A Penny For Your Thoughts? | Georgia x Pennsylvania [Angst & Fluff]

🖼️An Art Gallery Could Never Be As Unique As You [Comfort]🖼️

TW (Trigger Warning):
•Low self esteem
•Body issues
•Internalized racism (no slurs used)
•Mention of a type of self-harm (bleaching the skin)

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Georgia wiped away the foggy mirror and was faced with- well- his face, and freshly wet hair draped over his forehead.

He traced the discoloration in his skin with his eyes, and it felt like his whole body sunk down.

He brought his hands up to his shoulders, and rubbed up and down his arms. His eyebrows furrowed as he looked over all his body at all the patches of pale skin that littered his torso.

He hated it.

He took his finger and traced a large patch that reached from the left side of his neck down to wrap around his breast. Then he shifted to trace a patch that covered his right shoulder. His eyes started to sting as he scoured all the spots.

Ugly. Freak. Unnatural.

Pretty soon he was sitting with his head in his knees against the wall. The words bounced around his head, over and over again.

Fake black. Too white.

A slight sob could be heard through the door, conveniently, right as his roommate walked past.

Pennsylvania stopped in his tracks and leaned into the door to listen.

"Hey Geo..? You okay?" The sound of sniffling and shuffling was heard on the other end.

Georgia quickly stood up and wiped his face of any tears that were there, and checked the mirror only to find puffy, red eyes and tear stains.

"Yeah- yeah I'm- I'm fine Penn, I'm fine, really." His voice shook with unconvincing tone.

"Are you all dressed?" Pennsylvania asked from the outside of the bathroom door.

"Why, you wanna undress me yourself?" Georgia laughed, trying to steer the conversation away from where it was heading with some dumb teasing.

"Can I come in?" Pennsylvania's voice sounded concerned, and genuine.

Georgia looked down at the towel wrapped around him, barely covering a thing.

"Um- not quite-" But before he could finish, the door was open and the northern state walked in, and immediately put both hands on each of Georgia's shoulders, meanwhile Georgia was panicking and struggling to cover himself more.

"Hey DICK! I said I wasn't dressed!" The pale spots on Georgia's face were red with embarrassment as the other kneeled down and looked at him in the eyes, with his own eyes filled with concern and worry.

"Yeah I'm not so much worried about that. Not anything I haven't seen before. We are roommates after all." The taller state explained without much further thought. His hand moved from the other's shoulder to his cheek, to wipe away a tear, that Georgia didn't even realize fell, with his thumb.

"What's wrong Peachy? Why're you crying? Did something happen?" Georgia's face flushed a little at the nickname. He was bombarded with the questions and the concerns but the only thing ringing through his head was his own hurtful thoughts. His vision grew blurry and his face distorted as he started to cry, face in the other's hands.

"Hey hey hey, it's okay Peach, I'm right here." Georgia's knees buckled and he fell into Pennsylvania' arms as he started to sob more.

"I hate it Penny.. I hate it so much.. I'm unnatural.. I-I'm a freak.. my- my patches, and spots- they're gross they're disgusting and I look terrible.. I-I've tried covering them up but what's the use in that when it just washes away.. I-I feel like I should just bleach my skin o-or something- get rid of the spots- get rid of this- this hideous color I-" Georgia was interrupted by Pennsylvania pulling him into a hug. His arm wrapped around the distraught man, while his other hand held the back of his head. Georgia didn't know what to do, so he just.. sat there.

He was pulled away from the other man and his bare chest suddenly got a rush of cold air. The clothed one looked at him with a stern gaze.

"Look at me. Hey, listen. You are not unnatural, or a freak, or anything like that. And I for one think your skin is beautiful. It's unique, not even other people with your skin condition can even have the same markings as you." He stopped for a moment and looked down at Georgia's chest, admiring all the different shapes and sizes of pale skin that decorated his torso. His hand slid down from the other's shoulder down his arm and he traced a spot that stretched from Georgia's mid-upperarm down to his forearm. He couldn't help just smile softly. Georgia watched Pennsylvania's face during all of this, and he let out a small chuckle. As Pennsylvania drew lines on Georgia's skin, Georgia started to smile himself.

"You're like an abstract painting.." Pennsylvania mumbled to himself. The other blushed and turned his face away at the compliment.

"I'm serious Georgie. Every spot, every inch, every small freckle, hell, even every nasty scar. They're all like different paint strokes. And you're the masterpiece left at the end."

"You're such a dork Penn." Georgia tried brushing the compliments away, but the circular white splotches around his eyes and nose burned red, and it took almost all of his will to keep a shy grin from forming.

"I'm aware." They looked into one another's eyes for a moment, Georgia's still puffy and red.

After getting lost in Georgia's brown and rich eyes, and after almost loosing sense of time, Pennsylvania cleared his throat and looked away as he put his hand on the counter to help him stand up.

"Well um anyways- you should uh- get changed." At this point, the northern state was making a point to steer his eyes in any direction that wasn't Georgia's half naked body, as his cheeks grew bright pink and he fidgeted awkwardly.

"Oh- right- yeah I probably should-" Georgia closed his eyes and let out an awkward laugh as he turned around and grabbed his clean clothes to put on.

Pennsylvania made his way out of the bathroom. Right as he closed the door, he let out a heavy sigh and a smile grew on his face. He walked away, heading straight to his room while rubbing the back of his neck, flustered.

Georgia got his clothes on and made his own way to the living room to put on a movie. Soon after, Pennsylvania walked out and joined him on the couch.

And for the first time in a really long time, Georgia looked down at a patch on his arm that was exposed from his short sleeve T-Shirt, and he smiled.