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Ratio's first impression of Aventurine of the Ten Stonehearts had been that of a confident man who knew his own worth. The blond man with the mesmerizing eyes was a handsome devil, and it showed that he was very well aware of it. He had a reputation of being a ruthless madman, highly unpredictable and not trustworthy at all, but Ratio had overheard more than just a single conversation from people - both women and men - who would have been willing to throw all caution to the wind to spend a night with him.
Ratio did not really like the thought, but he felt that he was not exactly different. Even during their first meeting, when that fool of a man had tried to win his trust by letting him point a gun to his heart, he could not deny the attraction he had felt towards him. He had been intrigued by his unique personality, yes - but no less had he been stunned by this pretty face.
Although Ratio was by no means an expert in the field of close interhuman relationships - especially not those involving physical aspects - he soon noticed that his interest was reciprocated by the gambler.
However, since he actually cared about forming a foundation of trust, things between them remained platonic for quite some time. But one night after a particularly boring IPC business party both of them had to attend, it happened anyway. They found themselves in a hotel room - not a cheap one of course, for neither of them would allow something as styleless as this - and Ratio would be a liar if he pretended that he did not like what they did in there.
There was only one thing that had irritated him quite a lot. Due to his lack of experience he was not sure if it was not just one of his personal quirks, but… was it really that uncommon that he would have liked for Aventurine to take off his jewelry? Taking off the pants had been necessary, obviously, and getting rid of Aventurine's shirt had been part of the fun, too, However, once it came to his bracelet and his watch, the damned gambler had playfully led his hands away every time Ratio had tried to take them off. Had Ratio been less of a thinker, he might not even have noticed, but he was who he was, so it had bothered him. Aventurine's small frame was so different from his own, and he had desired to explore every last inch of this body without a useless layer of trinkets between them. Also, the chunky things had been unpleasantly cold to the touch, disturbing the feeling Aventurine’s smooth skin otherwise gave him.
They did not stop after this one night, but somehow, Aventurine's conditions remained the same. It was frustrating, especially since Ratio did not hesitate to offer Aventurine everything he had in return. Ratio felt like he should address the matter, but how? To his own surprise, he always found himself to be unusually compliant once they were about to do it. Was he lovestruck or just horny? He had to admit he was not sure, maybe it was even both of it. But whatever it was, he desired this man to an extent where his brain seemed to be affected. It was a new experience for him, exciting but also a little concerning.
He even tried to lure Aventurine into spilling whatever this little secret of his was by shamelessly setting up a trap. Unfortunately, the attempt failed miserably - but at least it helped him find his answer anyway.
It had been such a good plan: the bathtub was a perfect place for intimacy, and nobody in his right mind wore their jewelry while taking a bath - right?
Well, looking back, Ratio should have known better than to mistake Aventurine for a random man. In the end, they found themselves in the bathtub, but the bracelet and the watch still remained where they had always been, right on Aventurine’s wrists.
At that point, Ratio no longer wanted to hide his annoyance: “What do I need to do for you to take off this damned jewelry of yours?” he exclaimed in frustration.
Aventurine looked at him, clearly puzzled by the sudden outburst. It led Ratio to the conclusion that, at least to Aventurine, his request was an odd one.
“Why are you so obsessed with this, doctor?” he asked him, and Ratio immediately felt embarrassed for being called out like this. However, to his surprise, the gambler seemed to be uncomfortable, too.
It was a rare sight. He had sheepishly crossed his arms in front of his chest, and there was a blush on his face that did not just stem from the hot water. It made him look like a bashful maiden, which seemed to be completely out of character. Hadn’t they been intimate several times already? Sometimes, this man was just unfathomable to Ratio.
He decided that, just as usual, honesty was his weapon of choice: “I'm just taking the chance to finally find out why you keep hiding your wrists from me. However, I am afraid to admit that I am a little lost. Is that some sort of fetish of yours?”
And he really was confused: this man was nothing but beautiful, and he would rather see every last inch of his skin than those cold and pretentious pieces of jewelry. Was that really impolite of him? Was he being greedy? And why in the cosmos did this situation feel harder for him than defending a thesis?
Aventurine remained quiet for a while before startling Ratio with a sudden movement. With a frustrated sigh, he finally took off the cursed bracelet and the watch, placed them on the edge of the bathtub and exposed his wrists for Ratio to see.
“Go ahead, doctor. Satisfy your curiosity.” the blond man invited him with a tone in his voice Ratio found hard to interpret.
But there was no way to deny that he really was curious, so he did not hesitate much before carefully taking Aventurine's hands into his own to finally get a closer look.
The first thing Ratio noticed was how delicate and thin those wrists actually were under the broad jewelry, but very soon, he also discovered what the man had been trying to hide from him. Uncommonly enough, it made his heart sting a little.
