Old Scars (closed)

[Apollo Wilde]

Well, unless he was going to make a move, she was going to call it the end of a strictly platonic evening. Biting her lower lip, she took a look around at where they were, looking for a familiar sign. Ah, there was one! That bus stop – she usually passed it up on the way home from the school.

“Okay, so, to get to my place we’re going to go up to the light, then make a right on…um, North. From North, you want to go all the way down to Nimoa, which is like 3 lights after that. Once you’re on Nimoa, then a left onto McCoy, and then my apartment complex is a few numbers down. You can’t miss it.”

She slid onto the back of his bike, waiting demurely for him.

 

[DrStein]

Mark handed her the helmet once more and straddled the bike. He waited for Lily to wrap her arms around him. As he brought the engine to life, the roar through the body of the bike caused him to involuntarily flex the muscles in his legs, back and stomach. He wasn't even aware he had done it, though Lily would certainly notice.

Once more, he kept his speed under control. He followed Lily's instructions exactly as she described and soon came to her apartment. He pulled up to an empty space and killed the engine. He looked around, noting that it looked like a nice, quiet neighborhood. All of Ashdale seemed so in fact. He had come here specifically because it made him feel normal again.

 

[Apollo Wilde]

Again, she wrapped her arms firmly about his midsection, resting her cheek on his back. Of course she would the solid wall of his back tense, and she got a little gooey. Well, why not? Tall, good looking, muscular - what wasn't to like?

As he pulled up to her complex, she held on for a little longer, just enjoying the feeling of him. With a soft sigh, she let him go. Reaching up, she unfastened the helmet and handed it back to him, still seated behind him.

"So, Mark, I really had an awesome time. We should do this again. Really." And since they were both sitting (and he was much easier to get to), she leaned over to gently kiss his cheek. She figured that would be the way to do it, play it safe, though in between the rumble of the bike and feeling him between her legs, she figured that she had a date with a helper of hers in her panty drawer. Oh well. You can't win 'em all. And a little self-control was a good thing.

Sometimes.

 

[DrStein]

The kiss wasn't unexpected but it still caused him to flush a little. Apparently she wasn't going to invite him in, and a part of him was relieved. He needed to sleep on this and figure out where to go. He was certain however that he wanted to see her again. "Definitely," he said. "Tomorrow's Saturday. I haven't got any plans this weekend. Maybe I could pick you up... have a little Christopher Lee movie marathon at my place?"

His heart was pounding in his chest and his self-doubt was screaming at him that he was a idiot. She was going to find out what he did! And if she didn't, Mark still knew what he was, what he was capable of. He came to Ashdale to avoid hurting anyone else he cared about. Had he forgotten that?

He fought to keep that voice as quiet as possible. He couldn't live his whole life alone because of one mistake. He had to rise above it or he'd never be happy, never have the family he wanted. He hadn't been with a woman in seven god damn years. It had to stop!

 

[Apollo Wilde]

"The old Hammer films? But of course. I haven't seen those in a while." With a smile that was part relieved, part sad, she set the helmet down and hopped off the back of the bike. Before he could react further, she lightly kissed his lips.

So she didn't have that much self control after all.

 

[DrStein]

Acting purely on impulse, Mark reached up and put a hand to the back of her head. He gently pulled her down for another kiss. It wasn't a forceful one, but it lasted much longer than the little peck she had given him. His heartbeat sped up as visions flooded his mind, reminding of what he could do to another person. Exercising every ounce of control he had, he slowly pulled back from the kiss. His eyes slowly opened and he gave Lily a small smile. "I'll uh... I'll pick you up at 7 tomorrow?"

 

[Apollo Wilde]

Was that a "maybe" date with her toy?

Make that a definite one.

His kiss left her something close to breathless. Blinking to clear her head (and hopefully the stupid grin from her face), she nodded dumbly.

"Yeah....Seven....sounds good...." and she grinned at him, looking all the world like one of the children that she taught. Before she could say or do anything further to embarrass herself, she turned and started down the path to her apartment. She paused, looking at him over her shoulder, and gave him another luminous smile, waiving at him over her shoulder.

