[ it's a teasing touch, but vie lets his eyes fall shut nonetheless, focusing on the fading heat of jaejin's fingertips and the cadence of his voice. they're the only familiar things to him right now, wanting to hold onto them so he doesn't get lost in the what-ifs of it all. how incredibly easy it would be to give it up to chul and the unyielding power of the amber house, but he's come too far to let it break him. he needs to be strong for jaejin too, peering at him as one of his hands slips to his chest to feel his heartbeat.

he can never get enough of this, but there's still so much he has to prove. ]

It just means we have to work on it, [ vie murmurs quietly, alarmed by how quickly emotion wells up in his throat. how close had he come to losing him? how close is he still? ] You can always talk to me about anything. I would never think less of you for it or ignore you. [ and with that comes a quiet sigh. ] We can do this.

[ it's all vie has left to believe in, and he repeats it quietly, his fingers curling slightly in the fabric of jaejin's shirt. ]

I'm not going to him again. I can arrange things the way you want them, but the only person's hands I ever want to feel on me are yours. [ then, reasoning: ] I should talk to Sunni, though. It might be good to have him on our side.