Nate’s eyes open to a ray of sunshine filtering through window’s curtains.

  “Funky dreams…” he yawned groggily, but any delusions washed right off him when a stranger’s small, trembling hand raised to rub his eyes.

  He held his hand to the light. It kept trembling, fingers twitchy and unresponsive, and it was apparent why; the scars down his upper arm were sunken and ugly things. His nerves must have been damaged when…

  Nate clasped his trembling hand over his mouth to stifle a sob, but that didn’t stop his eyes for watering. He wanted to go home. To sit on his pc, play a stupid game, and forget about the ugly world…

  Something stirred nearby, startling him from his misery.

  Zoly had fallen asleep half knelt at the bottom of his bed. Some one had placed a blanket over her shoulders, and Nate had a good idea of who; Uric slept on a chair just behind her, an open book on his lap.

  “I am pathetic…” Nate reproached himself in a whisper, “making kids fuss over me as if I was a child myself… what would dad say if he saw me like this…”

  “Shut up, nut-” Zoly started mumbling, but suddenly perked up, “You are awake!”

  “Who- wha-?!” Uric stuttered, almost falling from his chair, “Nate! You are-?! How are you?! Do you hurt anywhere!?”

  “Hay guys, I…” he begun but was interrupted by Zoly jumping him into a hug.

  Nate froze.

  “I-I am so glad… I-I thought…” she cried with her face against his chest.

  “…please don’t touch me please don’t touch me…”

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  “What is it!?” Uric said in alarm, “Are you hurting anywhere?!”

  “DON’T TOUCH ME PLEASE!” he exploded, making both kids jump back.

  No one spoke, everyone stared at each other like dears in the headlights. Then Zoly noticed Nate’s trembling lower lip, his strangled whimper and his eyes, wide as saucers, locked to the snot and tears she had smeared on his pajamas.

  “Oh! Sorry-sorry! I’ll get you a clean shirt!”

  “A-and…I-I’ll get mother Olga!”

  Uric bolted for the door, and Zoly rummaged in their communal trunk for a new shirt. She quickly produced one and offered it to him, but when she saw he was still frozen with her hands up, she gave a disgruntle sigh.

  “Y-you… Fine. I’ll help you change. Raise your arms.”

  He obeyed and she skittered closer to undone the buttons on his shirt. Nate look to the side and held his breath; last thing he wanted was she breathing bacteria into his face.

  Zoly averted her gaze too, but for entirely different reasons.

  Only whence freed from the foul shirt, did he permit himself a relieved sigh.

  She eyed his scarred armed guiltily.

  “Sorry Nutjob, I-I shouldn’t have asked you to come with me. I realized I didn’t… I never truly needed a watch, I just… was scared to go alone… but because of me, you got…” her voice cracked and new tears started forming.

  Fearing a repeat from before, Nate rushed to calm her down.

  “No-no-no! You don’t have to cry about this little thing…! Right! You know how we men are! This is like a badge of honor! I just saved a little girl from a scarry monster and have the scars to prove it! That sort of thing…”

  “You-you knew!?” she startled.

  Shit! He messed up! But if he brought back that conversation with her brother now, she was sure to cry again and, God forbade, hug him! He couldn’t let her snot all over him again! He needed to think of something, pronto!

  “Y-yeah! I always knew!” he lied through his teeth, “You are… erm… way too cute for a guy! Yes, let’s go with that.”

  For a moment he almost patted himself on the back for his flawless delivery. Then he realized Zoly was flushing a furious pink, and registered exactly what he just said.

  “Fuck, I made it weird… Look, I know that I save you and all, but please don’t crush on me! I am not a priest or a Japanese weirdo…! I-I am trying to say, I am not interested in little girls…!”

  *

  Mother Olga and Uric arrived at the room just in time to stumble into a red faced Zoly running away.

  “No running in the halls!” Mother Olga shouted to her back.

  “What’s wrong with him…” Uric blinked, “and what happened to your face!?”

  “A stupid trope...” Nate grown while massaging the swelling red hand mark on his cheek.