Krem let himself be led into the bedroom, peeling off to go to the bathroom. He stripped just inside the door, not bothering with the door. Thomas had seen everything about him. Adding bruises to that tapestry didn't actually change the canvas itself. Beside, most of them were only just starting to turn from new red to the blues and purples of deep tissue and the hours they'd been on his body.

He started the shower, steaming but not outrageously hot, and ducked into it. The difference between the heat of the water and the chill of the night made more of a difference than the sting of it hitting his bruises. Still, to keep from bruising any more or spreading the ones he had, he made quick work, washing up with Thomas's soap and sighing as he let himself luxuriate only a little in the heat of the water relaxing his aching shoulders.

When he stepped out, carefully drying off, he found he was even more exhausted than he'd expected. He checked himself in the mirror. Bruises and a few cuts littered his skin, but they were all mostly superficial. He didn't feel like anything was broken or displaced. He cupped his hand under the faucet to catch some water and washed out his mouth quickly; he didn't spit up blood, which was encouraging in and of itself.

Still, his bruises and stomach were especially bruised, and his joints ached miserably. He stepped out of the bathroom, pulling his shorts on but nothing else for the moment, heading straight for Thomas's bed and collapsing into it.