#may again

Pepper stood up and felt the scars prickling on his back. Pepper took a step forward and felt the scars uncomfortably come into contact with the back of his shirt. Pepper saw someone looking at him like he was strange. Pepper's hand jumped up to cover the scars even though they were already covered, rubbing them in tiny circular patterns.

He'd been this way ever since the attack. Scars always present, scars always hovering at the back of his mind. As much as he tried to change it, no visits to the hospital or care from Lightning could ever really fix the problem, because the problem was inside of him. Locked inside of his brain and always there, because every time Pepper remembered the scars, he remembered her, and he remembered the darkness and the fear, no, the terror of being out of control and helpless. It flooded his brain at random times for random reasons. Maybe he was out walking with Lightning, and they came close to the alley. Sometimes, when he saw kitchen knives or hairbows, the memories came back. Even just the simple prickling of the scars on his back was enough to make Pepper almost start to cry. He just didn't understand it.

But he didn't know how to make it ever stop.