April Yang and Dick Grayson share deep-rooted connections to Gotham, even if they prefer not to give them much thought and keep their emotions to themselves. When Dick turns up in Devon City, where April works towards becoming a surgeon, she inevita...
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TRIGGER WARNING: SH and SA
The doors to April's bathroom flew open. The steam started leaving the room as Noah looked around, trying to see through fog. April stood by the tub, having quickly put a sweatshirt over her head.
"Hello?" She said, annoyed. "Privacy—"
"I've been knocking!" Noah was angry. He always was when he suspected she was scratching.
"Okay, sorry, I didn't hear you—" She tried to go around him and out of the bathroom but he blocked her way. "Noah..."
"Show me your arms," he demanded. "I need to see."
April swallowed. She hated this. She didn't know if it was being cared for that bugged her or the idea of Noah stressing over it, but she hated it. She rolled up her sleeves. Nothing, not one scratch.
Noah furrowed his brows. He knew the scratches would sometimes disappear before she even left the bathroom, but not today. Not after yesterday. Her body was still healing, even if it was sped up—she still had a burgundy bruise above her eye.
"So you got creative," he said, challenging. "Your hip, then? The thighs? Where, April, where did you—"
"Stop! Noah! There's nothing!" She ducked under his arm and speeded into her bedroom.
"April I'm not going to shame you but I have to see them," he argued, trying to speak softer. "It's better this way."
"Better for who?" April asked, standing by the window and further away from Noah.
"For you, so you don't loose control." He gave her a knowing look. "Pull up your hoodie."
"Noah—"
"April." He didn't raise his voice despite the frustration. He knew that it would just make her shut down on him, so, as he stepped in her direction, he kept his voice soft. "Please," he said. "Show me."
Pulling her hoodie up, April kept her eyes on the ceiling. She didn't like looking at them, especially when they were bad. It scared her. She scared herself.
Noah looked at the scratch marks, spreading from under her boobs all the way to her hips. They were red little bruises, though none of them bleeding. April knew better than to make them bleed. Noah brushed over his face with a hand.
"Jesus, April," he said quietly. "What happened yesterday?"
April winced, still looking up.
After she had split from Dick, Kiran and Amber led her to a business office in the middle of the city. Empty by then, because it was so late, only a few security guards left. Or so it had seemed.
