12106/Not all scars are beautiful

Not all scars are beautiful
Date of Scene:	01 September 2020
Location:	Gym - X-Men Base
Synopsis:	Josh finds Jeremy in the lockers and changes his life forever.
Cast of Characters:	SpyderByte, Elixir

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SpyderByte has posed:
Heading into the gym's lockerroom is Jeremy, who just finished what was an attempt at a trip on the treadmill. He got through most of a mile before he gassed out. While most of The New Mutants look like models and can fill their uniforms with muscles, he is mostly filled with lank and bones. It's obvious he is most likely the weakest member of the new 'student team', though his skills comes in the form of data and analytical mapping of strategies.

Sinking down on to one of the benches, he lets out a soft sigh and stares down at his hands for a few moments before he wrinkles his nose. He reaches over to open his locker to reveal his baggy black clothing in the form of chained pants, long sleeved black shirt and a heavy black hoodie. For the summer, it is probably incredibly uncomfortable to wear in the heat.

Slowly, he peels off his clothing, revealing a thin and gaut frame of pale skin. His bones are pressed against his skin, his ribcage easily seen. Along his back is a series of heavy, deep scars. Someone dug the word 'faggot' into his back, followed by what appears to be initials. They autographed their work afterwards. There is multiple scars along his hips and backside, then a longer one along the back of his leg. His arms have several shallow criss-crosses as well.

As he plucks up his towel, he wraps it about his bare hips and trots towards the showers cautiously, always glancing around in a timid manner before he reaches into a stall to turn the water on.

Elixir has posed:
Not long after Jeremy enters the lockerroom, Josh Foley also wanders in. It's been a while since he's had a decent workout and after a run in with some hostiles out in public and him not being a very effective combatant, he's felt the serious need to get back into the gym and start hitting the weights so he can handle himself.

He steps in just as Jeremy wraps the towel around himself and heads towards the showers. It's not unusual to see someone in here in various states of dress so he doesn't think much of it and simply offers the guy a nod and a 'hello' until he notices the scars from carvings into his back. He does a double take and can't help but look a little stunned. He catches himself, though, and averts his eyes so he's not gawking and simply heads to a bench so he can get changed.

SpyderByte has posed:
At the sound of the voice saying 'hello', Jeremy practically jumps out of his skin. He clutches his towel a bit tighter to him, shifting himself around so that he can catch sight of Josh. The gold skinned boy makes his eyes widen some as his cheeks give a bright flush. He glances off to the side, then steps into the showers a bit deeper, cranking the heat up to create some thicker steam.

He doesn't say anything in response to the healer as his head ducks down. He still clutches the towel around him for a few moments, then finally sighs in resignation and peels it off him, hanging it up and steps forward to take the brunt of the water to the face and chest.

Elixir has posed:
The golden boy begins to disrobe and folds his clothes neatly to place on the bench beside him before he pulls out his workout clothes and begins to get dressed for a sweaty time. When he's ready, he rises to his feet and glances towards the showers where a cloud of steam is beginning to pour out. Clearly the guy is ashamed of the scars. He can't blame him. Maybe when he comes back out, Josh can see if he can try to help him out with them.

Leaving the lockerroom, he heads out to a treadmill so he can get warmed up before hitting the benches and getting these muscles back into fighting shape.

SpyderByte has posed:
It doesn't appear that Jeremy takes his time in the shower. He's in there long enough to get wet, shampoo his hair and then re-wrap himself with his towel. Once he dries off at his locker, which is done in quick, frantic wipe downs, he throws his clothing back on.

As he heads out of the locker room, the young Goth is in his all black apparel, complete with chains that hang off his pants. His head is down and staring at his feet, cheeks flushed bright red with a clenched jaw. His dark eyes glance over towards Josh for a moment before he heads for the doors.

Elixir has posed:
A few minutes into his run, Josh is already breathing heavily and glistening with sweat. Seems he was a little more out of shape than he thought. He desperately holds the 'slower' button until he's down to a walk so he can catch his breath when Jeremy appears. He glances over in time to catch the goth kid's gaze and he offers him a quick wave, but he's already heading towards the door.

