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Aoba couldn’t pretend he never noticed those soft, discolored marks that littered his dear brother’s otherwise pristine pale skin; he’d seen them the very first time he took a closer look at him, and he was certainly sure that Sei had known the moment it clicked in his mind… oh, yes. That’s what those were.
Horrible scars they were, first over his wrists and arms, then he saw how they spread up over his shoulders and neck, but that’s when Sei had refused to show any more, no, it was simply too much for the boy to bear.
Their moment previously held together with tender kisses and whispers of love was suddenly be shattered by quiet sobs from the slender boy Aoba held dearly in his arms. He refused to speak, he couldn’t admit to the horrors of memory plaguing his head, the pain that seemed to return in the most real sense to wrack his trembling body.
All through it though, Aoba held him endlessly, comforting his sobs with gently pressed lips to his forehead as he thumbed away the tears that dripped over his flushed cheeks. When Sei’s heart finally calmed and allowed him to rest, not once did Aoba let him go, allowing him to drift off into sleep against his chest with the sound of his pulse lulling him away. It was a reminder that he was not in that awful, awful place anymore, but instead a place of love, a place of safety.
A few weeks passed by after that night and Aoba just knew how badly Sei was hurting because of that memory… it had felt so real, so absolutely ruining that he’d truly believed he was right back in the hell he’d endured for all those years. The dark haired boy became skittish, shying away from every touch, every gentle reassurance his brother tried to give him; no, he simply couldn’t help it. He was afraid, he didn’t want it to happen again… not ever.
The next time Sei allowed touch, it was hesitant and uncertain, hands trembling with both fear and yet desire. Darkness covered the room; he wouldn’t allow anything less, not when he was so afraid of seeing himself in his full body, completely uncovered and vulnerable… he was afraid of Aoba seeing his scars too. Understanding as he was, the younger sibling understood his pain, doing everything in his power to make sure his dear brother was comfortable and relaxed, afraid as well to trigger any sort of painful memory once again.
By the act of a miracle, the two made love that night, soft and gentle and nestled in their warmth, and when it was over, there was silence; the single kiss in the afterglow was all they needed as their final words of love before they held each other into sleep.
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Aoba shifted a bit under those soft, fluffy blankets, but even his unconscious mind couldn’t help but feel like something was missing… the warmth of the body beside his was gone. It was enough to slowly pry him from his slumber, groggy as his eyes fluttered open with blurred vision. He turned over gradually, half-minded as he searched the dim room for his brother.
Blinking a few times to see clearly, he finally focused on dear Sei standing before him. He faced the opposite wall, so newly out of bed as he was working on tugging his boxers back onto his hips and obviously trying not to look at himself for too long in the mirror. With a soft frown, Aoba silently pulled himself from his comforting, soft bed, moving closer to his twin and meeting his slender frame with a gentle hug, arms wrapped lovingly around his waist.
“A-ah, Aoba, wait…” The older brother whispered, stiffening at that touch and shooting a cautious glance over his shoulder. A shudder rippled down his spine at the sensation of his twin’s soft lips trailing over his neck and he clasped his hand over his mouth to hold back any sounds of nervousness.
Aoba paused, resting his forehead now on Sei’s shoulder to take a deep breath. “Sei… Sei, I love you.” He hummed, no louder than a breath.
“N-no, please, you… you can s-see me…” He shook his head, trembling hands grasping at his younger brother’s wrists and trying to pull them away, trying to turn against his chest, but he couldn’t will it of himself.
“It’s okay,” Aoba replied quickly, his hands turning now to twine their fingers together gently as he pulled his head away to look over the pale expanse of Sei’s back in that dim flicker of sunlight that peeked through the curtains.
And oh, what he saw… it made his heart twinge with pain.
He could count three little lines that ran parallel with his twin’s spine, thin stripes of marred flesh as if they’d been split open by a sharp scalpel all the way from the bottom of his shoulders to just above his hips. Leaning in a bit, he released Sei’s hands to trail sweet fingertips over those soft ridges of skin that tried so hard to repair itself. A puff of his warm breath spread over his cool skin, and Aoba closed his eyes to press a line of kisses to those marks.
Sei made a sound as if he was choking on his own breath, his body visibly shaking against Aoba’s, hands groping for him to stop, though he simply couldn’t move. He felt weak, unable to stop that sensation from spreading through him.
“O-oh, Aoba… t-this isn’t good, please,” he pleaded with a desperate whimper, “d-don’t look at them… d-don’t do it…”
“You’re beautiful,” was the only response the younger twin gave.
Sei did not stop Aoba as he worked his way across every open inch of his flesh, first examining and then loving each of the scars he came across, no matter the size or depth or shape.
He discovered two matching spots, on his arms and thighs, which looked as though he’d been stabbed with something absolutely tiny… at least a few hundred times. Each little dot was close to the next and in a small cluster…. IVs, no doubt, or shots. He knew those were inevitable.
Those were the only ones that were truly different from the rest, but the rest came in a number so incredible that it made Aoba’s stomach flip… each were several inches long, remnants of incisions littering over almost every part of Sei’s poor body: the insides of his thighs, his stomach and chest, sides, back, even his neck. Oh, now this was simply cruel… he knew there was no way all of these had been for medical reasons… no, they had to be from a kind of torture he could hardly comprehend.
Carrying no fear and with love in his heart, Aoba’s soft kisses seeped into every little scar he could find, setting an exposed Sei down on the edge of their bed to better reach every mark on his hips and legs as well.
He’d not known when exactly it was that Sei had begun to cry, but he pressed his head up against his dear brother’s chest in silence then, his arms wrapped warmly around his body.
“A-Aoba…”
“I love you so much.”
Those were the only words spoken for a long while, but Sei continued to shake as he cried against his brother, finally returning his sweet embrace with tight arms. His brother loved him, and he loved in return. He was safe and warm, welcome in this new place he could finally call home… and oh, he was happy.