_________________

Saturday, she'd spent inside, largely cleaning and grading a few papers. Despite largely teaching children the basics of art, she did have them write the occasional paper on a particular artist. Wrinkling her nose at one of the sentences she was reading, she made a few careful remarks in red in the margins. Grading was something she hated, but she tried to console herself into thinking that they were helpful comments for the future.

Which, for this particular student, may not be so bright unless he started applying himself.

Setting the papers down, she leaned further back into the tub. After all, there was nothing that said a teacher couldn't grade papers from the comfort of their own bathtub, was there? Besides, she did her best thinking there. Propping her feet up on the cool tile wall, she blew playfully at a cluster of bubbles. Honestly, she had done the best that she could to slowly pull Mark from her mind. His size suggested all sorts of possibilities....and she was ultimately attracted to men larger than her.

Not that it would be hard, at her height.

But the idea of being protected...well, who didn't like that? It wasn't like she had a particularly dangerous line of work or found herself in perilous situations, but it was just something that stuck with her. Besides, he had treated her like an actual woman, rather than a toy or a little delicate bauble. That was nice.

Glancing over to the clock in the bathroom, she leaned forward and undid the stopper, letting the water drain out. She had soaked long enough, and she didn't want to be late getting ready for him. Wrapping a towel about her body, she walked into the bedroom, careful to step over the papers lest she get them wet. On the bed, she had a few outfits laid out, moving from the causal t-shirt and shorts to something much more dressy. Well...realistically, it was going to be at his place, so that ruled out the dressy. Naturally gravitating towards the t-shirt and shorts, she wrinkled her nose a bit. Maybe he would think that she wasn't interested unless she dressed more inviting? It was so hard to tell with these things.

OH!

It hit her. The secret courage - a sexy pair of bra and panties. It was under armor! Picking out a lace-trimmed pink bra and thong, she set them aside. Flopping down on the bed, she lotioned up, before sliding on the pink undergarments and throwing on a shirt with a giraffe on it and some blue jean shorts. Raking her fingers through her hair to pull it in place, she finished off her look with a sheer lip gloss, a few dabs of a roll on perfume, and her eyeliner.

Perfect. It was 6:50 - he should be there at any minute. Walking up to her living room, she flopped down in a leopard print bean bag chair and watched her fish (she owned a large aquarium) dart about under a clean blue light in their tank.

 

[DrStein]

Mark had labored for the entire Friday evening and all of Saturday trying to make the apartment as presentable as possible and then making himself as presentable as possible. He even went so far as try and build up his confidence in the cheesiest manner he could imagine: doing poses naked in front of his full-length mirror in the bedroom. When he finally got dressed it was the usual tight jeans (as if he owned any other kind) with biker boots, a dark gray V-neck T-shirt that showed off some of his muscular chest, and a beaded necklace with a miniature Hellraiser puzzle box hanging from it. He decided not to tie his hair back, so it parted in the middle and hung a few inches past his shoulders in a straight, silky blond curtain. Sizing himself up in the mirror again, he could have auditioned for a romance novel cover and gotten the job right then and there.

He climbed onto the Horror Express with his spare helmet strapped to the passenger seat and roared off to Lily's apartment. He made it with just a few minutes to spare. He gave himself one last straightening out and took a deep breath to suppress the self-doubt that still gnawed at his brain. He went to the call box and buzzed Lily's apartment. "Come to me, cheeldren of the night," he said into the speaker with a bad Transylvanian accent before using his normal voice. "Ready when you are. You want me to come up first?"

 

[Apollo Wilde]

"Sure, gimme a sec!"

She'd bolted out of her chair at the sound of his voice, and freaking out for a few moments, calmed herself down to the point that she could walk in a straight line. Hopping to the door, she was out in a moment, without bothering to lock it. Heading down the stairs, she took a deep breath to calm herself into walking down the stairs instead of running down them. As she got close to the gate, she was glad that she didn't have anything in her hands, otherwise she would have dropped it once she caught sight of him.

