Blood of my Brother

First (Official) Meeting

Varian's response to physical touch is based off my own experience with touch aversion. I was never in an abusive situation, but I did have nerve damage due to an allergy that resulted in actual physical pain when I came into contact with anyone. After we figured out what was causing it, it still took months for me to get used to being touched, and I still struggle. If anyone has any advice on how to write a character in Varian's situation, please share! I want this to be as accurate as possible, and I recognize that my own experiences are insufficient in depicting this.

Trigger warnings: panic attacks, mentions of injuries, negative response to physical contact

-------------------------------------

The warm sun shone down on the boy's battered frame, bringing with it a sense of peace he had not felt in months. His mind flitted back to those late summer days, right before the air would snap, when he would lay on the bank of the creek and listen to the water rippling over the stones, the smell of apples permeating the air, his faithful raccoon curled up asleep by his side...

Fur tickled Varian's cheek. He hummed softly and snuggled deeper into the body beside him. The movement sent a stab of pain through his side that left him gasping for breath. Breath would not come easy, though, as his throat felt like it was on fire.

He pried his eyes open—the bright sunlight stung after so long in the dark—and glanced at the creature next to him. His first thought was that it was Ruddiger. But no, it was far too big. Had he mutated? How? Varian wasn't there to give him the serum. He was in jail—

Wait, he was supposed to be in jail!

He tried to sit up, but burning pain shot through every inch of his being—which, granted, wasn't a lot, but it still hurt—and he fell back against the creature's side with a soft groan. Even making that small sound hurt. He bit his lip to keep from crying out. The heat of the sun, combined with the body temperature of the creature beside him, left him suddenly pouring sweat. He was burning! His arms ached with phantom pains of hot metal, something weighed against his thin body, keeping him down, holding him, he couldn't move, he couldn't move they were going to hurt him and he was helpless and they were holding him and it was SO HOT—

The creature beside him moved suddenly, taking much of that heat away and letting a cool breeze drift across him. A shadow crossed in front of his face. Looking up, he saw the face of a... he wasn't actually sure what that was looking back down at him. Definitely not Ruddiger, though the resemblance was striking.

The oppressive weight was suddenly pulled off him. Glancing over, he could see a second creature grasping a blanket in its mouth. Varian welcomed the sensation of being able to move, though his efforts met with just as much success as earlier. His arms still ached, his ribs burned, and his head felt like it was stuffed full of fabric. Though the thought of what he might see frightened him, he forced himself to look at the damage. Alone with two strange creatures in a strange place, he would need to know exactly how bad off he was if he wanted to recover and possibly defend himself.

Starting small, he looked at his arms.

Then his eyes widened.

Both his arms were wrapped in clean bandages. His left forearm was in a splint.

His legs and feet were bandaged as well.

His shirt was missing, and his entire torse had received the same treatment.

How—?

That man.

Someone had carried him out of prison. Someone had taken him away from that cold, dark cell and tended to his wounds and wrapped him in a blanket.