Your Face.... It Sucks--*

[rawr]

He stretched out his crushed lugs as Eric got up, and watched him with curiousity. He had yet to see whatever it was that he was hiding, but obviously Eric didn't want him to see it, so he wouldn't exactly inquire about it. Though, hey, his curiousity was killing him... He looked around as he tried to help him find the mask, but remained quite, mouth clamped shut. He was afraid that if he opened his mouth he'd say something completely stupid that would hurt the little guy's feelings. Which, at the moment, would just make the whole situation worse.

He pulled himself out of the box, gritting his teeth as he rubbed at his thighs. maybe it wasn't such a good idea to sit on it. Maybe he should just sit on the floor, like before. He was sure his butt could handle the cold. He plopped back down, and sighed with both relief and with exhaustion. He was ready to go home and take a long power nap. But then he'd have to get up and do something, else he'd come to school tired from sleeping so much. He was just backwards in that way. Too much sleep and he was restless and epicly tired. Too little and he was perfectly fine.

He went back to watching Eric anxiously, not sure what he could do in this situation. Maybe he should help him... But eventually he just plopped on his chest. And then he got up. And then Martin saw it. Not that it was ugly. He just hadn't expected something to be on such a pretty little face. No wonder he insisted on the mask and all the secrecy. Even so, he'd ignore it. It was only nice, and even with the 'growth', Eric was epicly adorable. Perfectly so. His impurities just made him better. But at these thoughts, he felt the blood rush to his face, and the heat that came with it. This was what they called blushing, huh? Martin buried his face in his lap, pulling his knees up. That was the problem with Martin. A nasty growth didn't face him, but letting someone else see emotions slipping through his barricade, and it was the end of the world. he just couldn't bring himself to do it. Couldn't. he was such a chicken. Such a wuss. He was worthless if he kept hiding like this. But it was in his nature...

[hbghost]

Eric finally found the mask and scrambled to put it on. Once it was tight enough around his head, he turned around toward Martin. He saw Martin's expression, and he knew. Oh, he knew right away.

"You... you saw it, didn't you? My face. You saw it?" he whimpered, now crawling back toward Martin. "You... saw it with my mask off... And you're not... not..."

Then Eric noticed Martin's face. It was turning red. But why? Was Martin too embarassed to say that he was afraid of Eric's face? Or was he... Was he...?

"You... you don't... do you?" Eric stuttered. He'd never been in a situation before where he was actually being... flirted with... He swallowed. The only place he'd have seen that expression before was when he himself was at his daily attempt to stalk Victoria.

Victoria...

[rawr]

Oh, this sucked. Big time. He took deep breaths, waiting patiently as the warmth dispersed, as his churning stomach calmed, ad his emotions settled back into the cavern of his heart, and were silenced once more. There, he was back in control. Now he could do this. He could pull through. He looked up, a complete blank look on his face, his eyes as cold as the steel of the upturned chairs on top of the desks. He was as he should be, he fit into his body once more. He was no longer a tattoo-covered little wuss. Now he had to think. And think hard.

"I saw your face fine enough, but I could care less. I've already learned not to judge someone on their outsides. It's caused me enough grief that I know better, and you should learn to do the same." He nearly hissed, though even so his voice was only full of the strain of trying to control himself, and of advice from someone wiser than their years would ever be. Oh, yes, he was one such example. And Eric was, too, if you really thought about it. They were both in that territory, and they both were hurt quite a bit because of it. They were both screwed, if anything.

"And I'd also suggest you stop hiding away behind a mask. It just gives kids like myself and Drake every reason to pick on you. And you should show confidence. Why are you so worried about it? You're not exactly in control over the way things go with your face. So why do you worry so much? if I were you, I'd just give people another reason to avoid talking about it." Martin finally added, a bitter chord striking as he included himself in the stereotype. It was better than reminding Eric that he was different than the Drake guy. Considering how he had been quaking in his boots before this entire thing happened.

"Ah, yes, and that reminds me. Tell a soul about this and I'm going to beat the shit right out of you. I don't care if I have so much as an inkling of feeling towards you, I'm not going to be leniant over it." of course, he decided to not state the fact that after doing it he'd drag Eric into a quite place and beg his forgiveness for having to so much as harm a hair on the guy's poor little body. But whatever.

[hbghost]

"I saw your face fine enough, but I could care less. I've already learned not to judge someone on their outsides. It's caused me enough grief that I know better, and you should learn to do the same."

Eric swallowed, and then he hesitantly nodded.

"Although... most people aren't like you... they... they'll... I don't want to be ugly like this... never wanted to. You see... I was normal before the first day of senior year... I'm not used to being like this... I just... lost everything with this huge... whatever... on my face... I... don't know if you understand it, but..."

"And I'd also suggest you stop hiding away behind a mask. It just gives kids like myself and Drake every reason to pick on you. And you should show confidence. Why are you so worried about it? You're not exactly in control over the way things go with your face. So why do you worry so much? if I were you, I'd just give people another reason to avoid talking about it."

Wait... WHAT?

