[ Renji didn't do more than give a quick look down as Keigo took his hand before his gaze was drawn back to his face. He took in Keigo's explanation, and the way he talked about himself like he was a troublesome sack to be loaded on a mule, and he frowned. He had that mildly irritated look on his face, furrows deepening along his brow, and his voice had that extra texture of heated aggravation. ]
You are loud and you do complain a lot and whine about somethin' new every day. And you're always reactin' in the most dramatic way a person can and you cry more than anybody I ever met...
[ With affection that was scarcely concealed by his irritation, his free hand lifted to brush the corner of Keigo's eyes, turning quickly into a brief, light pinch of his cheeks. ]
You got extra water in there you save just for cryin'?
[ His smile was small and wry at that short digression before he took a deep breath and continued, speaking with deliberate thought that was unusual for him. ]
But you ain't selfish. And you don't have to hide what really bothers you. It ain't a burden. It's important.
[ It was vexing, how much Keigo hid away out of some misplaced idea that his problems weren't worth troubling another person over. It was also vexing how much Renji wished he'd just open up to him. He was not the man that most people went to for comfort, at least not the kind that didn't involve alcohol and cathartic fistfights, but he wasn't about to let Keigo keep all his worries to himself. Especially not if he was going to use his ribbon to soothe himself when Renji was right there.
If what Keigo wanted was a tether, Renji wanted to show him how much a strip of reishi was a non-compromise compared to the real thing. He was careful and slow, almost methodical, as he gently pulled his hand from Keigo's grip to take one of his wrists. His hand slid down to envelop his, thumb curling over his palm and fingers closing over his. It's intensely embarrassing, and he didn't know how Keigo managed to do it and still sound relatively together. He had to take a break, a short pause where he wondered where all this capacity for intimate comforting came from, if it was the VR experience that left an imprint on him when he looked at Keigo or if that was a convenient excuse for the rare moments he reached out to grasp the things he wanted to hold onto. ]
And if it's important, you shouldn't leave it unsaid.
[ His eyes shifted downwards briefly, as if he could see piled at his feet all the unspoken words he'd accumulated in his near-century of living. All the words he wasn't saying now. That pile must reach well past his knees by this point, past his chest, past his neck. It was a hypocritical thing to tell him, but Keigo was young and not quite as practiced at letting the words die in his throat. ]
no subject
You are loud and you do complain a lot and whine about somethin' new every day. And you're always reactin' in the most dramatic way a person can and you cry more than anybody I ever met...
[ With affection that was scarcely concealed by his irritation, his free hand lifted to brush the corner of Keigo's eyes, turning quickly into a brief, light pinch of his cheeks. ]
You got extra water in there you save just for cryin'?
[ His smile was small and wry at that short digression before he took a deep breath and continued, speaking with deliberate thought that was unusual for him. ]
But you ain't selfish. And you don't have to hide what really bothers you. It ain't a burden. It's important.
[ It was vexing, how much Keigo hid away out of some misplaced idea that his problems weren't worth troubling another person over. It was also vexing how much Renji wished he'd just open up to him. He was not the man that most people went to for comfort, at least not the kind that didn't involve alcohol and cathartic fistfights, but he wasn't about to let Keigo keep all his worries to himself. Especially not if he was going to use his ribbon to soothe himself when Renji was right there.
If what Keigo wanted was a tether, Renji wanted to show him how much a strip of reishi was a non-compromise compared to the real thing. He was careful and slow, almost methodical, as he gently pulled his hand from Keigo's grip to take one of his wrists. His hand slid down to envelop his, thumb curling over his palm and fingers closing over his. It's intensely embarrassing, and he didn't know how Keigo managed to do it and still sound relatively together. He had to take a break, a short pause where he wondered where all this capacity for intimate comforting came from, if it was the VR experience that left an imprint on him when he looked at Keigo or if that was a convenient excuse for the rare moments he reached out to grasp the things he wanted to hold onto. ]
And if it's important, you shouldn't leave it unsaid.
[ His eyes shifted downwards briefly, as if he could see piled at his feet all the unspoken words he'd accumulated in his near-century of living. All the words he wasn't saying now. That pile must reach well past his knees by this point, past his chest, past his neck. It was a hypocritical thing to tell him, but Keigo was young and not quite as practiced at letting the words die in his throat. ]