"Hey man!" he says as he hops off the treadmill and jogs in Jeremy's direction, "I wanted to ask you something if you have a minute." He offers the guy as friendly of a smile as possible and extends his hand as he approaches, "I'm Josh, by the way."

SpyderByte has posed:
As he squeezes his phone between his hands, Jeremy glances up at Josh from behind his damp black bangs that hangs over his face. His hair is shaggy and in need of a cut. Instead of speaking with his voice, he holds his phone out. What would 'be' his voice instead comes through the speakers of his phone.

<< I know. You are Josh Foley. AKA Elixir. X-Men Gold Member. Omega level healer. Recently graduated from Xavier's with a three point seven GPA, currently studying at NYU. >>

He blinks his dark eyes slowly at him, his head tilting to one side. He lifts one hand and reaches out slowly to take his, giving it a quick shake. His hand is trembling, feeling clamy to the touch.

<< I am Jeremy Statton. Code named Spider Bite. Alpha level technopath. Member of the New Mutants. Senior. >>

Elixir has posed:
Josh looks from Jeremy to the phone in his hand as it begins to identify him. He blinks and grins as he hears all about himself on it. "That's pretty cool," he says as he looks back up to the eyes behind the damp hair. Or at least as much as he can see. When Jeremy offers his hand for a shake, Josh considers taking a peek at his injuries but doesn't want to be intrusive.

"Nice meeting you, Jeremy," he says before stuffing his hands into his gym shorts pockets. "I wanted to say that, if you're okay with it, I can see if there's anything I can do about.. well, your scars and stuff." He shrugs, "I don't mean to intrude or anything, I just noticed and maybe if I can't get rid of them completely I can at least make them less severe? Or I can fuck off and mind my own business, whichever you prefer."

SpyderByte has posed:
There is a slow blink of Jeremy's eyes again as he gives a tighter squeeze of his phone. He lets out a slow breath, then glances back down towards his black sneakers once more. He shuffles awkwardly, looking uncomfortable.

<< I don't know who I will be without them. >>

Blowing some hair away from his face, his eyes are revealed to be a sad brown.

<< They hurt me so bad. Inside and out. If you think you can remove them. It is probably for the best. I'm ashamed of my body. I hate the way I look. Every day it reminds me of what they did to me. >>

Elixir has posed:
The kid with golden skin can relate, at least somewhat, to being ashamed of how he looks. Obviously his experience is nowhere near what Jeremy has faced. "Listen, I don't want to make you uncomfortable or force you to do something you're not wanting to do," Josh says with a solemn expression on his face. "But maybe if we can do something about them you'll be able to start feeling better. Maybe not completely but you can at least start healing?" Or something. He doesn't know what the hell he's talking about.

"I can touch your shoulder and see what's going on, if that's okay with you, and then we can go from there?"

SpyderByte has posed:
Chewing on his bottom lip harder, Jeremy's eyes well up with tears. He gives a loud sniff, then reaches up to brush at his face with the back of his hand.

<< I don't think I'll ever heal from this. Even if you took the scars away, it won't take away the memories, or the fear. I am always going to be broken. >>

There is a flash of panic along his face for a moment, as if he may be struggling to breathe for a few seconds. His chest heaves, holding in a breath, before he lets it out.

<< Do I take my shirt off? >>

Elixir has posed:
Josh feels bad. Both for the kid and he feels really awkward and guilty for initiating this conversation. "I understand, man." He stops himself and realizes how insensitive that probably was, "I mean, I can't imagine what you've been through. I just mean I understand what you're saying..." If his skin could blush, he'd be red.

"You don't have to remove your shirt. I'll just touch your neck, if you're comfortable with that." Josh steps forward and holds his arm up but doesn't make contact yet until he's certain that Jeremy is okay with this whole thing. "One step at a time, you know? First heal the body and then work on healing your mind."

