[ he can't help it, the soft exhale of relief — he'd feared two things equally, junpei objecting to him going, and insisting on coming, too... and yet he does neither, his words those of quiet acceptance, and charles allows himself a second or two to think of just how bloody lucky he is, that junpei would simply understand his reasons without him having to spell them out —
and then he's shaking his head, because too good? him? hah. yeah, right. that's the only thing he does to object to those words, though; this isn't the moment, not now, as little as he believes them... but maybe it's okay that junpei believes them for him. ]
Hey, yeah. Of course I will. [ he says this like it's a foregone conclusion — like there's no world where he doesn't come see him before leaving. ]
Not sure. Depends on where I get sent, I guess. If it's outside Aldrip... it's a couple days to get there, and then however long it takes for everyone to get to the terminals. [ two, three days, perhaps, then — it's his best guess, in any case. and that's not taking into account whatever is out there.
but he doesn't want to think about all the ways things can go wrong, out there, not yet. his arm tightens around junpei and he sighs, his other hand resuming its motion of running through his hair. ]
Junpei, [ and there's really no need for charles to say his name, except for wanting to — and god if his voice isn't making a gold medal effort of balancing tiredness with tenderness, there, ] Think we could... stay like this? Just for a minute.
[ because just for a while (a minute, yes, or two, or however long he is afforded), he doesn't want to think — doesn't want to look at the messages waiting for him on his phone, doesn't want to think about the terminals, or the world slowly dying around them, or anything that exists outside of the two of them, here with each other, gab snoring away in charles' lap.
because just for a while, he wants to pretend nothing else matters but them. ]
no subject
and then he's shaking his head, because too good? him? hah. yeah, right. that's the only thing he does to object to those words, though; this isn't the moment, not now, as little as he believes them... but maybe it's okay that junpei believes them for him. ]
Hey, yeah. Of course I will. [ he says this like it's a foregone conclusion — like there's no world where he doesn't come see him before leaving. ]
Not sure. Depends on where I get sent, I guess. If it's outside Aldrip... it's a couple days to get there, and then however long it takes for everyone to get to the terminals. [ two, three days, perhaps, then — it's his best guess, in any case. and that's not taking into account whatever is out there.
but he doesn't want to think about all the ways things can go wrong, out there, not yet. his arm tightens around junpei and he sighs, his other hand resuming its motion of running through his hair. ]
Junpei, [ and there's really no need for charles to say his name, except for wanting to — and god if his voice isn't making a gold medal effort of balancing tiredness with tenderness, there, ] Think we could... stay like this? Just for a minute.
[ because just for a while (a minute, yes, or two, or however long he is afforded), he doesn't want to think — doesn't want to look at the messages waiting for him on his phone, doesn't want to think about the terminals, or the world slowly dying around them, or anything that exists outside of the two of them, here with each other, gab snoring away in charles' lap.
because just for a while, he wants to pretend nothing else matters but them. ]