Arthur and Charlie both reach the door at the same time. It's Charlie who defers, hesitating so Arthur can go first. There's a splinter of uncertainty in him that wasn't there before. It needs time to form a pearl.
You ain't going to slam my head on the tub if I look too loudly? would be a cool thing to say if he was 100% sure it wouldn't happen.
He catches sight of himself in the bathroom mirror -- red marks blooming on some asshole's face and neck, matching the pain points on his own -- and tells himself it is what it is, and ignores it.
You know what, Arthur is a grown man capable of finding a bar of soap by himself. Charlie hooks up a clean flannel and returns to the main living space to warm a pan of water by the fire. He doesn't really meet John's eye on the way back either, unless he's spoken to.
Re: what lies beneath
You ain't going to slam my head on the tub if I look too loudly? would be a cool thing to say if he was 100% sure it wouldn't happen.
He catches sight of himself in the bathroom mirror -- red marks blooming on some asshole's face and neck, matching the pain points on his own -- and tells himself it is what it is, and ignores it.
You know what, Arthur is a grown man capable of finding a bar of soap by himself. Charlie hooks up a clean flannel and returns to the main living space to warm a pan of water by the fire. He doesn't really meet John's eye on the way back either, unless he's spoken to.