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Tamsy liked a lot of things about The Ground.
He liked the food here. His favorite street food stall, where he’d stop when he was in town for their ramen with extra noodles. He liked the fashion, how different everyone looked, their clothing and body modifications and tattoos, so different from the conformity of The Sphere. He liked being able to do as he pleased, when he pleased, without worrying about being reprimanded for impropriety by self-important Apostles. Really, The Ground was more enjoyable in so many ways.
The weather was not one of those ways.
The weather on The Sphere was much like everything else about it – boring. Mild temperatures, lukewarm sunshine, gentle breezes. Generally pleasant, if nothing to write home about. Down here, they had real seasons. The summer was sweltering and humid. The winter was bitter cold. Storms, trash or otherwise, were a frequent occurrence.
When he’d heard the forecast that morning, he’d known today would be troublesome. Heavy rain, the report said, most likely for a few days straight. Something-something, low pressure areas, high pressure areas; he could only stomach so much of that reporter’s obnoxious voice in one sitting before switching the radio off. What it meant for Tamsy was days of persistent pain, something about this weather making his scars ache and tug at the skin around them as if they weren’t old and settled, making him irritable. Sure enough, the rain had started up, and he felt the unpleasant soreness come creeping in with it.
Tamsy frowned at his reflection in the chipped mirror of the communal bathroom as he brushed out his hair. He’d hoped that a hot shower would help to ease some of the stiffness, but no such luck this time. The water had felt good, but he found himself begrudgingly longing for his private baths up top. Clipping his hair up, he reached into his toiletry bag for the tub of herbal cream he kept for days like this, feeling the weight of the little jar. Close to empty, he’d have to go into town again soon for more. The pharmacy he bought it from said it was meant to help soothe damaged skin and minimize scarring. Too late for that, he thought, but still. Something was better than nothing.
He was beginning the task of applying the salve to his neck and shoulders, trying not to stain the fabric of his bathrobe with it, when his attention was drawn by someone turning on the sink next to his. It was late, well past when most of the Cleaners and Supporters went to sleep, but it wasn’t unusual to run into another person in the bathrooms at this time. This job attracted odd people who kept odd hours.
Enjin spit his toothpaste into the sink, filling his mouth with water from the tap and gargling loudly. Degenerate. Tamsy internally prayed that Rudo wouldn’t pick up on any of his teammate’s charming habits like that. Fighting down the look of disdain threatening to show on his face, he inclined his head towards the other man.
“Enjin. Good evening.”
“‘Sup Tams.”
He didn’t recall giving Enjin permission to give him a nickname. Apparently that didn’t matter. Well, Tamsy reasoned with himself, it wasn’t the worst thing in the world, to allow the other Cleaner to feel familiar with him. It would make it that much easier to carry on with his plans right under his nose, and hell, Enjin was loyal to a fault… maybe he’d even vouch for Tamsy’s character if Corvus started getting too suspicious. Wouldn’t that be something.
Besides, he wasn’t… unpleasant to look at. Gob’s tattooing was a work of art, even if his canvas was a bit rough. Enjin’s old t-shirt, sleeveless with the sides open down past his ribs, didn’t leave much to the imagination. Tamsy spared another glance as Enjin leaned over the sink basin again to spit the water out, taking in the bold black and red lines, and… silver bars? Nipple piercings? Really? When had he gotten those?
He was snapped out of his train of thought when he realized Enjin was saying something to him.
“ – if you’re having trouble.”
“Huh?” Very intelligent, Caines.
“I can help you get the spots on your back… if you needed help with them?” Tamsy’s expression must have given him away, because Enjin started backpedaling. “Sorry, I don’t mean to say you can’t do it yourself, obviously you can, it just looked like you had to twist your arm real weird to try to get the scars there and. Uh. Yeah.”
Tamsy blinked away his surprise. Did Enjin think they were that friendly with each other? Honestly, it was the first time Enjin had even mentioned his scars… he didn’t tend to pry into people’s pasts like that, it seemed. An appreciable trait. But now here he was, what, offering to get his back for him? Who did he think Tamsy was? Enjin cleared his throat awkwardly.
“I dunno if yours are anything like Rudo’s, but I know they bother him a lot too sometimes. I had to help him rewrap his hands earlier. If you’re cool though, all good, I’ll see you tomorrow, yeah?” He turned and started towards the door, seemingly keen to exit the strange atmosphere he’d created.
At the mention of Rudo, the gears in Tamsy’s head had started to move again. It was obvious Enjin thrived on being useful. It could be advantageous to let him feel that he was helping Tamsy, making them closer as teammates, allow him to think he was seeing Tamsy’s vulnerable side.
It really was a bitch to try to get the burns on his back.
“Alright.”
This time it was Enjin’s turn to look surprised, stopping with his hand on the door to the bathroom.
“Alright?”
“I’ll take you up on that. I’d appreciate the help. However, would you mind coming to my room? It’s a bit too cold for me in here with my hair still wet.” It was the truth, but Tamsy also wasn’t sure if he could handle the embarrassment of being seen with Enjin like… like however it would look to their coworkers. Whatever. It didn’t matter. He was simply making use of Enjin for the sake of his greater goals, no matter what Enjin or anyone else thought.
