Never Going To Be Apart Again

7. I Care About You

After dinner he asked if she minded going with him to the supermarket. She agreed only on the condition that he would share one of the mint-chocolate cookies with her on the walk there. He broke it in approximate halves, giving her the larger chunk.

He held her hand, the first time he had done so in public. Actually, she considered, they had not really been in public together before in a while when Michael was wearing the mask but today he decided to go as Michael. They had mostly been indoors, either sleeping or eating out or even trying to get intimate.

That came easy to them with how they loved one another but Fubuki would always ask him that if he was too uncomfortable or scared that it would bring back a lot of painful memories that he tried to repress in his childhood they would stop. Fubuki wasn't disappointed in Michael's for being inexperienced with love making or anything like that because she wouldn't want to put Michael in a position that he was too uncomfortable or scared with.

Sometimes just snuggling together was enough for Michael since it made him feel like he was safe from the rest of the world because it wasn't always so kind to him and Fubuki was completely ok with that option.

She wouldn't want Michael to feel scared that if he was having severe flashbacks from the immense trauma or if he were to hurt her in any way possible but she would always say that we'll start off very slow and work our way up no matter how long it takes.

He led her down each aisle, releasing her hand only to drop items into his shopping basket. Vegetable stock. Canned peaches because the fresh ones were too soft. Best part about today is that they are all on sale.

“I have to use the restroom.” Fubuki said, perhaps a little too loud. The other people in the aisle narrowed their eyes at her, but Michael seemed unphased.

“You did drink a lot of tea.” He said with a small laugh, before reaching up to softly brushing his lips to hers. “Sorry. Public display of affection.”

The other people were still looking on. She could only imagine what they were thinking. Why does this young man have so many scars? What in the fuck was he doing kissing a woman like her, who, by all standards, should be out of his league by his ugly features. She cursed herself for thinking so.

It was what she had been used to. Being told she was too pretty, too tall, that she should constantly raise her standards. She even felt a little ugly inside.

Sighing, she reached to wrap her hand around the back of Michael's neck while the other hand rested on his scarred cheek, pulling him in for a deeper kiss, to tell him, it's okay.

Without another word she walked off to find the restroom. She didn't really have to pee. “Ignore what they are saying, Fubuki, they don't know what he's really like behind those scars.” she whispered to herself as she looked in the bathroom mirror. 

What was it about him that she really loved most? His sweet caring nature? His strong will? Childlike nature? All of the above?

In truth she did not know, not even when first they kissed, why she wanted him so much. Yet she found she could not look at him without feeling dizzy, without her hands shaking and her heart pounding. It only got worse the more times they made love, each time reminding her more and more of his scarred body.

She patted down her face with cool water, forgetting about her makeup, already smudged from her soft crying.

Normally she would reapply it, afraid to be so plain. But Michael had seen her bare face many times of late, had remarked on how smooth her cheeks felt and how much more clearly he could see her eyes.

He always said that with or without makeup she was the most beautiful person he was ever laid eyes on and there was so much light behind those broken brown eyes with the horrors they have seen because of that...monster.