a collection of lovely tragedies

I

"My love, what's wrong?" A deep voice thrummed, large hands making contact with pale, sweaty skin.

The air in the room was still-stifling even-as Max waited for a response from his trembling partner in front of him. Said partner was splayed out on their bed, trying to collect himself from what had apparently startled or shaken him.

Max already knew what was wrong.

The brunette sat himself down on the edge of the bed, twisting his body and opening his arms to offer himself for comfort to the other on the bed. However, it wasn't taken immediately.

"You can talk to me," Max started, smiling softly as the other made eye contact with him. His brown eyes bloodshot and teary, but no less beautiful in Max's own eyes. "But you don't have to, Kai."

Max had not been expecting to come home to this. Getting off work-he worked as a nurse-and coming home to your partner doing his very best to recover from a nightmare. He hated seeing Kai like this-would give anything so that he didn't have to see the other go through it one more time.

Nightmares that didn't happen as frequently anymore, but nonetheless left him not able to function.

He was still in his scrubs and quite frankly, if he were Kai, he wouldn't want to hug him or anything yet either. So slowly, he reached over and placed his own hand on Kai's arm, making a small circle with his thumb. He smiled happily as the smaller male didn't pull away or flinch.

His fingers were warm. Bordering hot on Kai's comparatively cool skin. Max's hand lingered for a few moments, taking in the feeling of the marred skin under the pads of his fingers.

"I'll change, and then I'll be here for whatever you want. Okay?" Max stepped back away from Kai, turning himself around as he fell silent, certainly not expecting any sort of coherent response from the other.

He knew he should take a shower. He felt like he was a walking biohazard-which he was. At least his clothes were.

The brunette could hear the slowing breaths of his partner behind him, could feel his eyes on his back as he undressed himself and changed into clean clothes. A simple white t-shirt, not tight nor loose, as well as some dark grey sweatpants.

Max turned around, vision flitting over the others body, top bare, exposing all the marks and scars he'd accumulated over the years.

He looked so fragile. So breakable, like something made of glass. One of those pretty glass sculptures.

The bed sunk down as Max settled himself next to Kai, hand worming its way to meet with Kai's trembling one. There was a moment of hesitation from Kai before he took up Max's hand into his own, clasping down on it almost immediately. It was so steady compared to his, and so much larger.

"You're here. Right here with me, okay? Just tell me if I can do anything." A small smile settled onto Max's face as he watched Kai pull his hand up to his cheek, hands moving down to Max's wrist, still gripping tightly as if he was worried about him leaving.

Max reached up with his free hand, fingers meshing with his lovers peppered strands of hair, brushing it out of his face so he could see his expression, trying to gauge how he was doing.

Eyes met once again, teary with clear. Max paused a moment before he spoke up once again.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Caution in his voice, but nonetheless a welcome sound to Kai. It didn't matter what he got in response. He was trying to help the other ground himself.

"N-not... right now.." A small voice from Kai, but it was still words. And Max loved to hear them.

"Okay. That's alright." His voice was soft, soothing. A slow and steady tone to further focus on. a

Kai gripped Max's shirt in his hands, stretching the tightly woven fabric between his fingers. An attempt at deep, long breaths penetrated the silence in the air. Slightly wheezy, breath drawn out as if Kai had trouble getting his breaths in.

Which he did. There was no denying that.

But slowly, as his muscles relaxed and tension in his body faded away, his breaths evened.

Max's hand met with his partners back, finger settling over one of the many scars that littered his exposed skin. It may not have been perfect, smooth, spotless skin. But that wasnt what he wanted. It was perfect in an imperfect way.

Because even though sometimes he freaked out, and cried, and had panic attacks, and sometimes even stared. Just stared for hours. He was Kai, and Max loved Kai so much.

He could feel his stuttering breath starting to smooth out, and soon enough he found Kai worming his way into his arms further, closer to his chest than before. Max smiled, taking up his arms into his own hands. His touch slowly made its way down to Kai's sides, a firm embrace seemingly trying to cease the prominent tremors.

"Thank you..." Came a breathy voice, muffled by chest and a thin layer of cloth. A deep breath was taken before a long pause, and finally;

"G-god... Thank you..."