The scars on Aventurine’s arms were old, the wounds which had caused them had healed a long time ago, but their traces would forever remain visible. They embraced both of his wrists, and Ratio immediately understood where they came from. Aventurine had been a slave, and those scars were the result of handcuffs. Rough iron handcuffs he had been forced to wear for who knows how long.
“I was not always a perfectly obedient slave, you know.” Aventurine let him know quietly, his words more than just a little sarcastic.
Now it was Ratio's time to sigh. If this was anybody else, he would have suspected them to look for pity. However, this was Aventurine, who had been so strong to survive all the cruel things life had thrown in his way. Was he really bothered by something as trivial as a scar? Ratio found that hard to believe.
“I understand that this reminds you of a time you'd rather like to forget.” Ratio tried testing the waters, and Aventurine remained silent. “But all of this happened a long time ago, and by now, you must have understood that I would never hold your past against you. So why hide them from me? Or do you really think so little of me that you believe those scars would bother me?”
Aventurine laughed, but there was a bitterness in his voice Ratio had never noticed before: “I would have loved to be sure they don't, but how could I? I was once sold for 60 Tanba because of my ‘good body’, and there's people out there willing to pay a high price for my pretty eyes. But ask anybody about my personality, and all you'll ever find is disgust. So tell me: is it wrong of me to fear that I am not good enough if even my body is no longer flawless? Is it stupid for me to be upset that they even took the one advantage I had from me? Besides, no offense, doctor, but you have no idea how I got those scars and what they mean to me.”
The emotions written on Aventurine's face were complex. There was anger, but also pride. Dignity that had been hurt again and again. Ratio thought he should be angry about the lack of trust Aventurine seemed to put into him, but he could somehow understand him. He probably just could not bear another disappointment. And he had a point - at least at that time, Ratio knew nothing about Aventurine’s time as a slave. Generally, the situation made him realize how little he actually knew about the man Aventurine was. It was only much later that Ratio would find out how the chains which had caused those scars had been used as a weapon, turning Aventurine from a slave to a murderer in order to save his own life.
Right there in the bathtub, all of this did not matter. They were just two men, entangled in something that was just about to turn from a rather superficial love affair into something deeper - should they manage to make the right steps towards each other.
By exposing himself to Ratio, Aventurine had created an opening for them. It might have been nothing but another gamble for him, but it was one with high stakes. He had stripped himself completely naked in front of Ratio, both literally and figuratively, and showed him his most vulnerable spot - and his words made it clear that he was just too aware that he saw a considerable risk of losing this gamble.
Ratio was by no means a gambler himself, but this time, he did not hesitate to join the game, hoping that what he had to offer would be enough for both of them to make it to the next round.
“Have you ever heard about the concept of Kintsugi?” he asked, fully aware that most people would not even grant him the chance to continue listening after such a schoolmasterly question. However, Aventurine had never been like most people, so he just looked at him with calm curiosity in his eyes.
“It is an old philosophy that teaches people to accept imperfection and defects as a part of life, to even see them as a fragment of life’s beauty. But let me tell you a little fun fact: Originally, it was a craft to patch up broken pottery and seal the scars with gold. It reminds me of what you did here.”
Still not letting go of Aventurine’s wrists, Ratio gently followed the outlines of his scars with his thumb.
“However.” he added, giving Aventurine a smile. “One must not forget that the piece of pottery always remains the original artwork. Even with a ‘scar’, it is still perfectly fine and beautiful. The gold is nothing but a petty extra. And as you may know, I have never been one for superfluous knick-knacks.”
At this point, he finally let go of Aventurine's arms and carefully reached out with one of his hands to place a soft index finger on the other man’s chest. The skin there was smooth and warm, and Ratio enjoyed tracing his lover's contours like this. His collarbone, the ribs standing out ever so slightly against his skinny form. He might have even loved to playfully surround one of his lovely pink nipples, but he feared that it might have been too much right now.
Had he been too blunt? Or too abstract? Aventurine's facial colour had turned into a bothersome red by now, making Ratio worry about his well-being.
His concerned: “Are you alright, gambler?” was followed by a dramatic pause before it was finally met with a relieved laughter, erasing all of the tension out of the air, and a moment later, Aventurine had wrapped his arms around Ratio's shoulder and buried his hot face into his chest. The water splashed out of the bathtub from the sudden movement, taking his beloved rubber duck with it, but Ratio could not have cared less.
“You really chose the least romantic words I have ever heard to tell me the sweetest thing anybody has ever said to me. Are you even aware what you are doing to my poor heart, doctor?” Aventurine scolded him, chuckling sheepishly.
In fact, Ratio had no clue, but Aventurine's reaction showed him that he seemed to have done something right at least, so he allowed himself to pull the other man into a tight embrace. He felt like they had never been as close as they were in that moment, and it was a beautiful feeling. While pressing a gentle kiss to Aventurine’s damp blond hair, Ratio swore to himself to always take good care of this - of his - reckless little gambler to make sure that at least under his care there were added as few new scars to patch up as possible.