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You step out of the dingy shower that came with you and Xefros' hotel room, drying off your hair with a bronze towel before slipping on your sleep clothes; Dammeks hoodie and some cheap sweatpants Xefros gifted you.
You step in front of the mirror, not really noticing the alien frame its incased in. You've been on this planet for a while now… You think this ends your third day(? Night? ) on it, but you're not so sure. You're not even sure if days here are the same length as on earth.
The image in the mirror isnt a pretty sight. You've aclimated poorly to the planets nocturnal lifestyle, leaving heavy bags under your eyes, and your wet hair does little to pretty up the picture. Curls fall lazily onto your forehead, sticking to your skin and avoiding the two small bumps on your hairline like the plague. The bumps themselves — things you've had and lived with your entire life — are red and irritated towards, the tips pale and peeling away from the bone that you've been told lies under it.
It's… Incredibly gross. Even though you usually hide them within your curls, the thought of hair rubbing up against the sensitive and now peeling skin makes you cringe.
You grab a hand towel and rub at the tip of your left one with it; There's fairly minimal pain, so the skin on top must already be dead. Super gross.
You pull the towel away from your head and freeze once you look back up.
The area under the dead skin is a bright reddish-orange that glistens under the bathroom light, and as you move your head to watch the light dance across the quarter-big spot, you notice that its completely smooth.
You glance down at the towel still in your hand: There is no blood on it.
You swallow. This is weird. This is super fucking weird. You dont like this. It doesnt look like bone. Even though the thought of you having a bone exposed is scary, you'd prefer that to whatever you've revealed now.
You bring a shakey hand up and gently press your index finger to the material. Its smooth and sensitive. It reminds you of the texture of Xefros' horns.
You take a step back, willing yourself to breathe. It'd be okay. Its probably some sort of- membrane? That lies between the skin and bone. You're sure. You quickly bring the towel to your other bump and scrub harder than you did the first one- You pull the towel back and stare at it.
This time the patch of red-orange is larger, and the skin circling the edge is bright and flushed. Near the edges the reddish-orange turns to bright red.
" Oh no, ohno ohnoohno- " You spew, breathing ragged and hand going to clutch at the chest of your hoodie in hopes of support.
You- You can't have horns. Those bumps were- they were bone growths, your mom said so and Jude has them too and-
" Joey?? " Xefros calls from outside of the bathroom door, " Is- Is everything alright? "
" I- N-No! I don't- "
" Can I come in..? " His voice is gentle and worried, and you know he wont mock you or get mad at you. You take a deep breath and open the door.
Xefros immediately puts a hand on your shoulder in a comforting gesture, one that makes you feel warm and trusting and thankful, in a weird way.
" Joey what happened? "
" I- Um- These!! " You gesture to your hairline and he follows the movement with his eyes, " I don't- I don't know what- "
You're shaking like a leaf and Xefros pulls you into a hug before saying anything, drawing circles into your back as a sob is ripped from your throat.
" Shhh… It's okay, it'll be okay. "
" It- Wont! I don't- I have horns! Humans don't have horns. I just- I don't know what to do. "
He holds you a little tighter and you bury your head into the space where his shirt meets his neck. He keeps shooshing you and… It feels nice to have this sort of attention.
After a bit, your sobs die down, and theres this weird feeling in your chest and vocal chords, like they're trying to push out a sound you've never made before. You finally hug Xefros back, and the breath he breathes out contains a vibration that makes the weird feeling in your chest go up a notch.
Xefros is the one that breaks the silence, voice quiet as if too loud of a sound would send you spiralling again.
" … How long have you had the bumps? "
You shift a bit on your feet.
" … My whole life… Everyone in my family has them. " Except your Pa, you note, but you barely consider him family anyways.
A rumble eminates from Xefros's chest, and you huff a bit in amusement as you realize it resembles a cats purr.
You find yourself making a sound that imitates it.