"Ow that hurts!" "Hold still, it hurts because you're squirming too much." He reprimanded. Resuming his actions of cleaning. "Ow! Bob, your tongue is barbed. It stings badly." The boy complained. He was wincing as he felt the aforementioned barbed tongue graze his neck. The cut near his throat was aching. The sound of his skin being scratched was audible. "Can't help that I inherited a barbed tongue from my mother. Quillspike naturally has barbed tongues." He said bluntly. He sniffed the injury. It wasn't bleeding anymore, thankfully he thought. He hoped it wouldn't develop an infection. Regardless of if he had acquired the cleanest mouth from his Quillspike heritage.
"No kidding." Ray murmured. As he felt the fire beast's breath graze over his neck. He figured he was checking for some infection. Or any traces of blood. Which didn't help as the boy was covered in sewage and mud. He didn't exactly smell good. And figured he can take a good shower and clean up with some peroxide, but Tatsurion contested that he didn't want Ray to risk an infection. And opted to clean the wound himself. As to, as he put it, "put his instincts at ease". Ray had no clue as to what that meant. He didn't want to ask as he was pretty occupied with Tatsurion grazing his tongue all over Ray's face and hair to remove as much dirt as possible. He tried to shove his head away but since Tatsurion was significantly larger than he was and much stronger. It proved useless. "Bob! Ow!" Tatsurion rolled his eyes. "It's not exactly my fault that you flesh bags have soft hides." And to prove his point. He licked the mud off of the back of Ray's neck. In which the boy yelped and jumped away. Tatsurion chuckled. Humans were way too soft for their own good. The boy rubbed his neck. Probably to ease the shivers the barbed tongue created.
He remembered when he was young himself. Back when he still lived with his mother. He and his brothers would fuss and complain about being bathed after long days in the fields or being caught smothering each other in mud and twigs. His mother would use water to wash off most of the mud and then use her tongue to clean their faces. Maybe even style his fur. For his brothers, style their quills. It sometimes felt tingly, but it didn't have much effect on him or his brothers. What is different for Ray because he doesn't have fur? Or tough skin?" He thought about it as he continued to clean the boy as much as he could. Ray would try to shrug away or even duck down when Tatsurion came too close. His tongue was stuck out and just licked away air. He told the boy to knock it off and let him finish. "I can do it myself!" Ray argued. "Can you clean Tarborg muck out of your fur?" Ray groaned. Just his luck. "Well," he thought about his response. He remembered how much of a pain it was to wash it out of his hair. It took so many washes for him to get most of it out.
It was like thick gum. As much as he pulled and scrubbed it would stretch out and get even more tangled. Thankfully there was a little bit left in his hair as Tatsurion managed to clean most of it off with his teeth as a comb. "You don't have an answer. Do you?" He said bluntly. Ray groaned. "No…not really." Tatsurion gave him a smirk. Without another word he continued his cleaning. He paid more attention to his hair and neck area. Gently. He reminds himself. One bite was all that was needed to cause some harm. Figuring to pass the time, he figured to spark some conversation. "So how are things with your er…father?" The word just felt strange on his tongue. It felt off to him. It had been a few weeks to about a month since his father was cured of his predicament of being forcefully fused with Humonculon. He still didn't develop a trust with him. No doubt his father, or Ken, felt the same way. Maybe it was his own set of instincts trying to yank his son away from the potential danger. Him. Even though he and Ray developed a mutual friendship. He was his best friend. They fought together and faced all kinds of danger. He didn't understand what this unnerved feeling Ken felt. Ray had a sad look on his face. Pondering as to what he can tell him.
He remembered when Tatsurion confronted him about his family harming him. Growling at him to tell the truth. Thankfully it wasn't the case, but he couldn't help but feel that pain in his chest. "We are doing well. We moved to our new apartment a few weeks back too. Finally got my own room." He remembered that the family had to relocate once again as the home they were settled into was badly damaged and the land around it was crumbling around it. Not suitable for staking homes. He had to move back to Allison's home, and he remembered how watched in amusement and slight annoyance as he and Allison were arguing about sleeping arrangements.
"No more floor sharing with Allison? Best results would be sharing the bed between the both of you." Ray turned a bright red. "Bob! Wha- why…that is not an option!" Tatsurion just let out a laugh. These moments of teasing were the best amusement. "Why not?" "It's…it's not a thing with most people. Unless they are dating and stuff." He avoided eye contact. His face was red. "It's not unusual for different genders to share a sleeping space. Or even share a nest. Dating or not. It's common." "Bob, for humans it's fairly different." Tatsurion started licking the boy's bangs. Dragging them down over his eyes. "Hey! Not the bangs!" He got most of the muck off. And resumed to clean the injury on his neck. "Ow!" "Sorry," was his response. Ray started talking about how things with his new room are going. He even got a new bed that he can sleep in properly and not an "airbed" he was forced to sleep in whilst roomed with Allie. He remembered how annoyed the boy was when the air-filled bag bed somehow deflated in the middle of the night. He's doing well now. That's a good thing. He then turned the conversation to his father's condition. "He has some scarring on his back. From where the mechanical spider legs came out of his body." The boy sighed. "Most of them have healed. But some are still, how do I say this? Stitched up?" The injuries weren't old, neither were they new. "It might still be healing as his flesh may have been stretched or torn in some places." "I guess so. Dad can't sleep on his back. He had to lie on his stomach most of time. He complains that his back was terribly sore. Sometimes he can't even move on his own. Mom or I have to help him move around. Or even use a cane to support him." He wrapped his arms around himself.
If pity was the word, he would use it. He didn't feel sorry, but he knew that the transformation his father had gone through would've caused major disfigurement or dismemberment. Leaving Ken almost unrecognizable. He's grateful to whatever great power was out there that preserved Ken's previous appearance. He'd seen dragons become disfigured or dismembered for crimes and accusations. Either having their membranes of the wings stretched till they were thin and sometimes torn. Or even have their teeth pulled out. Some were even mangled beyond question because of old torture methods. Other than some minor disfigurement on Ken's back and the loss of his eye, he might live normally. He would need some assistance. He observed the boy's expression. It was a plain expression, but he could tell the child was distressed. Probably didn't want to show it. Worried his father may succumb to his injuries. "Ray," He reached out one of his claws to perk his chin up. "He'll be fine. Your father will heal." Ray sometimes appreciated his friend's bluntness. He may not be the cuddliest or emotionally available creature in the world, but he didn't help but appreciate these moments. "I know, but that's not just it." The boy shook a little. His eyes turning away from Tatsurion's gaze. Did he do something to Ray? He felt that pain in his chest again. What was it? It seemed to churn and pass through his chest and ribs. Soon passing through the entirety of his limbs. It didn't hurt but it was uncomfortable. Almost like someone or something was pulsating or squeezing him from the vicinity of his rib cage. Before he knew it, he was growling. Ray knew what the growl was about. He immediately told the fire beast that it wasn't what he was thinking. "He didn't hurt me. Promise." His statement didn't alleviate the creature's fear or anger. Ray took a deep breath and said one word. "Nightmares."