ORIGINAL EPISODE LINK: https://www.webtoons.com/en/mystery/purple-hyacinth/s3-ep-136-gnarly-guilt/viewer?title_no=1621&episode_no=141

*Above video contains music owned by Sophism (play it as you read!). All images in this chapter are screenshots from the original Webtoon and all of that art belongs to Sophism.

KIERAN'S POV

"All done."

With a few quick snips, the remaining bandages fell around us. For countless nights before, I've been at this very spot sewing myself back together after missions. But now, I was no longer both the healer and the patient. There was a strange mix of comfort and uneasiness to sense an extra weight on the cot behind me, another supportive presence that shared the burdens of my hideous wounds.

It was silent in the cave. I couldn't shake a new feeling of being self-conscious about the layers of faded scars accompanying the newest gash on my back. Despite not facing Lauren myself, I've never felt so exposed. Her gentle presses on the bandages almost made me ashamed. I was not used to being taken care of like this, and this moment of weakness made me feel more than the Purple Hyacinth. In front of Lauren, I was Kieran White.

"What about this one?" she suddenly asked, hesitantly touching my left shoulder. I tensed, remembering the abnormally large patch of scar tissue gathered there.

"I- I gave that one to myself."

I could feel Lauren pull back almost immediately, and before I could even think properly, I grabbed her hand and held it against my shoulder. Maybe it was to help root myself in the present, here with her, before I let my mind sink back into the dark depths of the past.

*Please read the rest of the Webtoon episode to learn more about Kieran's time as a prisoner of Apostle X in the Phantom Scythe! I highly recommend reading the gorgeous but really horrifying panels :'D The soundtrack absolutely amazing too and really immerses you into the art.

LAUREN'S POV

I tried my best to focus on the bandages threaded between my fingers, securely pasting them over Kieran's wound. I was never one to be queasy after looking at blood and gore due to my line of work, but it was a shock to see his back. It was a terrifying mural of old and new scars alike, with the raw skin scattered with the cold greens and purples of bruises. I saw an abused body constantly pushed to its limits and I shuddered to think what kind of extreme agony he had to learn to suppress to be able to mask pain.

It felt like ages ago when the roles were reversed and Kieran had to patch me up after the escape route from Flemmings' hotel room went wrong. Only a few months passed and I couldn't help but be in awe of how our relationship has changed since then. From vigilantes who highly distrusted each other to ... wherever we are now. Partners. After everything he's done for me, from the factory incident to simply caring for my well being, it was my turn to help him.

"All done," I said quietly, my voice echoing throughout the dim cave. There was an uncomfortable pause as my next words lingered in my throat. I couldn't stop them from coming out.

"What about this one?" I gingerly touched the oddly rectangular patch of scar tissue on his left shoulder, its lighter tone contrasting his warm tan skin. I immediately wished I didn't. I was pushing the boundaries, wasn't I? 

"I- I gave that one to myself," he replied with a heavy voice.

As I let the weight of his words sink in, I withdrew my fingers when he suddenly grabbed them. I froze, unsure of what to do except stare at his rough fingers pressing my own into the raw skin.

"I gave that one to myself," Kieran repeated more softly, as if he was lost in a memory. "I refused to bear the mark one of them put on me at some point."

Slowly, he let go of my hand.

"I got rid of it. That's all. Thank you for the stitches."

My rare glimpse into a vulnerable Kieran ended as suddenly as it came. He brushed off the moment like he usually did. I knew what that meant. No more was to be said of this.

*The rest of the Webtoon episode after these scenes is completely in Kieran's POV where we get to see his inner turmoil/monologue after sharing traumatic moments from his past with Lauren so my writing shall stop here! WHAT ARE YOU STILL DOING HERE? GO READ THE WEBTOON >:D