It took every ounce of her self control to stop herself from literally jumping at him and wrapping her legs around his waist.

"Buh."

Was all she managed to get out. She was just downright staring at him. And she felt 5 inches tall in her shorts and giraffe t-shirt. Good lord. She felt like she must have looked as if she was five.

"You. In my room. Now."

Before he could even react, she grabbed his hand and was tugging him to her apartment, her words coming out so quickly that they tripped over one another. Once she had him up the stairs and in front of her door, she opened it, shoved him in, and closed it, locking it behind her.

Her living room was an artistic mess. It smelled of sweet incense, and the lamps she had were muted by the various colored scarves she had draped over them. The fishtank gave the room a soft blue glow. In the corner of the room was a large easel with a pad of paper and charcoal ready.

"You have GOT to get naked for me. Now." She was already heading to her easel, pulling out the stool in front of it to get comfortable. "Seriously. You can't walk in front of me looking THAT good and not let me draw you."

 

[DrStein]

Mark was severely caught off-guard. He knew she wanted to draw him nude, but she was surprisingly assertive about it. He was of two minds. The first was telling him to relax, that he had done this before, and it was part of her artistic passion. It would make her happy. The other told him to turn and run as fast as he could out of that apartment and never speak to her again.

He swallowed back the lump in his throat. He would do this to prove his doubts wrong. He would not be ruled by these demons. He inhaled and exhaled deeply and took off his necklace first, pocketing it. He hesitated a moment and then pulled his shirt out from beneath the waist of his jeans and pulled it up over his head. Not only did this reveal every contour of his sculpted physique to her for the first time, it also messed his hair in a way that made him look like something after a night of passion.

He looked around the room a moment, fidgeting with his shirt in his hands. "Is there, uh... Is there somewhere you want me to sit or... lie down or something?" His face was going bright red and he had a hard time making eye contact. He had committed to this action and he would finish it, just like he did every other decision he ever made, but that didn't mean he wasn't feeling awkward and unsure of himself. His heart rate climbed and it took a supreme effort of will to keep it under control.

 

[Apollo Wilde]

"Right where you are is fine," and she sounded extremely distracted. She had already taken her seat in front of the easel, and her hand flew over the paper, her fingers quickly becoming stained with charcoal.

"Holy God, you were under my nose this entire time and I can't believe I never noticed it," and her voice was awestruck. If she came off too strong for him right now, it wouldn't even matter to her, she was so caught up in seeing moving art that it just overloaded her brain. Just looking at him made her want to write stupid poetry, to cover her walls in drawings of how well muscle and skin and bone could work. "My God," she muttered again, and tore the sheet that she was working on free. From where he was standing, he could make out several gestural drawings that she had done of him just standing there, capturing the essence of his pose and the airy nature of his blonde hair.

Unlike many who said they were artists, it was clear that Lily did have a phenomenal talent. Peeking over the edge of her easel, she gestured for him to remove the rest of his clothing. "Could you take those off, please? Just chuck 'em on the floor, it'll be fine."

She paused for a moment. "Fair's fair," and in a blink of an eye, removed her shirt and shorts. The bra and panty set that she had agonized over fell in heaps of candy pink cloth to the floor as well. Now completely nude, she resumed her seat on the easel, and began drawing with gusto again, completely focused on the task at hand.

 

[DrStein]

Mark's heart was pounding in his chest. Lily's nude body was gorgeous. She was petite, shapely, delicate... She was everything he liked in a woman. He bit down on his tongue and focused on a point on the ceiling in order to keep his mind and blood from migrating downward. This only had the effect of making him seem even more statuesque, though he wasn't aware of it.

He slipped off his boots and setting his jaw stripped off his jeans and boxers in one swift motion. Through sheer force of will he kept his cock soft, but even then it was as proportionally large as the rest of him. He kept his eyes focused upward and assumed a stance like he imagined a Greek statue would have. He kept a mantra going in his head to remain calm. His teeth painfully sank into his tongue as he fought for composure. His years of athleticism had given him the discipline necessary to keep from lapsing into a complete panic but the struggle to stay in control was not an easy one. He started playing Misfits songs in his head in an effort to distract himself. He just had to hold out for a few more minutes.

