The day had been peaceful on the Atlas. For once, Lotor, or Hagar, or some Galra fleet weren’t attacking, and the crew was able to sit back a bit. Keith and I resided in his room, for I had gotten close enough with him to be allowed access. By him, of course. What would make this day more peaceful, is if the AC on the ship wasn’t broken.
It wasn’t a problem for most people, for they could just wear shorter clothes. But for me, however, it was a huge issue. The cuts along my arm were fresh, and I couldn’t let anyone see (let alone, let people see the healed scars). Even though the jacket I had been wearing was lightweight, I still felt like I could melt from the amount of sweat along my torso and arms.
Keith took notice of my odd attire, I know he did. I could feel his gaze flickering to my jacket ever so often as we sat on the edge of his bed chatting, a subtle distance put in place in between us.
“Hey..what’s with the jacket? Don’t you know? The AC’s broken.” Keith questioned abruptly, making me anxious, for I didn’t have the best excuse for his question.
“I put it on before I heard the news. I don’t have a shirt on under, so, it’s probably best I don’t take it off now.” I voice, laughing nervously as I stretch my arms up to try to divert his attention. Shit.
“You could just borrow one of my shirts-” He suggests, slightly playful tone hidden in his voice. Though, he cut himself off when he realized the situation, giving me a stare, one that I could not fully decipher, as I was avoiding eye contact at all costs. But, if I had to guess from what I could see in the corner of my eye, he seems…worried.
I swiftly put my arms back down, clutching my fists to try to ease the stinging pain arising from my arm. Keith took notice of this, he had to. His gaze, that was now burning into me, made it obvious.
Keith shifts towards me, the sides of our bodies touching now, and puts his hand on mine, gently, as to not bother the cuts more than my careless action did. It was as if him putting a hand onto mine, oh, so gently and kindly, for that matter, would cause my arms to sting even more, even though the cuts were only above my wrists. It was endearing, really.
“I….” Keith speaks, dragging off the letter before stopping, signaling he didn’t quite know what to say. “I don’t exactly understand your situation, but, I…I want to help either way.”
I stay silent, instead putting my head in the crook of his neck to hold back the tears forming in my eyes. I wasn’t a weak person, but, the thought that Keith could, in his heart, be disappointed in me, just seemed like the most reasonable conclusion in that case.
“I’m sorry.” I mutter, moving my head so my cheek was on his collarbone, giving me better access for talking.
“You don’t have anything to be sorry for, trust me.” Keith states. Even those he sounded so assertive, his voice was still so…soft. I wasn’t sure how he did it, he definitely wasn’t the most patient man. But when those times come around, he sure could comfort someone.
“I won’t just tell you to ‘stop harming yourself, for me’, because, let’s face it, that’s now how this works.” Keith voices after a few seconds of silence went by, pausing to, assumably, pick out the correct words to speak. “But…I want to help not have to do this, I do, but..I’m not sure how. But I will help, somehow, I promise.”
I softly smile, the amount of worry eating at me slightly going away. As we sit there, relaxing in the, now comfortable, silence, I think about the suggestion he provided me with earlier. While I was still iffy about the whole situation, I decided to take the first step myself, and trust someone to see my scars.
“I think I’ll take you up on that offer. To wear one of your shirts instead of this jacket, that is.” I express, my voice more seemingly casual.
Keith hummed as he got up, walking to wear he neatly tucked away his assortments of clothing.
“Would be wise.” He joked, turning back to look at me with a smile.
I smile back, glad about the outcome of our small chat. It was short, but I felt more at ease now. I also feel a lot better knowing I’ll finally get to peel off the jacket I had been wearing the whole time. The things we do to hide things from others.