinating…” It was the only thing Dandy uttered, and there was even a note of reverence in his voice.
Twisty opened his eyes but did not move his face away from the strange caresses it was receiving. Fascinating? Was that really the word Dandy had used to describe it? Why not what it really was? Grotesque, shameful, awful…all were better words for the sight, but when Twisty searched his companion’s face he found no disgust there. What was there appeared to be genuine interest. He had thought that maybe it had been his imagination that had made up the awe he'd heard in Dandy's voice, but maybe, just maybe, it had really been that.
“What happened?” Dandy asked, his eyes suddenly bright and curious as if this was the more normal question of all. It wasn't, of course, and the clown prickled the instant it hit his ears. The question was flat and to the point and much too personal, and Twisty wanted no part of it. He averted his eyes and snorted, a particular piece of dirt on the ground now his new favorite thing. “Fine, don’t tell me. I like the mystery of it,” the young man replied with a flippant rolling of his eyes. With that, the clown felt Dandy position his hands on either side of the clown’s face once more, and suddenly he felt careful kisses being planted along the edge of the scars. The clown didn’t move, but his heart leapt up into his throat. He was frozen with dear, unsure of what sort of nasty trick that Dandy was trying to play on him. Surely no one would willingly do such a thing to such a broken creature as he.
“There…” Dandy handed the man back his mask and stood back up, dusting himself off as if this was no big deal and leaving the clown blinking confusedly up and him. “There’s still plenty of time for fun before I should head back home to Mother, so if you would be so kind as to quit loafing around.”
Twisty couldn’t believe what he was hearing but quickly scrambled onto his feet and replaced the mask on his face, hoping to whatever powers there were that his painted face could hide the ruby red blush he could feel in his cheeks. Dandy had not been repulsed by him, and a sense of relief washed over him, refreshing like a cool breeze on a hot day though his face was quite flushed from surprise. Still, all he could think to do was pick up his pace to catch up with Dandy who was already several strides ahead of him.