 

[Apollo Wilde]

After an eternity, it was like reality finally settled back on Lily's shoulders. With a long, pleased, sigh, her hand stilled.

"That...was...fantastic...." her voice had a husky, post-sex sound to it. Hugging her knees to her chest, she laughed before stretching and waving him over. "I'm so sorry, I just...get like that sometimes. Here, go ahead and get dressed. But you are walking art. I just thought you should know that."

And for her, it helped take some of the sexual tension out of the air for her. While he was posing, it was like he was beyond something as simple as the flesh. He was something bigger, better. And now she was back on the real world, and all too aware that she was naked in front of a near stranger. Trying to hide how self-conscious she now felt, she scrambled to pick up her underwear, hoping to tug it on before he noticed how skimpy and frilly they were.

 

[DrStein]

Mark let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding and turned his back to Lily as he gathered up and put his clothes back on. At last he replaced his necklace and straightened his hair. He did it all slowly in an effort to calm his heart. The thought finally sank home to him that they had seen each other naked despite knowing each other barely more than 24 hours. And that brought his mind to thoughts of intimacy. And that caused the shadow to once more cross his heart. He shivered and chanced a glance over his shoulder at Lily. She was just slipping her shirt on and he turned to face her, clearing the anxious expression from his face and smiling at her. "Enjoy the show?" It was a weak attempt at humor, but he needed something, anything to soothe his nerves.

 

[Apollo Wilde]

Tugging her shirt on, she grinned at him.

"See for yourself."

She stepped back away from the easel, only in her shirt, bra, and panties. While he was taking a look at her drawings, she pulled on her shorts and went to the kitchen to wash her hands. Though she hadn't spent that long on the drawings, she had captured him just as he had stood in front of her. Delicate light lines flowed into strong bold ones, seamlessly connecting his hands to his wrists to his arms to his torso, the entire flow of his body captured.

"I am so sorry to have ambushed you like that, but with your hair down, I mean, you're good looking to begin with but I just couldn't control myself anymore." She didn't feel like she should mention how he'd made her a little wet just showing up looking like that. Walking back out of the kitchen, she was drying her hands on a towel as she looked up at him with a small smile. "I'll make it up to you, I promise. I can only imagine how nervous you must have been!"

Wrapping her arms around his waist, she gave him a big hug, breathing the way he smelled and enjoying the solid feel of his body. "Seriously," and her words were muffled by his stomach, "I owe you one. Massively."

 

[DrStein]

Mark couldn't deny that he was impressed. Lily had genuine talent. With a little media exposure, she could be huge. Speaking of, he was used to getting a bird's eye view of his body. Seeing the parts of his anatomy usually covered by his clothes drawn here made him flush a little. He looked like he was packing a damned weapon between his legs.

When Lily hugged him, he returned the gesture. His strength was obvious, but he was still gentle. He had learned over the years how to manage his strength. It was difficult but necessary. He ran a hand back through Lily's hair, savoring the feeling of that adorable pixie cut in his calloused palm. "Well, I believe I promised you a movie marathon. And I thought I would surprise you with a homemade dinner as well. You ready to head out?"

 

[Apollo Wilde]

"I'm better than good, I'm GREEEEAAAT," she said in her best impression of Tony the Tiger. "Just lemme grab my bag and I'll be good to go." Leading him to the door, she picked up a woven messenger bag and gestured for him to lead the way.

It was hard for her not to want to dwell on how good his fingers felt moving through her hair. But she had, after all, just gotten the man naked on a whim. That deserved something. And all she could really do was give him the hug. Well, that would have to do. The pieces that she had drawn of him would make an excellent edition to her portfolio, but even more than that, it was so nice just to have someone flip that switch for her again.

Following him down the stairs, she made sure to lock up. And enough was enough, at least for now. She'd asked him out, she kissed him, and now she'd gotten him naked. Well, if he wanted anything more, now it'd be his turn.

