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It’s been a while since Blue’s incident when saving the piglin child, but it would still leave marks on his body. Marks that make him feel uncomfortable. Marks that would increase his body temperature and give him an itchy feeling in the burnt zone. Marks that make him feel awkward and sheepish, even with his own body. That’s what took him to wear loosen clothes, from that day on, regardless of the temperature. It felt good in winter, since it felt warm. But in summer, and especially this summer, it was hell.
That’s what happened today. It was a peaceful summer night in Blue's minecraft room. Peaceful, except for the ringing of the glass bottles on the brewing stand preparing healing potions, and of the wood creaking when making a golden apple on the crafting table. Some upset mumbling could be heard from Blue’s mouth until he drank the first potion. Nothing. He drank another one, and thank God it made an effect, because sometimes he needed more than three potions.
Knock knock knock. The door echoed and opened. It was Yellow.
“Hi…” he greeted his significant other, who was sitting on the floor. “How are you doing?”
“I’m fine now. What about you?”
“Eh,” he shrugged. “Just wanted to check how you are. It was really hot today and you tucked yourself into that hoodie all day, maybe I could be helpful with, I don’t know, things like the laundry or something.”
Yellow was aware of what happened to Blue. He knew it had affected Blue’s health, and quickly, he noticed he stopped using things that would expose his skin, but he didn’t really know why.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ve been maintaining, and even if I felt bad today, these symptoms weren’t hard to ease. So it was cool, I guess…”
“Good to know!” Yellow assured. He sat with Blue, only separated by the crafting table. He laid his weigh on his arms, resting them on the table while thinking of something:
“Y’know, These days, I’ve been wondering: doesn’t it make it worse to wear such warm clothes? Like hoodies, sweaters and things with long sleeves? It’s been almost 33° centigrades and you didn’t even change your outfit from yesterday, and that day it was 36°! Why don’t you try wearing things with less sleeves, at least for one day?”
“It’s- It’s more complicated than you think, can we please change topics?”
“Why? It was a suggestion. You know I want to help”
“Well, I don’t want you to. It’s not worth it and it’s not going to take you anywhere”
“Stop saying nonsense! I’m not with you just because I receive something. I’m with you because I love you and I’m willing to be with you, no matter the cost,” he affirmed. “And for what is worth, I’m sorry. Was it actually a touchy topic?”
“Yes”
"Would you… mind telling me why?”
“Well, it’s…” He groaned. “it’s difficult…”
“You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to, but-.”
“Nonono, I will. I guess this conversation was inevitable either way.” Blue sighed. “As you might know, t-the, umm, the…” he scratched the back of his neck. It was warm, which meant the effect of the potion was already leaving. “The thing with the piglin child, left some… scars. Burning scars, to be specific.”
“So, that’s why…?”
“Yes”
“Dude, no…” Yellow gently traced his thumb on Blue’s cheek. “You don’t have to do this to yourself! It might seem good to hide the scars, but you suffer more from the temperature, it’s not worth it!”
“Alriight…”
“I’m serious, Blue.”
“I get it, but I can’t go absolutely proud of them just because you told me to once”
“And I know that!” Yellow assured. “That’s what I’m for, to help! How many times do I have to say this to you?”
“Fine, I believe you.”
“Finally,” Yellow uttered.
“Hey, I heard you.”
“And I hear you! It’s really fun to mess with you, by the way”
"Shut up!”
Both laughed so loudly that it was easy to hear them, even when the door was closed.
“Alright, alright!” They stood smiling at each other like nothing was wrong, until Blue let out by accident a doleful groan. The burning ache came back to him all of a sudden and with fierce, and made itself noted. When hearing that, Yellow’s gaze frowned in worry and standed up.
“A- Uh- no! Need me to do something? I’ll bring you ice a-and…! be right back-!”
“Wait wait! I know what to do.” Blue growled. “If I only could-”
“Stay there! You tell me and I’ll get it for you”
“There’s a lotion that I made myself for these cases. It 's t-there.”
He pointed next to his cauldron. There was an almost empty glass bottle with a transparent looking gel. Yellow dashed to the area where the cauldron was. He took a little bit to find it, but he finally did.
“Is it this one?”
“Yep” Blue said with a breathy voice.
After hearing the affirmative, Yellow went back and handed Blue the bottle, now sitting behind him.