"But... I can't..." Eric muttered, covering his mask with his right hand. "I... can't do that. My... my face, it's just... horrible. Just... you're the only person I know who can tolerate it and... well, people won't really make fun of me, just... avoid me. And... I was a people magnet before this. Honest."

"Ah, yes, and that reminds me. Tell a soul about this and I'm going to beat the shit right out of you. I don't care if I have so much as an inkling of feeling towards you, I'm not going to be leniant over it."

Eric frowned.

"The whole mask thing, or..." he started to ask, but then he realized what Martin was talking about. "Oh... that... well... I won't tell anyone. I swear. Besides, I have a girl that I'm obsessively stalking at the moment, so gay guys are the last things on my mind... oh..." Eric bit his lip, thinking he'd said too much.

[rawr]

Ah, he was stuttering again. What did it take to calm him down and have him talking normal again? The way that thing on his face had ruined his life like this, it was almost like he was hideously disfigured. But it was just an out of control wart, wasn't it? He looked at the ground, thinking with an unhappy sort of bliss on his face. The wheels were turning, yes they were. Those hamsters were hard at work, and he churned out bit after bit of what he would say. Though, he really wasn't the one that should be saying a motivational speech. he had ruined his life on his own. Eric, he didn't want to or try to. it happened beyond his control. Meanwhile, Martin had been enough of an idiot to let the bad influences take hold of him. Just this entire experience today in the classroom was enough for him to rethink the way he lived. Though, he doubted he'd be able to escape. He'd already gone far enough to be addicted. To need it. But he had to focus on Eric, for now, else nothing would get down.

Ah, but as he kept talking, he kept hitting all these soft spots. He couldn't help but wince as Eric openly brought up the whole fact that he was stalking a girl, obsessively, too. But, see, Martin couldn't see Eric being like that. But it was still possible. Just hard to imagine, let alone try to wrap his head around. Just that little mental image of Eric scurrying around after some chick made Martin crack up, and he tried to smother his giggles, eyes squeezed shut. Ah, see, he was just making things worse by laughing. But, Eric.... stalking a chick? Let alone breaking some sort of law... That was almost an alternate dimension, right there.

"Are you... Are you /serious/? You're worried about what other people are thinking, and meanwhile you're stalking some random woman! if you ask me, stalking is worse than any sort of disfigurement, let alone how tiny and insignificant it is!" He hysterically babbled, his words just making things funnier. Ah, he was just some bully, laughing at Eric. At least that would give him /some/ kind of wake-up... Right?

[hbghost]

"Are you... Are you /serious/? You're worried about what other people are thinking, and meanwhile you're stalking some random woman! if you ask me, stalking is worse than any sort of disfigurement, let alone how tiny and insignificant it is!"

Eric was about to say something, but then he frowned, thinking better of it.

"Yeah... you're right. I should just give up. She probably thinks I'm a rapist, anyway," he sighed, sitting beside Martin. "So what do you suggest I do? I can't very much live without my mask, and... and... even if I could, I doubt things will change... at least people noticed me with my mask on... they treated me like I was normal, or almost normal... and... I doubt they wanted to see... that... anymore, so they just forgot about it, I guess... but if I spend a day without that mask on, only a day, then I doubt not even three people will come and talk to me, or sit anywhere NEAR me."

Eric sighed, and then he turned toward Martin again.

"Well, enough of that... what do you suggest I do? Find a new girlfriend that will like me for who I am? Stop stalking people? And you're blind if you think this," he took off his mask again to prove his point, "is tiny and insignifigant."

[rawr]

There came a point where you crossed a line. And this line had been crossed by the two of them. At least, in Martin's world, they had both pushed him over the edge. So much so that he was regretting ever meeting the guy. Everything was so complicated and he was just tired. Emotional wasn't his thing, and he hated when it happened. And it just so happened to be happening a helluva lot in the past hour or so, locked in this damned room with Eric. He really wasn't one to point out his own mistakes, but there was enough here to be dissapointed. And he desperately needed his beer, though the maze of boxes seemed daunting, and he doubted he would find it until a couple months later. But he needed it. Really, really bad. it was just one of those days, you know?

With a heavy sigh, Martin pulled his knees up to his lap, arms encompassing them, and creating a good perch for his face, which he crushed into them with anger. Ah, to hell with it, he'd just go to sleep and this nightmare would go away. He rubbed his head to the left, and watching Eric through slitted eyes that poked out from amongst the tangle of his arms and his knees. Sideways glares, always a good weapon when your pissy. And, of course, he had to be a butt and voice what he didn't want to voice. he had to be polite and ask before he went to got it. Because, god knew why, but whenever he saw Eric upset, since he had first met him, of course, it brought about bad, horrible things. Ah, but he didn't want to have to ask! Why was he fighting with himself, eh?

"Would you care if I drank? I'm.... in need of it." he said flatly, searching for something that wouldn't sound offensive for his reasonings. Although, no matter how he said it, he was going to insult someone. That was the matter with him. No matter what he did, someone wasn't pleased with him, and that led to a total lack of confidence and a major upgrade in self concsiousness.