[PRP] A Bittersweet Reunion

[shibrogane]

His scar was not the least of the things he had to be self-conscious about. But it was the one that worried him the most; when you had scars that fit your thumb easily, even thin ones like the x on Aure's forehead caused anxiety. And maybe he had a psychological thing about it; perhaps it seemed worse than it really was to him. He took a deep breath and smoothed his hair across his forehead, tucking it behind his ear quite securely. With a deep breath, he knocked on the door, then turned and sat before it, facing away. Being seen like this, even by Ean, was humiliating.

Aure didn't have any hope of it being fixed, though. He tucked his arms between his chest- so flat, it was disturbing- and hunched over. The white leather of his jacket stretched around his shoulders; even the pale blue jeans seemed to fit less comfortably than they had less than twelve hours ago, when he'd changed for bed. "Please," he muttered, "Let it be Ean that opens the door, please, please, please."

It wasn't in his nature to beg, but this might qualify as a crisis situation. He stared at a tree that stood maybe a hundred yards away. Maybe if he looked at it intensely enough, it'd explode. It'd be something to do while waiting, anyway...  

[Juridian Soul]

It WAS Ean that opened the door. An older Ean. A MUCH older Ean. An Ean that was Aure's age. He canted his head to one side. Sure - he recognized who it was, and that wasn't why he didn't want to speak. It was so that he didn't do anything untoward. After all... Aure... in this form.... was simply HOT.

"Aurelius... Interesting to see you here... What might be the cause of your.. ah.... sudden transformation?"

He reached out to offer him his hand.

"Won't you come in? We can talk about this upstairs."

No 'hello, how are you'. The situation didn't seem to need it. Beside - he had more things upstairs to help the poor boy than down here on the stoop.  

[shibrogane]

His voice startled Aure, who had been concentrating so hard on making that tree explode that he'd given himself a headache. Within seconds, with reflexes he didn't know the origin of, he was on both feet and nearly three yards away. His hair hung loose, exposing the scar, but he lost no time brushing it back over the offending piece of his forehead.

"Oh," he breathed with relief, "It's you." The last word had all the impact of a dying man in the desert confronted with the vision of water. "Thank god." Aure didn't take Ean's hand, instead cradling the broken wrist with both arms. "I'm sorry to intrude," he said, making it obvious he did intend to go upstairs with the other teen. "I didn't know who else to go to." Implying trust. The distant logical part of Aure's mind approved of that, even if it didn't approve of any of his other actions that day.

He took a few tentative steps forward, shoulders hunched slightly. Don't answer the questions, because you don't know. When he stood about two feet from Ean, he stopped, and shrugged. Very good. Shrugging. That's very blase.  

[Juridian Soul]

Ean blinked again, and shook his head a bit, shutting the door, and putting his arm around Aure's shoulders. He was kind. Gentle. Friendly. MUCH different than he had been previously. ... For the better.

"Don't be nervous. I'm home alone, aside from the animals. And they tend to stay away from my room. C'mon."

He helped him up the stairs, and got him into his chambers, shutting the door behind him, and motioning to the bed. It was a nest-bed - a huge, round affair with black and red sheets, silver lining, and silver pillows. His room was similarly colored all over. His desk was black and silver. His gaming station was red and black. His bookshelves were black....

"Now.... tell me what's going on. You look pale as a sheet, Aure. Did you not recognize me?"  

[shibrogane]

Aure sat, but looked substantially less at ease. Too much black- he shuddered. "That's good," he had said, at hearing no one else was home. Near immediately, he regretted it, and almost said sorry. Except he'd meant it, and honesty would be the best policy. "I... did recognize you. You're hard not to- recognize, I mean..." Both hands went to his forehead, and he pressed- not hard, but enough to relieve the pressure.

"I woke up this morning, and I was a... man." This was said in a tone that implied he was highly unhappy about it, and uncomfortable besides. "I panicked," he continued, a little stronger. "And I didn't know who else to talk to. All the men who live with me are not the type I would trust with something like this. The only person I could think of was..." His voice, hoarse as it usually was, trailed off. The sentence didn't bear completing; instead, he looked around at the room nervously.

There's so much black, he thought, and he shuddered.  

[Juridian Soul]

"Was me?"

He crossed to the bed, and sat down with him, wrapping his arm around him again, and hugging him close. He wanted to make him feel comfortable - at ease. JUST as he would have done, had Aure been a female. However, the MALE Aure just made it all the more sweet.

"Do you know if you're a male ALL the way through? Hormones, organs, everything? There are distinct differences in all male and female organs - or so I've heard told. Aside from the general size of things."

He rested his hand on Aure's knee. Tempted to go higher, but not doing so.  

[shibrogane]

"Yes," he said, feeling very defensive. "I'm a scientist, of course I checked to ensure my hypothesis was correct." By now, Aure had probably gone through the entire visible spectrum of red, and probably had now ascended into the infrared scale, since he looked pale, but otherwise normal. "They-- are different-- distinctly so." He forced the words out between his teeth; tendons in his neck stood out from the effort. It hadn't been... unfamiliar. Which worried him- what had happened in that gap in his memory? That wasn't of any import now.

