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I nodded, lifting my hands to unbutton my shirt.
"Are they anxious?" I asked, deciding to distract myself as I stripped.
It made the idea of removing my clothes less intimidating.
"A little. Even though Yoshi knows the majority of what’s going on and Haru a bit, they're all worried. I think they're more concerned you'll break up with them," Aki admitted.
"I wouldn't let them come over here to break up with them. That's just...I don't know, rude? Unfeeling?" I defended.
"I told them that, but they're still worried. They've missed you," Aki commented, cautiously walking over to me.
He must have noticed my stall, my fingers on the second to last button for longer than a minute.
"You want me to help?" He whispered.
"Yes, please." I nodded as I answered quietly, deciding I needed his assistance or we'd be here for hours.
He helped unbutton the remaining two buttons before he lifted the material and pulled it from my arms. He placed it into the hamper, knowing I'd wear something else anyway.
I stared into the mirror, looking at the scars that remained, some red, some of them still a weird shade of purple. "How long does it take for these to heal?" I asked.
"The cream will speed the process. Maybe another month? Two at the most. We didn't have these herbal medicines a few years back. I'm glad Quil went to see the woman you met at the resort. She's very knowledgeable," Aki voiced, staring at me through the mirror.
He made sure he was visible as his hands touched my skin, slowly trailing down to unhook my sports bra. He removed it slowly before he adding it to the hamper.
The mirror tactic was his suggestion. He said it would help if I could see the person touching me, so I wouldn't panic.
"Has there been any progress with locating the final crystal?" I asked.
"Not really. Yoshi did find a document in the stack of evidence from..." he trailed off.
"Erica's place?" I asked.
"You’re okay with us saying it now?" he countered.
I shrugged. "Maybe? It doesn't have a trigger like it did before. Though I don't think I'll be able to rock short hair any time soon," I mumbled, feeling bad about my breakdown with Quil and Malachi.
Aki helped me remove my skirt, leaving me in my underwear, which was fine since all the areas that needed treatment were visible at that point.
"That's fine and I hope you're not worrying about what happened."
"Hmm," I hummed softly.
"Which means yes."
"I still feel bad."
"It's a normal reaction, Crimson. What happened to you was intolerable, and she's lucky she got the easy way out with death," Aki growled the last sentence.
"Okay...I won't linger on it then," I decided.
He nodded and carefully began to spread the cool cream on my wounds. They didn't necessarily hurt physically, but the mental hurt I felt was still strong.
He rubbed the cream along my back and then to my thighs, being cautious the entire time.
He made sure to meet my gaze in the mirror, especially when he worked on my thighs.
At one part I flinched, needing a moment to stay still and breathe.
