[ all he wants is to reassure him. there hasn't been much of that lately, aside from the card he'd given him on his birthday, and even that had felt lackluster in comparison to the things vie still feels. being here with jaejin should be a good thing; it shouldn't be weighed down by the past or the things they're currently running from. he especially doesn't want to continue pulling away from jaejin when this is clearly something they both need. so, still as gentle as before, vie turns their hands and kisses the tender inside of jaejin's wrist. ]

I don't want to be close to you because I think I owe you something. [ he believes he does regardless but not in that way. the smile he gives him is quiet. ] I miss you, Jaejin. Not so much physically, I suppose, though I do miss that too. But everything else. [ did that make sense to him? it probably doesn't, and vie sighs under his breath, moving even closer to him. ] I miss the little things. So giving you what you need is just as much about me as it is about you.

[ because he couldn't imagine his life without him now, and he wonders how he's survived this long without him. how he'd gotten this tangled up in his own plans to not realize that someone worth the sacrifices had been so close to him all this time without vie ever knowing it until they'd met. it's a heavy thought, but it doesn't translate into the way he looks at him, lifting his other hand to lightly touch his thumb to the jut of jaejin's chin like he's thinking about kissing him. ]