[ Jim's hands don't stop moving when Zell reaches out to touch him and his smile is invisible, but it's still there. So is the way he changes direction, subtly, to run back over that spot when Zell makes a happy noise. Means Jim's doing something right.
The smile fades, gradually, only to turn wry at the not yet. Of course Zell hasn't given up hope of punching the monsters. It's one of those moments where Jim feels a swell of love so strong he thinks he might be physically lifted by it. He wants to turn Zell over and put this privacy to good use, but Zell's back feeling better is more important. He lean down enough to kiss between Zell's shoulder blades, barely there and then gone.
He's quiet for long enough that it might seem as though he's not going to say anything at all, but he's just marshaling his thoughts again. ]
I know you're here. I trust you.
[ That has never been the problem, not since this began. ]
Just - Zell, if I choke, I'll stop moving. [ Like a coward. A coward who can't keep anyone safe, who always has to be guarded by the other three. ]
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The smile fades, gradually, only to turn wry at the not yet. Of course Zell hasn't given up hope of punching the monsters. It's one of those moments where Jim feels a swell of love so strong he thinks he might be physically lifted by it. He wants to turn Zell over and put this privacy to good use, but Zell's back feeling better is more important. He lean down enough to kiss between Zell's shoulder blades, barely there and then gone.
He's quiet for long enough that it might seem as though he's not going to say anything at all, but he's just marshaling his thoughts again. ]
I know you're here. I trust you.
[ That has never been the problem, not since this began. ]
Just - Zell, if I choke, I'll stop moving. [ Like a coward. A coward who can't keep anyone safe, who always has to be guarded by the other three. ]