Room 212, Monday Afternoon

[boneyard_girl]

As much as she loved Fandom, Ada hated fall on the East Coast, she really really did. It was cold and wet and rainy and still humid and there was too much water. It gave her a headache and made the skin around her scales itch like mad. And after handling the water balloons in Mr. Rand's class, her hands were itching too

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[rebelseekspizza]

Dante was bored, and restless, and the way the news was going this world was starting to feel depressingly like Limbo City - it was throwing him off his stride. So he needed distraction, and the closest distraction after a lunch run was Ada's...

...So there he was, knocking.

[rebelseekspizza]

"I've seen worse," Dante said quietly.

He wasn't lying. "You've seen worse with me, too."

He kissed the top of her head.

[boneyard_girl]

"I know," she sighed. "Still."

It was easier to pretend you were normal, that you had a future, when your friends hadn't seen your skin fall off.

"'S not usually this much all at once. Being out in th' rain all weekend was bad for me, I think."

[rebelseekspizza]

"It gets that bad, that fast?" Dante asked quietly.

[boneyard_girl]

"It can." There was also the fact that living so close to so much salt water was probably bad for her, but Dante didn't need to hear that. "Usually just little bits peel off, like a sunburn, an' then there's scales underneath. Sometimes I shed scales, 'cause they're making way for bigger ones."

"Getting soaked an' staying that way...that's when stuff happens fast."

[rebelseekspizza]

Dante let out a sharp exhale. "I'm sorry," he said. He ran his fingers gently over the skin of her arm, careful to avoid new scales that might still be hurting.

[boneyard_girl]

Ada gave him a little smile. "I'll live."

She shifted and sighed, letting go of the hug and moving enough that they could both look at her arm, though she stayed curled against him. "It's pretty," she said wistfully, watching Dante's fingers explore. "'S already stopped hurtin' quite so much. An' they're small, probably be easy t' hide 'em with more glitter in th' summer."

It was getting harder and harder to hide. Ada was trying not to think about that.

[rebelseekspizza]

"Maybe I'll get you some bodypaint for Christmas," Dante said. His voice was still quiet. "It'd be pretty."

[boneyard_girl]

"I do like playing artist with you," Ada replied, this time the smile a little bit more genuine.

"Dante...it's fine. I'm fine. Or I will be," she promised. "It helps. Havin' friends that don't think they're weird or that it makes me a freak."

[rebelseekspizza]

"'Course it doesn't make you a freak," Dante said. His fingertips danced over her skin again, trying the edges where it met scales. "You're a cool person. None of this matters 'bout that."

[boneyard_girl]

"Sweet talker," she said, bumping his knee with hers. "Bet you say that t' all th' pretty mermaids."

[rebelseekspizza]

"Naw, only the awesome ones," Dante said.

He gave her a gentle squeeze. Didn't know what else to do, really.

[boneyard_girl]

What he was doing was fine. More than fine. And Ada adored him for it.

She sighed, shifting her attention to her other arm. "Suppose I should finish this off, b'fore it falls off during a class," she said, poking at one of the many spiderweb-ish cracks. "Wouldn't that cause a scene?"

[rebelseekspizza]

"Won't it hurt?" Dante asked, concern flitting over his features again.

[boneyard_girl]

"Yeah, but I'd rather it hurt now, than spend hours or days worryin' about it hurtin' later," she replied with a shrug. "It's like, it burns, at first, when th' scales are exposed t' air. Like you slipped and your hand passed through a fire. But after a little bit it dies back t' stinging, an' they'll ache if I use that area too much or sleep on it wrong. If'n 'm careful today, it'll probably feel just like th' rest of them by tomorrow, if a bit more sensitive for th' rest of th' week."

She poked at the already-scaled arm. "This...stings? Or itches? Around th' edges. Though when you were playin' with it that helped."

[rebelseekspizza]

Dante sucked in a breath of air. "Okay," he said. "Just be careful, okay?" His arm tightened around her for a second. "And I'm here if you need me."