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Hey anyone remember Gumshoe mentioning in 1-3 that Miles crushed a cup full of hot coffee in his hand. Do you think that like. Hurt, or
OH SHIT WAIT PARALLELS TO PHOENIX GETTING COFFEE SCALDS FROM GODOT
I wanna say Miles's burn isn't as severe and probably isn't that noticeable unless you're looking for it - as careless as he likely would have been with himself at the time, angry at himself for losing and definitely not going out of his way to avoid unnecessary pain, he was still drinking the coffee, so it would have been cool enough to stomach, and Gumshoe likely would have insisted on treating the burn, possibly against Miles's will
Godot was aiming to hurt Phoenix with that cup of coffee, and honestly would probably drink it hot enough to scald his tongue anyway. He has a higher tolerance for hot liquids than most after so much drinking
Still, Phoenix notices the slight redness and vaguely different texture of the skin while they're cuddled together on the couch one night and he's playing with whatever parts of Miles he can reach, and Miles immediately gets embarrassed and self conscious and stuffs his hand between the cushions
He doesn't like having his body marked, no matter if it's with birthmarks or scars or freckles, it reminds him of how imperfect he is
He's trying very hard to shake off that mindset but fifteen years of abuse is difficult to deal with
Miles grumbles that it's an embarrassing story, and Phoenix just cocks an eyebrow at him before opening his mouth wide to prove the point that it cannot possibly be more embarrassing than some of the stories behind Phoenix's scars
Miles goes red and mumbles that he sort of got coffee on himself after squeezing a cup too hard, and Phoenix starts giggling a little but pats Miles's shoulder sympathetically, he knows exactly how hot coffee on your skin feels, it sucks
Miles feels guilty, though, and tells Phoenix it was in a fit of anger after losing to him for the first time, and it's an embarrassing reminder of how childish and obsessed he was being at the time
Phoenix works Miles's hand from between the cushions and gently kisses the faded scar with a little hum, which utterly frazzles Miles. He tells Miles that he's come so far since then and he deserves to forgive himself after being brainwashed into such a state, then continues to kiss the scar, pushing up Miles's sleeve a little so he can get the patch of burnt skin on his wrist. It's directly over a pulse point, and Phoenix can feel Miles's heart racing when he presses his lips to it
He interlaces his own fingers with Miles's, and Miles buries his burning face into his free hand. Phoenix laughs and asks to see him, and when Miles reluctantly lowers his hand, he steals a proper kiss from him. He tells Miles how handsome and brave he is and how far he's come while rubbing his thumb over the old scar, and Miles is struggling to rememeber how to breathe