#offering (artie is ... unaware unfortunately to the reason actually)

[bcneheaded]

"Hush, now. I've got you." (oh how the turn tables, old skellybones ;P)

𝐒𝐞𝐧𝐝 “𝐈’𝐯𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮” 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐦𝐲 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐡 𝐨𝐟𝐟 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 (with @winterfollows !)

Long, bony fingers are plucked with the utmost care from within their blood-soaked gloves-- once a pristine white-- the material catching stubbornly. Coat long since discarded, the sleeves no doubt ruined-- he stands rather despondently by the guest-room's bathroom sink, Haleir at his side. Determined for some reason or another to help in ridding him of the ghastly crimson that spattered most of his arms and upper body. A creature. A mindless abomination roamed the streets, causing chaos among the area and striking fear into its inhabitants. It could not be allowed to live and infect the city. So he killed it. It was.. perhaps a tad more difficult than he'd anticipated, and as such, he may have gotten a little frustrated by it. But in all fairness... in all his time, he had never encountered one of these. He did not know they exploded upon death. He does now. Had he the key components of doing so, surely he'd have retched when the half-digested blood of the creature's victims sprung from it's swollen belly and spattered his attire. Hot and rancid in feel, even upon his tar. And now he was here. Had it been that the other had already been at the shop, wondering where Artemis had been-- only to be shocked at the sight of the poor, reeking sap walking through the door? Perhaps so. But now... He takes Artemis' bare hand in his and sponges clean the stickiness from the bones and tar as gently as one would for a Living. And for a long moment as he stares down at their hands, he finds himself... confused. Why was he so gentle with a creature such as he? Yellow eyes languidly wander up to meet Hal's gaze in the mirror before glancing back down at the mess upon his button-up shirt; red and black alike soaked through the material. Audibly, he tuts; silently admonishing himself for ruining so much of his tailor's fine work. And when Hal looks at him, for the first time in.. perhaps a little too long, he speaks again. "Truly," he tries one more time, not nearly as convincing as he'd been the first couple tries. "you needn't... I can clean myself." A long pause, and he sighs quietly, eyes falling back to Hal's hands, pale as porcelain compared to his own. "You'll... dirty yourself with tar--" he tries, pushing once more, voice barely but a croak. "It's... difficult to wash off."

#( asks ) #winterfollows #<:' ) hehe #yes hi hello please uuuuhhh please consider the fact my dear friend my beloved felspar-- #pls consider the fact that right here right then hes realizing that he has not been so much as touched in so very long by another person-- #not like this! not by someone he actually Likes on a level deeper than superficial or professionally !! he has not known a genuine kind #touch in. forever. if ever since he'd been out of hell tbqh ?? sure there had been humans but his mind was muddled with ulterior motives #and now that hes lucid and tired and self aware and in control and able to APPRECIATE and ENJOY it he finds himself so..... out of place #and out of sorts with it ? he doesn't know what to do with it at all. he doesnt understand why he wouldnt just leave it be and let him #clean his own self fkdkksfd cannot comprehend why he might want to offer some ?? form of comfort or idk ?? closeness? or w/e it is hes #offering (artie is ... unaware unfortunately to the reason actually) #if it had been anyone else at all he very well would have sighed and sent them on their way jgfjdgjdf hes not even that embarrassed to be s #seen like this by hal?? all dirty and gross and NOT proper whatsoever. ENTIRELY disheveled and practically naked without his coat and shirt #all buttoned up properly and his little cravat tie and stuff-- #soBBING THO HAL getting to see beyond the businessman persona is sustaining me rn ty for the food #also coming back here to point out that he definitely did just choose the phrasing ''dirty yourself with tar'' in relation to himself #and some sort of confused fear that he'll somehow see him that way too or SOMETHING IDK FFDSJ #im english teacher picking this apart rn im eating the tenderness right up #also x2 hi coming back again to just...... takes hal's hand. puts artemis' bare hand in his #this...... this hand is naked and u are the only person to see them ever jfdhjdfgdf