She avoided eye contact with him as she finished her confession, having seen the sad, helpless look on his face as a reaction. She instead focused on the path of his fingers, and how he took the time to trace every little line that ran across her arm. She fought the urge to pull her arm away, as no one had actually ever touched her scars before, it was a sensitive topic for her to speak about. They didn’t bother her, but it felt different when it was someone else’s fingers. As he spoke, his voice soft and slow, she could feel her throat catch, fighting off any source of tears or sadness. She swallowed thickly, though she wasn’t sure it was from the pain of the past. Here Arc was, a near stranger, assuring her that he would be there for her, night and day. She hasn’t had that type of support line for nearly 4 years, but even then, there were no promises of redemption. She bit her lip, hard, to keep it from trembling as he traced the longer mark. She took note of how gently he held her arm, as if he was giving her the space to pull it away if necessary.<br/><br/>She only looked up, meeting his eyes with her own as he pressed a kiss to her arm. Her hand was shaking lightly, and she watched him, completely taken off guard by his gentle gesture. She’s shown three people these scars, and every single one of them made her promise to never to it again, but he didn’t. He didn’t make her promise not to, he instead assured her that if she did, he would be there. She returned his small smile with a sad one, nodding her head to show him she understood what he was getting at. She looked away to compose herself, breathing out as she felt him scoot closer to her. She regained stability and turned to him, giving him another small smile, okay with him still holding her arm. She didn’t say anything, as she didn’t feel words were needed.<br/><br/>She let out a small laugh as he explained to her about his incapability of being tickled, wiping a tear from under her eyes. She took a choppy breath, the laugh still on her lips. “I guess that’s how we’re different then, but if you tickle me I will hurt you.” She took another shaky breath, giggling at his confession. She scooted even closer to him, seeking more of the warmth he provided, thinking for something more on the lighthearted side to offer him. Her shoulder was brushing his now, and she leaned her head on her free hand. “Umm, well. When I was kid, my neighbor’s dog bit me in the face. It hit a nerve somehow, and now I can’t feel anything here.” She tapped above the curve of her right eyebrow, laughing. There was a small scar, a reminder that she would no longer feel that small portion of her forehead. She brushed her hair out of her face, shrugging to him with a slight smile. “I’ve got some weird things,” she added, her smiling growing into something more natural. She still felt his kiss on her arm, even though the moment had faded. She found herself exceptionally glad she was here with him, and vowed she would do anything to keep him here. Anything.