There’s a moment where Matsu feels themself falling, and their heart seizes in their chest. Abject terror is written all over their face, but instead of falling the rest of the way to the ground, they’re grabbed.
By Viper.
The fear gives way to surprise that she caught them, and there’s several long moments where they lock eyes with her.
And then she says that.
They had already looked embarrassed, but their face immediately reddens. What do they even say to something like that? She was obviously making fun of them. It doesn’t take long before Viper lifts them back to the counter (with Abel’s help, of course) and only then can they think of a response.
A response of slapping at her face before indignantly snapping, “I– I didn’t ask because I didn’t want you too!” Their face burns. The gesture this time was not as intense as before, not trying to hurt her but rather trying to save face.
Great. This was already mortifying enough…. Matsu is clearly sulking a little bit that the two had to help them up.
“Um.” Only now do they glance up to Abel again. “Yeah, if you… I mean….”
They start to reach for the hem of their shirt and hesitate for several moments before starting to lift it and then shrug the shirt the rest of the way off, then holding it out to Abel.
They can’t. Look. At either of these two. The video was bad enough, but…. Matsu clearly looks embarrassed and self conscious.
[TW: scars, self harm, surgical scars]
Their frame is somehow even more narrow and delicate with the shirt removed. On their left side at the bottom of their ribcage is a prominent J-shaped surgical scar, disappearing under the bottom hem of their black sports bra. A small round raised area is under their collarbone on the same side. They also have a lot of bruising in various stages of healing - many of them likely from Viper.
More shocking, perhaps, was the way that the video didn’t quite prepare for the extent of their problem. Their torso and arms are littered with marks - many healed scars, some in various stages of healing, and some on their arms that look like they had been healing and reopened. Most of these scars are on their left arm or over the surgical scar. There are even some fresher marks mixed in, which makes there no question of what caused these.
They keep their gaze locked on a spot on the floor and, once Abel has taken their shirt, hold onto the edge of the countertop in a tight white-knuckled grip. They don’t say anything.