"You can cook? Get out!" and it was a comment made out of sheer disbelief. Not because of how he looked, but it was just so rare that she managed to run into a guy that knew how to actually fend for himself beyond meager attempts at laundry. But, you know, cooking to him could be just throwing a freezer dinner into the oven as well. But still, it was the gesture that counted more than anything else. And with Christopher Lee's Dracula, well, it'd be hard to mess that up.

 

[DrStein]

"A little Swedish home cooking," Mark schmoozed. "Meatballs cooked slowly all day in a crockpot with a side of mustard-roasted new potatoes." Though his father's side of the family had started arriving around World War II, his mother's side didn't arrive until a decade later. So technically Mark was only 3rd generation and his extended family was still arriving after he was born. He had learned from them how to cook in high school.

He handed Lily the spare helmet before slipping his own on. With the both of them adequately protected, he decided to show off what his baby could do. While never actually doing anything that would warrant a ticket, Mark still let the engine loose and showed off the power it was capable of. He got back to his apartment in a matter of minutes and took Lily's hands that were still wrapped tightly around his midsection. "Now you see why I wanted a custom ride."

 

[Apollo Wilde]

Her hands had gripped his waist tightly, and shortly into his show of power, she had let out an exhilarated whoop. She had enjoyed the ride, and, secretly, a bit, she wished that she didn't have to wear the helmet so she could feel the wind in her hair.

"I totally do. Daddy's a paramedic, so I learned way early not to want a motorcycle," and as they stopped, she took the helmet off. "I don't know much about cars and bikes, but I can just feel the power. For serious."

She was no slouch herself when it came to cooking - she specialized in soul food with healthy alternatives-, and she enjoyed it. Sometimes she threw parties at her apartment just because she had found a new recipe that she felt was too amazing to eat alone. It was really somewhat of a surprise that she didn't have any visible pets with the exception of the fish. Truth be told, on her patio, she had a few varieties of bird feeders. She loved them - far too much to imagine keeping one within the confines of a cage.

One day, she thought to herself, she would have to return the favor. She didn't have a ton of horror movies at her place, but, hey, that's what Netflix was for.

 

[DrStein]

Mark took her hand once more and brought her up to his apartment. It was a simple affair with neutral colors in the kitchen and living room. The door to the bedroom was closed for now. Framed horror movie and band posters lined the walls. The Misfits, Nekromantix, The Fly, The Evil Dead... Of notable exception were several very unusual foreign movie posters. There was a very surrealist one that had what appeared be Polish writing near the double doors to the balcony. And a British quad poster for A Nightmare on Elm Street that created a breathtaking panorama. There was a decent-sized flat-screen TV on a cabinet loaded with DVDs and Blu-Rays. Standing beside the TV cabinet was Mark's Virgo bass and amp. The TV cabinet was decorated with figures and toys of monsters and horror icons. A pair of folding TV dinner tables were already standing ready by the sofa.

"Make yourself at home," Mark offered. "The DVD's already loaded in. Get it started and I'll get dinner served. Oh! Would you prefer a Yuengling, hard cider, or a water?"

 

[Apollo Wilde]

Her bright eyes scanning the apartment, she tentatively stepped in. She didn't recognize most of the bands, but strangely, she did know most of the horror movie posters - including the strange Alien one. Seeing it, she suppressed a small giggle behind her hand. "I will never know how they got this out of Giger! All of that fantastic art for the movie and they go with this! I wonder how he felt about it."

He'd really set the place up, and she felt...strangely touched. It'd been way too long since someone had done anything like this for her, and she felt tears burn her eyes. Blinking rapidly, she looked up at the ceiling to ground herself. Swallowing the lump that was forming in her throat, she moved to the DVD player, getting it started. Her eyes caught by an intricately articulated Pinhead figure, she flopped down in front of the tv, resisting the urge to pick it up. Letting her eyes note the detailed work, she smiled a little. In her years in art school, she had a classmate that specialized in making figures and models, and had learned quite a bit from watching her work. She always had a soft spot for practical effects and make up - and practiced a little here and there whenever she could. She wasn't as good as her classmate was, true, but she knew enough to at least create a pretty decent zombie. She'd have to show him the pictures later.

