A whimper escaped as Skylar pulled a pair of jean shorts over their thighs, ignoring a fresh wave of stinging pain on top of the constant burning they were experiencing.
They hobbled out of the bathroom and back to Emily's room. Random notes on the keyboard getting quieter as Skylar got closer and completely stopping by the time they got to the doorway.
"Skylar?" Skylar confirmed it was them as Emily tilted her head, fingers poised over the instrument. What's wrong?" She asked.
"Nothing." Skylar groaned as they sat on the edge of Emily's bed. She spun the desk chair around and made the motion of lowering her glasses down her nose without actually touching them. "Okay, but first, how did you know?"
"Your footsteps sounded way different than normal."
"Oh, well," Skylar tugged at their shorts, but it only irritated the reddened skin more. Skylar hissed before continuing. "My thighs hurt."
"Muscles sore from all the walking yesterday?"
"No." Skylar looked down. "Um, the skin is burning, and kind of red."
"Maybe you have a rash." Emily put her hand on her cheek. "Are there hives?"
"No..." Skylar poked at one of the drops of blood. "A couple blisters though. And it hurts when my thighs rub together."
"Oh!" Emily jumped up and stepped around her keyboard. "I think I have a cream for that!"
"For... What?" Skylar asked over the rummaging Emily was doing in her top dresser drawer.
"A cream designed to soothe the burning. From your skin rubbing together all day."
"Okay..."
Emily ran her fingers over the collection of items in her drawer, finding the braille labels her mother made for almost everything Emily used from makeup to health products. "Here!" Emily tossed a tube with a purple cap. Skylar reached out, fingers trying to curl around the product, but only sending it spinning into the carpet. "Chafe cream! Apply liberally."
Skylar picked up the cream, braille lettering covering the product name snd the directions.
"Just... Apply?"
Emily giggled. "Squeeze.some onto your hand and rub it in. It may sting, but it will feel better."
"A lot if it is under the shorts... And they are tight."
"Then take them off. Not like I care."
Skylar shrugged, and peeled off the shorts with another hiss. The cream was an opaque white, but as Skylar rubbed it in, instead of it melting into their skin like other lotions they had tried. No, it changed texture. Instead of staying wet, the cream turned dry and powdery.
"This is weird." Skylar muttered as Emily started poking at her keyboard again. "Is it supposed to-"
"Turn into a powder?" Emily chuckled. "Yeah. Rub it in like that. The raw skin will feel much better."
"Thanks Emily. But... Why does the human body allow thighs rubbing together to hurt yourself, but almost all humans have their thighs rubbing together?"
"I wish I knew Skylar."
Word count: 484
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