"What do you do with that-” He cut his statement when he saw Blue applying some of the gel on his neck and trying to distribute a little more on his abdomen, inside his hoodie.
“ooh, I get it. Want me to smear it for you?”
“No, thanks…” He tried to spread more inside his sleeves without rolling up his sleeves for Yellow to not see, but it was getting messy, since the gel would stick on his sleeves instead of his skin.
“Blue…”
“Why are you so insistent on helping me anyways?” Blue inquired.
“Because you’re aching and I don’t want to see you like that, and you know that, Blue.” Yellow scolded him, but realized something. “But still, I’ll only do it if you want me to. It’s your body, not mine.”
It was a difficult decision. Blue didn’t want Yellow to see his scars, but, if he put the gel by himself, most of it wouldn’t get on him. Besides, Yellow’s offering was tempting, and his body already felt like it was burning. So he finally gave in, feeling defeated inside.
“A-alright. I’ll show them. I’m… I’m a bit scared of doing this, to be honest, so I need you to know… Promise to not judge?”
“Why would I judge? I promise I wont”
“Alright, then…”
He slowly and dolefully took his hoodie away, exposing his whole torso and back. His body was covered with marks that would mimic the lava from the nether, and all the zones affected have a duller tone of Blue. Yellow let out a faint gasp, feeling a wave of distress for what Blue went through. How would it feel to have your whole body sunk into the lava? Why Blue, in the first place?
“I knew it,” Blue crossed his arms to at least cover his chest. “You want to complain about this. I shouldn’t have-”
“I love them,” Yellow assured, mumbling.
“...What was that?”
He wasn’t used to hearing Yellow say tender things like that, so he wanted to verify if he heard it well.
“I said these are… well, y’know”
“Yes?”
“They’re… they’re beautiful, Blue, you know that?”
“Uht-... No, no. You can’t be serious, do you actually mean it?”
“Of course I do! Don’t you trust me?”
“I do, it’s just I can’t believe it. I really hate these. They shame me…”
He covered his back with the hoodie he had before and curled a bit, so Yellow wouldn’t see him. But instead, it was his partner who slowly left the hoodie away and kissed Blue’s shoulder, right on a lava small mark.
“You know what?” Blue started. “Maybe… maybe I can trust you to put the gel, at least on my back. Would you please do that?”
“Relax, buddy,” Yellow reassured. “I got this!”
Blue nodded, laying bit by bit on his stomach and resting his head on his arms, to make Yellow’s work easier. When he felt his hot skin making contact with the cold gel, he couldn’t avoid flinching.
“Ah! I forgot. Tell me if it hurts, okay?” Yellow offered, and Blue bobbed his head.
As Yellow smeared Blue's mixture, he tried to successfully say some sweet compliments and dumb jokes to see if it lighted things up and distracted Blue from the remaining itch.
Thankfully, the little amount of healing blend was enough to free Blue’s already clammy body from the pain he was going through.
“Oh dear! There’s no more of it. Is there any way I can…? Blue?”
It was useless. Blue had inevitably fallen asleep. Yellow fingertips started tracing lightly through the scars from his bare back.
He wanted to take Blue to the dirt blocks he uses to sleep, but the movement would wake him up. He stood up, cupping his own waist with his hand, and not knowing what to do until his lover woke up letting out a sleepy groan.
"Mh? Ah, sorry. I guess… I guess I needed that…”
“Did you sleep properly these days?”
“Yesterday? No. But I guess I’ll sleep well now…”
He got up in a lazy manner until lying abruptly to the place he sleeps.
“Would you… L-like to sleep here, with me?” Blue asked pleadingly while laying on his right side. “I don’t think I’d like to cuddle today, or else the effect from the gel will leave and it won’t be the most comfortable thing for either of us. But- ”
“Of course, I get it. There’s no need to fret about it,” Yellow convinced him using a quiet tone.
“Ah… t-thanks, love”
Blue’s offering sounded absolutely reasonable to Yellow. Not only because Blue said so, but because it’s been three days since he didn’t sleep properly, or even sleep at all. He put a yellow bed right next to him, laid on it and held Blue’s hand caringly, while rubbing it with his own thumb. At some point, he felt his eyelids become heavier and his body feeble.
And without either of them realizing, both fell asleep, almost at the same time.