Hush-Hush

Inaho remembered Slaine telling her about his fears, but she couldn't help but think about how attractive Slaine's scars were. He was ashamed of them. She knew that she had caused them, and if she hadn't stupidly rejected him, the war probably would've ended much sooner. He would've been saved from the humiliation and torture. But he wouldn't be her Slaine. Maybe that made her a terrible person, but she liked the way Slaine was now. She liked that his scars didn't defeat him. Instead, they made him stronger.

Inaho saw Slaine laying lazily on his bed, staring out the window lying upside down. He was drumming his fingers on his stomach, looking listless. He flicked his eyes towards Inaho and smiled. Inaho averted his eyes, trying to hide her blush, but she didn't turn from him. Ever since their kiss on Christmas eve, Inaho hadn't been able to look at Slaine without blushing or wanting to kiss him again. And now she couldn't stop thinking about his scars. She was definitely becoming a pervert. But she didn't regret doing something she normally wouldn't.

"What's going on?" He asked in a slurred tone. He was probably really tired. They were on vacation, but that didn't mean he wasn't still at work. For some reason, he kept going on the phone checking his voicemail and looking really exhausted.

"Nothing in particular is going on. I was just wandering around." She said, sauntering to his bed and laying beside Slaine. "What have you been up to?"

He gave her a grin. "Nothing that I shouldn't put on hold. Why? Have you been lonely without me?" He teased, playing with her hair.

Inaho looked at him, but refused to avert her eyes. She didn't know when the last time she would get to see Slaine. Whenever an EB attack began, Inaho always feared that she wouldn't see Slaine again. She held his hand in hers and looked at his beautiful blue-green ocean-like eyes. Everything about him made her fall in love all over again.

She put her hands to his chest. He stiffened, and then slowly relaxed. "May I touch them?"

"Why would you want to? They're disgusting." He complained, and she turned to her side.

"They're not to me. I can't say anything fancy to persuade you, but you'll always be Slaine to me. And you already know how much you mean to me. You could never be disgusting to me." She said, not advancing towards him, but waiting for him to let her closer.

He looked her in the eyes for a while, and sighed deeply. "Fine. This is big to me, okay? But if you get squeamish, just tell me." He brought her hand to his chest, directly over his heart where a massive bump lay. A scar…

How many times does he look into a mirror, or casually glance at himself? Does he think about how much he hated her? Her touch must've been feather-like. She knew that the area directly over the scars were numb to him, but around it would be sensitive. She was so concentrated on not hurting him, while also discovering a new side to him personally that she hadn't noticed him looking at her.

He cupped her face and kissed her. It was a kiss that matched her touch. A kiss that wasn't mingled in the tension between them, but focused on their intimacy. Perhaps it was kiss that accepted her on a deeper level since she hadn't flinched from him. She could never imagine flinching from Slaine. She trusted him more than almost anyone else. Yuki still came first, but she trusted and loved Slaine on a different level than anyone else.

No matter how much he despised himself, she would always love him.

Today's my birthday, and I felt so hyped to write that I managed to make these two extras before the 1st.

Anyway, have a safe and happy New Year's eve and day!