Room for Thought

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael rolled his eyes, "Yeah, you're so intimidating. You put Chase and Emilian both to shame." He grinned at Dare, his eyes bright with the tease, though he was very glad to hear that Dare hadn't been in any trouble other than the man outside of the shop. He didn't think Dare the least bit intimidating and couldn't imagine anyone thinking he was, unless they were caught off-guard by his hair.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare chuckled. "You don't know the half of it," he said. He lifted the quill from Michael's hand to observe his handiwork, an abstract of curves remeniscent of twisting, dancing vines, gleaming silver against his skin. "There," he said to Michael. "Not as impressive as the Mark, but I think it's more attractive, artistically speaking."

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael wrinkled his nose when Dare compared it to the Mark and shook his head, "I think this is quite impressive." He looked down at it, his eyes tracing the lines that swept across his hand. His other hand came over and folded across his arm, just below his elbow, gently stroking the fabric of his sleeve as he thought, contemplating pulling it up and showing Dare. He trusted Dare, felt like he had known him forever, even though they had only really been together for roughly a week, as pointed out when they had been with Silver.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare knew what he'd been saying when he'd approached the subject of the Mark, but he'd only meant it as an approach, another subtle reminder that he didn't judge Michael for it. "Thank you," he said, turning to find something to clean off the quill tip with, since his drawing was done. He found a soft cleaning cloth, and worked it against the quill, carefully cleaning off the ink.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

"I tried to find a way to get rid of it," Michael said, letting go of Dare's hand to pull at his sleeve, pulling it the opposite direction to how he usually did. "I dug through every book I could find in the library on removing scars and things. Storm saw me and suggested make-up," he smiled up at Dare as he pulled his sleeve up over his elbow and turned his arm over. "I figured it would just wear off just after I put it on or show through." It was the first time he had really looked at his Mark in a long time and was surprised to see that it wasn't quite as dark as it had once been, though it was still nearly black.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare had stopped cleaning at the words, his attention completely diverting to Michael. He didn't stare, but watched Michael, watched his face as he worked up his sleeve, that smile somehow the strangest part of all this. It showed in Dare's eyes how much it meant that Michael was sharing this with him, and he lowered his gaze curiously. His eyes took in the shape, twisting black lines that were only that, but represented decades of so much more.

Dare's right hand rose almost hesitantly, his fingers settling on Michael's arm, away from the Mark, but smoothing near enough to hint at his thoughts. "It's only a mark, you know," he said to Michael. "The memories are all inside. The rest lost its power as soon as you left."

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

"Not fifteen minutes ago you said it meant something, at least a warning," Michael pointed out, glancing up at Dare. He traced it over with his fingers, running them over the slightly raised pattern. "But I know what you mean, I still wish I could get rid of it though, you know how long it's been since I wore a short-sleeved shirt?" he asked, one corner of his lips turning up in a bitter motion.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

"If I didn't know you, it'd be a warning," Dare corrected, his gaze lifting to meet Michael's. "But I do know you, and that mark isn't you. It's your past, and it's something you overcame. You know what I see when I look at this?" Dare asked. He shifted, turning to dip the quill again, then bringing it to Michael's wrist, sweeping part of the design down and around toward his forearm.

"I see part of you, that's all. I see something that makes you complex, that keeps you grounded because you know where you came from, even if you can't see how far you've come." Dare worked slowly, but purposefully toward the Mark, paying attention to the tension in Michael's muscles, giving him the chance to stop him, to say he wasn't ready. Otherwise, his design would begin to surround the Mark, the black ink on the quill melting into silver around it.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael's eyebrows came together as he listened to Dare and watched the design spread over his arm. His hand tensed a little, but he didn't stop Dare, he was the first to really ever look at the Mark, and Michael wasn't sure what to do about it. He had certainly never heard anyone talk about it like that. The feel of the tip of the quill on his arm was strangely soothing, or perhaps it was just the fact that it was Dare doing it.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

When Michael said nothing, Dare went on, twisting his vines around the mark, working in the odd bloom and flower. "Everybody has some darkness, some much more than others, but still, it's there, and it only controls you if you let it. You've already stopped letting it," he said softly. the blooms grew more numerous as they surrounded the Mark, closing it in. "If you were nothing but light, you wouldn't be you. If you were nothing but Dark you wouldn't be you. You're the balance. And think about it. The sky celebrates at dusk and dawn, where the balance is." Dare chuckled lightly. "I'm rambling. You can tell me to shut up if you want."

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael smiled softly as he listened to Dare's words, thinking about how Dare would help him. Dru had been the one to help him break away, Anna had pulled him out of the depression he had been in after Dru, and now Dare was going to help him work through it all and come to terms with his mistakes. His free hand came up to turn Dare's face toward him and Michael met his lips for a kiss. "It's fine," he said when he pulled away and met Dare's eyes, still smiling.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare had been lost to his thoughts, and that gesture, the soft kiss and the emotion behind it, sent momentary surprise flickering across his eyes. Then he saw Michael's smile, and his lips curved in response. He could see the genuine happiness Michael felt, and his heart swelled. They were talking about something that Dare knew Michael held as his darkest secret and he was smiling.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael settled back, letting his hand drop down into his lap. "No one's ever talked about it like that," he said, "I mean, people will kind of accept it and act like it never happened. But you..." He looked down at the designs on his forearm, sighing, "Thank you." He let his eyes trail over the lines and the flowers, tilting his head at the contrast between the smooth silver and the harsh black of the Mark.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare's head lowered a bit as he unconsciously tried to deflect the compliment. "If you pretend it didn't happen, it just festers, right? And besides, it doesn't end in tragedy, so why would anyone want to make it one?" Dare added a few hearts to his design in subtle mocking of the Mark itself, then, considering the whole complete, he resumed cleaning his quill. People in general were idiots; Michael's words were just another confirmation.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

The addition of hearts only made it seem more odd, but Michael liked it, he felt strangely at peace with the Mark for the first time. He lay his arm up higher on his thigh, closer to his eye level so that he could examine it more closely. "I'm going to fell horrible when I have to wash my hands," he mused to himself, knowing that the work wasn't permanent.