[The hug had been for comfort, for reassurance. Clay's scars weren't quite like Allen's scars. Allen has long learned to live with his scars, to accept them as part of who he was now. It had taken him a long time to reach the point he has. To stop constantly wearing hoods and scarves to cover his hair, to try to brush his bangs in ways that covered his facial scar as much as possible. Still, eventually he had come to terms with them, through his own means, through growing to understand that all he was doing from lingering on the scars as much as he did was keeping himself from walking forward. And even now, he had moments where he struggled with that a little, but...he's gotten a lot better.]
[But Clay wasn't like Allen, he hadn't come to terms with his own scars even though it was clear he didn't mind Allen's. He hid his scars and seemed to try to hide himself when the subject came up. Allen supposed it made sense in a way...he remembered what Clay had told him at Ino's birthday party, about how he used to be as a child. How he had been a quiet wallflower before he knew Apollo, the opposite of how he acted now. Opposite of how Allen had been as a child, brash and aggressive, never shying away from a fight.]
[Allen...knew better than anyone that no matter how much you change your personality, bits of the old one remained. Clay still shied away from dances and hid his distinguishing scars, the same way Allen still got temperamental and impatient no matter how hard he tried to be like his father.]
[Which maybe...that wasn't a bad thing. Clay Terran was the man he wanted to be with, not Apollo Justice, the loud and quiet parts alike. And Clay sure made no secret that he liked the parts of Allen that weren't like his father as much as the parts that were. So...maybe it wasn't bad, that they were still their own people...]
[But before he can really think more on that, he feels Clay finally return his embrace and dig his head into the junction of his neck. He tilts his head just so to let him be comfortable, to let him take a moment to work through what demons were running through his head. He feels a bit of happiness when he hears Clay respond to his little quip, and was opening his mouth to respond- when he hears that sound of tape peeling off]
[Wait. Tape? Was that?]
[His eyes widen in surprise. It takes a moment to sink in that he heard that right before he glances at the bed and sees...sure enough, a used bandage crumpled on the sheets. As far as he knew...between the two of them, there was only one bandage being worn today. The one that had always been worn, as long as Allen had known him.]
[He looks at Clay, sitting in front of him with his head held down. Then slowly, cautiously, he reaches his hand out to Clay and lifts Clay's chin so he can get a better look at his face. The scar on his nose...it's small, but it's deep. He can see that it's taken out a bit of Clay's nose. It's the type of scar that'd never fully heal, that stays with a person for life.]
[Allen lifts a couple fingers to reach over and trace the scar on his nose very gently, showing that he understood the gravity of this show of trust. He then moves his fingers down away from his nose, towards the side of his face where he holds it, giving Clay a gentle and loving smile.]
If they're like the rest of you, I'm sure they're beautiful.
[Maybe the physical scar on Clay's face would never heal, but...just maybe, a little bit of the scarring it left on his heart could start to heal.]
action;
[But Clay wasn't like Allen, he hadn't come to terms with his own scars even though it was clear he didn't mind Allen's. He hid his scars and seemed to try to hide himself when the subject came up. Allen supposed it made sense in a way...he remembered what Clay had told him at Ino's birthday party, about how he used to be as a child. How he had been a quiet wallflower before he knew Apollo, the opposite of how he acted now. Opposite of how Allen had been as a child, brash and aggressive, never shying away from a fight.]
[Allen...knew better than anyone that no matter how much you change your personality, bits of the old one remained. Clay still shied away from dances and hid his distinguishing scars, the same way Allen still got temperamental and impatient no matter how hard he tried to be like his father.]
[Which maybe...that wasn't a bad thing. Clay Terran was the man he wanted to be with, not Apollo Justice, the loud and quiet parts alike. And Clay sure made no secret that he liked the parts of Allen that weren't like his father as much as the parts that were. So...maybe it wasn't bad, that they were still their own people...]
[But before he can really think more on that, he feels Clay finally return his embrace and dig his head into the junction of his neck. He tilts his head just so to let him be comfortable, to let him take a moment to work through what demons were running through his head. He feels a bit of happiness when he hears Clay respond to his little quip, and was opening his mouth to respond- when he hears that sound of tape peeling off]
[Wait. Tape? Was that?]
[His eyes widen in surprise. It takes a moment to sink in that he heard that right before he glances at the bed and sees...sure enough, a used bandage crumpled on the sheets. As far as he knew...between the two of them, there was only one bandage being worn today. The one that had always been worn, as long as Allen had known him.]
[He looks at Clay, sitting in front of him with his head held down. Then slowly, cautiously, he reaches his hand out to Clay and lifts Clay's chin so he can get a better look at his face. The scar on his nose...it's small, but it's deep. He can see that it's taken out a bit of Clay's nose. It's the type of scar that'd never fully heal, that stays with a person for life.]
[Allen lifts a couple fingers to reach over and trace the scar on his nose very gently, showing that he understood the gravity of this show of trust. He then moves his fingers down away from his nose, towards the side of his face where he holds it, giving Clay a gentle and loving smile.]
If they're like the rest of you, I'm sure they're beautiful.
[Maybe the physical scar on Clay's face would never heal, but...just maybe, a little bit of the scarring it left on his heart could start to heal.]