”I missed you.”

It was a smile, eased upon lips as his head tipped to the side. Emotions gliding between one thing to the next as Emil bit down the internal feelings of wanting to cry and throw himself on the ginger, knowing the damage it would cause. Knowing the pain it had previously caused. So instead it was a smile.

Words leading to actions, walking to and fro, hand lifted, taken in a friendship as the walked, Emil leaning on him ever so slightly, like someone talking with a porcelain doll. His smile never wavering, the scarf pulled tight, the scars the wound it’s way on his arms, down his back, along his front all hidden from Claus.

Or until the other accidentally caught his scarf and the cloth ripped under the pressure of the mechanical chimera’s body and it ripped. Emil yipping, hands going to cover over his throat tightly. Large bruise hiding as Claus tried apologizing and Emil laughed awkwardly, telling him it was fine. 

It was fine.

He was panicking.

Worried if he let go of his throat that Claus would see he’d gone to see his Uncle again. The other knew about it, but he didn’t want to see the anger or disappointment Claus would have, knowing Emil had gone back. Instead, he ducked his head, dipping down to grab the scarf piece that had fallen on the ground, the long cloth lucky enough to keep him from having to worry about needing anything. Wrapping it around his throat, he smiled innocently. “See? No problem!”

His body loosened but that was not the end of the adventures it seemed. Walking along with Claus it turned into a ‘hit and miss’ sort of deal. Certain things catching the material of his clothes by accident, tripping into a puddle and barely catching himself. It was just getting so strange and by the end of the day his clothes were torn up particularly bad and he sighed.

But smiled.

Hands going to a couple of ingredients that he still had with him and winked at Claus. Eggs, cheese and milk. omelets.

It seemed to lighten Claus’s mood as Emil made the food before handing it over, excusing himself to go off into the thicket. Whispering for Tenebrae, the centurion of darkness sat in front of him, a very disapproving look on his face as he saw the looks of the clothes from so early on. How Emil had managed to bumble his way into this. Demanding for them back to fix them, Emil nodded, going to remove certain pieces himself before the evaporated into darkness before Emil could even call for his old clothes for now.

Left in dark, naked, his face was beat red. Hands covering himself as he hid behind a tree. Claus’ voice calling for the blonde and he shouted how it was nothing—

Chromatic eyes glanced over to Emil and saw him. The scars he had been working so diligently hiding gone at this moment. Emil’s face red, tears beginning to swell in his eyes. “I’m sorr-sorry,“ he hiccuped, curling in on himself to reveal the scratched up back, the bruises and everything that continued from the from.

His continued whispers of apologies, trying to hide himself as he could while the darkness itself couldn’t even keep him hidden from the chimera. Mechanical eye able to pierce the sight lost…