Enjin was stunned to hear Tamsy accept his offer. If it hadn’t been so embarrassing, the look on his face would have been hilarious; it seemed like it was last thing in the world Tamsy expected to hear from him, and yet here he was, following the younger Cleaner back to his room in HQ. He hadn’t planned for him to invite him to his room, hell, he hadn’t planned anything, period. He’d just noticed Tamsy’s twinge of pain and sharp inhale as he raised his arm to put whatever product he was using on the skin behind his shoulderblade, and offered to help him before he thought twice about how it could be construed. He was just glad Tamsy wasn’t offended. It had taken a while to get Rudo to let him help him when his hands were acting up. The kid had a million reasons: he didn’t need help (the way he shivered without his gloves said different), Enjin had more important things to do (he didn’t), his scars were gross (Enjin had seen worse, he’d told him. He wasn’t sure if that was true.), but eventually, he’d convinced Rudo that it wasn’t an imposition to come to him when he needed to re-bandage his hands. It was just helping his teammate out. It didn’t mean he thought less of Rudo, or that he was weaker for having his injury.
That’s what this was, too. Just helping out.
Tamsy’s room was surprisingly plain. Enjin wasn’t sure what he had expected, maybe posters from those freaky bands he sometimes heard Tamsy blasting at absurd volumes, or a vanity piled with hair products and styling tools and all that stuff Riyo liked, or… who knew. The guy was mysterious like that. But it was just a normal room like all the others, bed up against the wall, a dresser with a radio on it, a mirror on the wall. Normal shit, he noted, as Tamsy turned to face him next to the table and chair in the middle of the room. He placed the jar he’d been using on the table.
“Forgive me, I’m not exactly used to having company, I’ve only got the one chair,” Tamsy said, glancing away.
“All good, I’ll stand, how do y’wanna…” Enjin’s words died in his throat as Tamsy straddled the chair backwards and let the robe slip from his shoulders. He suddenly felt as if the temperature in the room had risen despite the icy rain steadily drumming on the window pane. Normally covered up under billowing layers, he’d never seen the full extent of the scars. Wrapped around his ribs, curving up to connect to the visible one on his neck, a particularly poorly-healed one at the base of his spine. It was an odd contrast with his delicate features, almost pretty like a girl. What the hell happened to leave this much damage?
But Enjin wasn’t one to ask questions. Cleaners tended to be guarded when it came to their backgrounds, and he respected that. Besides, he wasn’t here for show and tell. Holding the tub in one hand, he scooped up a fingerful of the medicinal-smelling stuff and cautiously brought it to the discolored skin between Tamsy’s shoulderblades. Tamsy jumped, making Enjin flinch away in return. Was he… nervous? Nah, probably just the sudden coldness. Enjin apologized sheepishly, placing the jar back on the table so he could warm the salve between his palms this time.
He worked in silence, rubbing the cream into scarred flesh, starting with Tamsy’s upper back. The skin at the junction of his left arm seemed to have healed in a way that limited his range of motion. How often did Tamsy have to do this? He’d never mentioned being bothered by it, but then again, he didn’t seem like the type to let people hear him complain. Maybe the weather made it worse, like Alice said it did to her joints. Did that stuff only happen to old people? Rudo’s didn’t seem to have any rhyme or reason. Man, had he ever noticed how skinny this guy was? Enjin’s hands could probably span his whole waist and wrap around to his front. Lost in thought, he worked his way along, grabbing more of the ointment as he went. He came to the spot on Tamsy’s lower back, gently feeling along the area. It seemed like the muscle underneath was knotted too, and he applied a bit of pressure with the heel of his palm.
Tamsy moaned.
What the fuck?
The chair scraped against the linoleum with a harsh sound as Tamsy jumped up, pulling the robe back around himself tightly. Was Enjin finally losing it? There’s no way that’s what that was. Did he seriously just moan? Tamsy’s face was flushed and he was looking anywhere except Enjin’s eyes.
“I apologize, I must have fallen asleep, it was very kind of you to help me but I have to head out early tomorrow, I’d hate to oversleep and hold everyone up, I’m sure you understand. Good night, Enjin!”
Enjin’s head spun as he was ushered out of the room and the door shut definitively behind him. Had he hurt Tamsy? No, he knew what it sounded like when someone was hurt. That sound was… That was something else that he didn’t have the brain power to unpack right now. His own face hot, he shook his head and made his way back to his own room, feeling in his sweatpants pocket for his key. His toothbrush was in his pocket too. Right, all this had happened because he ran into Tamsy in the bathroom. Looking at his clock, he realized just how late it was. Had he really spent that long in Tamsy’s room? Weird friggin’ night. Probably best to pretend nothing happened, save them both the embarrassment. And nothing did happen, he reminded himself!
He should get some rest. He and the kids had a mission to go on tomorrow.
Ah.
A mission.
With Team Eager.
Fuuuck.