SpyderByte has posed:
Nodding his head slowly, Jeremy swallows tightly in his throat. He's trembling like a scared puppy who has been beat one too many times for being a 'bad dog'. He barely makes eye contact, even though the words are assuring and friendly. He swallows tightly, then nods his head.

<< Okay. You can do it. >>

He probably should have asked if it will hurt.

Elixir has posed:
Josh nods quietly and reaches forward and lightly places his fingers against Jeremy's neck. He then closes his eyes and concentrates as his powers search through Jeremy's body to find the abnormalities. Even with his limited abilities, he's able to find them easily and sense them quite clearly.

His brows furrow slightly as he begins to work on healing them as best as he can. The process does not hurt but it may feel strange to Jeremy. It may even cause slight itching as his scars improve, but it is mostly a rather pleasant experience as his tissue is regenerated.

SpyderByte has posed:
There is nothing wrong with Jeremy's body besides the scars. Otherwise, he's a bit underweight and in need of a haircut. As he feels the tingle surging through his body, he gives a visible jolt, sucking in a deep breath as he gives his phone a tighter squeeze.

He closes his eyes, tilting his chin upwards as he tries his best to not give his arms a scratching with his rough fingernails. He gives a glance down at his left arm, watching the scars retreat away beneath his sleeve, leaving behind his pale skin in it's wake.

Elixir has posed:
A beads of sweat begin to form on Josh's forehead as his concentration deepens, wrinkles also spreading almost from temple to temple. He can feel his efforts paying off but there's still more to go. He purses his lips and is almost to the point of grunting as he gnashes his teeth, his jaws rippling beneath his skin.

After a few more moment, it's a little too much and he pulls his hand away from Jeremy's neck and staggers back, exhaling sharply and reaching up to hold his hand against his head. His other hand finds the rail of a treadmill and he holds himself up weakly, "H.. how's that?" He is too busy not collapsing onto the ground to look at his work.

SpyderByte has posed:
There's a furrow of Jeremy's brow as he sees that Josh is fairly depleted. He looks nervous for a moment, then gives a scratch at his arm as he can still feel the tingles. He peeks under his sleeve to see the scars gone. Slowly, he unzips his hoodie and pulls it off, then lifts his shirt upwards to take a look at himself. It appears that most of the scars are now gone, or at least faded away to being barely visible.

Pulling his shirt up and over his head, he turns around a bit so to try and catch the sight of a mirror as he tries to look over his shoulder. The word is gone. The initials are gone. His back, while still boney and pale, appears to be healed. He stares at himself for a long moment, then starts to sob as he sinks down to his knees, clutching his shirt against his chest.

Elixir has posed:
Josh is definitely depleted. He does manage to navigate his way over to a bench and drops heavily onto it, reaching up and running a hand through his now-damp hair. He hears the sobbing and glances up, seeing Jeremy and the almost completely healed scars, "Shit, almost got 'em all." He sighs and leans forward, resting his elbows against his knees and lowering his head, closing his eyes once more. "I think one more time should do it," he says between breaths." He lifts his gaze again, "We can try again tomorrow once I've had some rest."

Managing to push himself back to his feet, he steadies himself, "I need to get a shower and go go lie down."

SpyderByte has posed:
<< It's fine. >> The voice comes out soft and calm from the phone, despite the overwhelming amount of emotion that Jeremy is giving off. He gives another loud snuff, then wipes his face with his shirt a few times before he finally pulls it on.

<< Thank you. It means a lot to me. I forgot what what normal looked like for me. >>

Elixir has posed:
Before turning to head to the lockerroom again, Josh looks over at Jeremy, who is looking much better. Well, except for being practically ematiated. That can be fixed though. "Now you can start getting used to it again," he says through a weak smile.

He sways for a moment and then shakes his head as if to clear it up, "I need to go get cleaned up before I pass out." He says this with a nervous chuckle and then offers Jeremy a half wave and then turns and heads back to the lockerroom.