cybernetic-crusader:
Why did he have to do that?
He hardly been eating, with Ash sharing the same living space as him, and he was too nervous to reveal himself before them to eat. There were times where he had managed to sneak away, but he hadn’t that chance, and the hunger was too great.
Now he was doubled over, both his hands over his face to hide away his features whilst he nestled himself among the cushions. He never wanted Ash to see his scars, to see his deformities, to see the injuries; he worried that they would portray him differently to how he wished to be seen.
The villains always had their scars, the hideous marks etched onto their flesh to signal that they were BAD GUYS, that something was wrong with them. All media portrayed this, and sure, there were select Heroes who shared this trait, but they were overwhelmed by the majority of malicious crooks with these features.
But despite all of this, Ash managed to drag a single, short laugh from behind those hands, a desperate attempt to find some solace in his panicked state. One hand risked removing itself from his face, keeping his left securely held over his left side, hiding away those scars as best as he could.
[I do not look like a Hero. I do not look good. You will see me different.]
[And...? I don’t care if you don’t look like a Hero. You will still look like JJ to me. Nothing can change that, please just trust me.]
Just as Ash was trusting JJ more and more, he hoped and prayed JJ was trusting him more as well. JJ saw Ash at his worst, the first time they’ve met. Ash had been a little malnourished, he had scars littered across his body, he considered himself a monster. He still did, but around JJ he felt more... comfortable and at ease.
Hesitantly, he reached over to lightly place a hand along JJ’s arm. Ash drew in a ragged breath before choosing to speak instead of signing again.
“Please? I’m... I’m not going to think any different of you, I promise you that.”