It was nice, to be sitting here with Ean, even if it was just for a few minutes. Shakily, he tried to smile. "W-where have you been, these past eight months," he asked, and it was quite obvious he was trying to shift the attention off himself. "I looked for you."  

[Juridian Soul]

Ean's hand moved to rest over Aure's heart, and remained there while he spoke.

"I've been to a world with no color, trying to find a cure for a disease with no origin - which was trying to destroy a people who didn't care - for an entity with no body."

He smiled after this. It WAS just a little odd, after all.

"I came out of the mirror a teenager. Your age now."

He continued to keep his hand where it was, trying to judge just what sort of reaction HE had on Aure's body. The best way to do that was via the heartbeat.  

[shibrogane]

Aure felt unsteady, and the beat of his heart reflected that. But it could be so many things- his situation, for one, and the long walk he'd taken to get here another- that one couldn't really be sure. But it sped up when Ean came into contact with his skin. Aure seemed to be aware, but he kept his green eyes trained on the toes of his white sneakers.

"There was no mirror for me," he said after a moment. "Just cold, and blood, and then nothing. I don't remember any of it, except getting this-" He shifted away and pulled up the hem of his jacket and the shirt under it to show Ean the thick, concave scar on the side of his body. As quickly as it was shown, it disappeared. "-your story is much more interesting."

"It's good. That we're still the same age. Did you know that we're the oldest save Shen and the other Illu?"  

[Juridian Soul]

"I didn't know that. But I suppose that is good to know. We're in charge of the infants now, aren't we?"

He laughed, and slid his hand UNDER Aure's shirt, resting over his heart again, skin to skin. He looked concerned.

"Take a deep breath, mmmk? I want to take a look at you. I haven't gotten the chance to try out some of the things that my uncle Dragon has taught me yet. You don't mind, do you?"

He motioned over to a medical kit lying half-open on the dresser. There was a stethoscope, penlight, and some gauze sitting in sight.

"Just want to check you out, is all."  

[shibrogane]

Aure almost jumped up, but settled for flinching. Ean was warm, compared to his own skin. And he never would have dreamed of letting anyone's hands get near that part of his anatomy when he was female; that seemed ingrained now. Instead of pushing away, as he desired to do, he reached up and made sure his hair was covering his scar. "No," he said, but it was more of a question.

It's just because you're so unsettled. Nothing else. Aure hoped that he was right.  

[Juridian Soul]

"No you don't mind? Or No you don't want me to?"

Ean rose, and brought back the kit, looking a bit concerned. He sat back down with the kit in hand, setting it behind him, as his hand returned to Aure's chest. Rubbed there for a few. He didn't really care if Aure pushed him away.

"I just want to listen in here..." he murmured. "Just to make sure you're ok - nothing perverted or anything."

He smiled at the other boy in a comforting manner, and sighed softly. It was a chilly night - it would probably get down to the lower temperatures up here. Aure would need a coat.

"Hold that thought - I'll be right back."

He got up, and moved over to the closet, bring back a warm coat for his friend.

"Here... now.... did you said I COULD give you a checkup, or...?"  

[shibrogane]

"Of course," Aure said, distracted again. He didn't know what question he was answering- just one of them. The second coat, he added to the first; warmth was a nice change. "I don't mind," he added, after a moment's thought. Damnit. Why couldn't he think clearly? Maybe females actually did have clearer thought processes than males and all the lore was wrong. He'd bet on it- but then he was a member of the weaker sex. Again. Couldn't he ever win at this?

He took a deep breath and sighed. "Have you met someone named Avedis?" Again, trying to shift attention off himself.  

[Juridian Soul]

Ean pulled the stethoscope out of the medical kit, and hung it around his neck, before sliding the earpieces in, and tapping the end to make sure he had the right one active. He thought about the question for a moment. Remembered back to when he and Maverick had tried to protect his aunt... Was that...? Did that thing give his name? Yes... He remembered.

"Yes, I have... Not a nice man - or more beast, if you're talking personality."

He started to unbutton just the front of Aure's shirt, leaving the coats on. He just wanted to expose the chest - which he soon did. He felt for the apex of the heart with his fingers for a few moments, trying to locate it.

"He didn't offer me anything - but he was threatening my Aunt. I didn't see much of him. He SURE as hell didn't touch me."

Once he found the apex, he withdrew his hand, and pressed the diaphragm of the stethoscope where his fingers just were. Looking thoughtful, he listened closely to Aure's heartbeat. Did he had ANY effect on his friend at all?  

[shibrogane]

"He was polite until I told him no," he said, trying to concentrate on the line of conversation. It was difficult, with blood pounding in his ears and being able to feel the strongly paced beats of his heart in his throat. The rythem was as unsteady as his head; he pressed his palm to his forehead. "But it's good that he didn't hurt you." There was carefully no less emphasis on any other words he'd said. His hand with the broken wrist went to cover the scar on his side. "Did he hurt your aunt?"