"Oh, um, water would be fine!" At least to start with. "You've got a really nice set up, Mark. My friend Molly would be so proud She is the QUEEN of horror, lemme tell ya," and she sat down on the couch, slipping off her shoes and folding her legs under her body. "She's the reason why I know most of this stuff, really. If she hadn't moved, I would totally introduce you to her. She's right up there with Greg Nicotero and Rob Bottin. Moved to Cali and has been living it up since. We still keep in touch, though. I've got to show you pictures from our Halloween parties!"

 

[DrStein]

Mark set himself to work in the kitchen, listening to everything she said. "I found out in Rue Morgue that abstract art was really popular in 80's Eastern Europe. They gave the poster artists total creative control. I like to imagine a lot of drugs were involved, too."

The movie started up and Mark came out with two plates. They were piled high with Swedish meatballs doused in cream sauce and quartered new potatoes crusted with a charred mustard baste speckled with minced garlic and finely chopped onion. "If she's a friend of yours, I'm sure she has talent. You show me the pictures of your Halloween parties and I'll show you the pictures from all the conventions I've been to. I met David Cronenberg once. You don't realize just how fucking smart that guy is until you talk to him. It's amazing!" He made a second trip and came back with silverware and napkins in one hand and a tall glass of water in the other. A third and final trip brought him back with a beer and he settled down into the couch. "My grandmother's recipe. I guarantee you that you have never Swedish meatballs like these before."

 

[Apollo Wilde]

"That sounds EPIC. I never got the chance to meet any of the artists that I adored growing up. Well, I mean, most of them are dead - know anyone that can do a good seance?"

Grinning, she clapped her hands together as he set the food down in front of her. "This smells fantastic!" Picking up her fork, she delicately cut into one the meatballs before taking a small bite. "And it tastes just as good as it smells, if not better. You really are a treasure, you know that?" Leaning back into the couch, she proceeded to make herself comfortable, scooting the tray closer to her so she could eat without having to move too far.

Throughout the course of the movie, she found herself just admiring him out of the corner of her eyes. She couldn't make it too obvious that she was looking at him, after all. He really was something - and nothing as she thought he could have been by just looking at him. It really was amazing how people could really be at the end of the day. Idly, she wondered if he was this friendly with everyone that spoke to him, or if she had caught him on a good day, or maybe she was just lucky. You could never tell.

 

[DrStein]

"I actually got to go to the Magic Castle in Hollywood on vacation last year. They have a resident seance performer, Mark Edward. Damn, that guy is good."

Mark ate mechanically as he watched the movie, stealing the occasional glance at Lily when he was sure she wasn't looking. She was adorable curled up on his couch like that. He just wanted to hug her and protect her. He had to keep reminding himself that things were going faster than he was comfortable with already. He would have told her to slow down if not for the fact that he was afraid it would push her away and he'd be right back to being lonely.

The first act wasn't over when Mark went back for another plate. His exercise program was intense and meant his appetite was incredible. The amount he could eat in a single sitting and still maintain his figure boggled the mind. The family joke when going out to eat was, "All you can eat? The joke's on them!"

 

[Apollo Wilde]

"Ha! I'll have to keep that in mind." She had slowed down at this point, but still eating. She simply couldn't pack it away like him - it had no place to go!

As he got up, she took the opportunity to stretch. Well, the evening had gotten off to something of an awkward start, but at least things seemed to be evening out a bit. Here it was, 2nd date (maybe? Was this a date? Who knows) and things were...going. Although she had the impression that he didn't too much care for her in THAT way, since she'd been making all of the moves.

Well, she was a big girl and no stranger to rejection. Usually at this point she would have expected him to try and get closer, but he sat on his end of the couch. Maybe he was still weirded out from what happened earlier. Okay, so that was a little freaky. But she had to! And she had gotten something truly wonderful out of it. So, maybe, moving forward, the only thing she could ask from him was the occasional pose. Actually....she wasn't a slouch with a camera, either. Work of him would be sure to get into a gallery...