ATH Not-So-Temporary Thread

[Lady Mimicry]

Once the sun set and darkness reigned, did Tokka return. He was dressed in his typical wife beater and short for his early morning jogging, the black under armor covering his arms and legs completely. Usually, he looked refreshed. Tonight though, it was different. He looked distressed. Nobody else could smell it, but Clover's keen sense would surely pick up on the blood.

It was freshed and he reeked of it.

Leaving the groceries by the door, he trotted upstairs and into his room, closing the door and locking it.  

[Felixitous]

Tokka had even sat down and Clover had broken down the door. She stormed in and grabbed him by the front of the shirt, furious.

"Where the ******** have you been?" she hissed. "I ******** worried--I mean, I don't worry! No one goddamn makes me worry and you're not about to start."  

[Lady Mimicry]

Tokka grabbed her wrist, wrenching her away. He looked angry, but his lip quivered like he might cry. Scooting away, as far as possible, he sat against the bed and glared at the floor.

"I don't want to see anyone, leave. Please."  

[Felixitous]

Clover came in and shut was what left of the door, kneeling beside him. "And that's supposed to deter me? I didn't want you in my room while I was...under the weather." She still refused to admit to illness. "Now shut your mouth and let me look you over."  

[Lady Mimicry]

He didn't look at her, but pressed his palm against his ribs and pulled away. His entire side was soaked and sticky with his blood, the dark shirt hiding it well. His palm was red now like he'd been finger painting with red acrylic.

"I-I had a Lucy moment. That's all," he said, "swear."  

[Felixitous]

She groaned and hoisted him up on the bed, laying him out and pulling off his clothes. "Sit still while I fix this," she grumbled. It was difficult to tell that this actually didn't bother her. She liked helping people. Besides, maybe helping him would get rid of that nagging feeling she had lingering around in her head. She pulled out a needle and some surgical thread and started sewing him back together.  

[Lady Mimicry]

"Should've ripped the shirt," he mumbled.

Tokka didn't like being nude, let alone shirtless. Although his body was amazing, tanned and toned, the muscles rippling beneath his skin, it was all obscured by cuts. Thin red lines decorated his arms, his chest, his back seemed the only thing untouched by a razor. From what she could see.

"I didn't know Zero wasn't my father," he mused, "biologically anyways. A mutt amongst purebreds. What's worse, I found out about mom. Her little abomination, wasn't I? She hated me." He clenched his fist, fingers digging into the sheets.  

[Felixitous]

Clover very nonchalantly slapped him across the face. "Your mother wasn't ready to have kids when she found out she was having you. Even then, it didn't take long for her to love you, no matter how much the thought of actually raising a child scared her. She was livid when MK took you from her." She paused and looked at him, serious, but sincere, almost kind. "She's an angry person, and I've never seen her like that other than that one time. She loves you more than anything." She went back to patching him up. "She has never once hated you. She was only scared she was going to ruin your life. And don't call yourself a mutt. It's demeaning." She stood up straight when she was finished, then seated herself beside him on the bed. "I saw all of this happen firsthand. I not only saw your mom with that mechanical b*****d, but I saw her pregnant with you, and falling for Zero, all of it. Whose genes you have isn't important. Those two love you completely and unconditionally. You're damn lucky, and don't go goddamn forgetting it." She stood up and walked out, coat flaring behind her as she left. She then poked her head back in a second later. "And in case you'd like to know, those scars and cuts are simple to get rid of. Trigger's used to be at least that bad until I got a hold of her. Just so you know." With that, she returned to her room. Someone must have turned up the heat. Her face felt warm. Or she may have been getting sick again. Yeah, something like that. She wasn't blushing at all.  

[Lady Mimicry]

Tokka wanted to sleep, but followed Clover instead. He closed the door behind him, praying nobody had seen him with his shirt.

"Could you? For me?" His fingers brushed several cuts and he realized that he was tired of it. That constant reminder of how ******** up he really was. If they were to disappear, it'd be like starting over. A clean slate.  

[Felixitous]

Clover nodded. "Duh. That was me dropping a hint. Was it too subtle?" Were she anyone else, there would have been a smile here to show she was teasing him a little, but she didn't do the whole...smiling thing. Instead, she started getting her things together and motioned wordlessly for him to sit on the table. The sooner this was over, the sooner she could get back to feeling normal.  

[Lady Mimicry]

Taking her hand, Tokka kissed her wrist. "Thank you," he said. Then, sitting upon the table, he waited, both nervous and eager.  

[Felixitous]

...and Clover OPERATES. Except sort of not really. COSMETIC SURGERY FTW.  

[Lady Mimicry]

"Wow," he mumbled, "They're gone."

Tokka smiled and stretched, arching his back. Without the red lines, the scars, there was nothing to distract Clover from how tanned and built Tokka's chest was. As he arched, it was difficult to not take notice of all those muscles.

(poor Clover, thought she'd escape her likeness of him)  

[Felixitous]

She turned away as her face flushed. "Yeah, yeah, I know, I'm good. Now get out of here and wash those clothes before Trigger sees." Anything to get him out of here. Anything. It had been bad enough when he'd kissed her wrist. She hadn't realized how tender the skin was there until he did that. Dammit, dammit, dammit.  

[Lady Mimicry]

So, Tokka left, still lacking a shirt, but instead of going to his room, he went downstairs and pounced Trigger, knocking them both off balance.

"Mom, I love you," he said, smiling brightly, "and I really think Clover's starting to come around..."