[It's lucky that Charles touches on the subject of something happening when he does, because the way he blinks like for a moment he doesn't know what Junpei is talking about, the arrow wound, is— well, Junpei hasn't been able to shift across timelines since finding himself in Aldrip, but for a second he has to wonder what if. What if the reset was actually disastrous, what if the Aldrip they've been living in all this time really did crumble into nothing, and his ability finally decided to kick in - it is, after all, "activated" by mortal danger - and he's shifted straight out of there into a different Aldrip, where nothing had ever glitched out and gone wrong? He loves Charles, and it stands to reason that he would love any iteration of him he happens to meet, but the thought of his Charles being deleted from existence or something, of the other version of himself never waking up— well!
It's lucky that Charles centers himself, because that centers Junpei in turn, and the stomach-lurching terror of the last handful of seconds fades away into the remnants of an adrenaline rush, and he huffs out a small sigh. He's good, although since he hasn't shifted anywhere, he must directly acknowledge the way Charles looks at him, the way his first move isn't to pull away but to touch him with so much earnest affection that Junpei thinks he might drown in it, and, ah...
Can they skip matters of the world, today, please? He knows they can't; he knows it and he sighs again and leans forward to sigh a third time into Charles' shoulder, exhausted already by whatever this day has to throw at them. He would rather stay here, content and warm and... cared for, but of course, they're going to have to get up eventually.]
Good, [he says, still to Charles' shoulder, and blindly reaches up to pat him on the cheek,] No more field trips for a while.
[And, fine, now he will pick his head up, giving Charles a look that says quite plainly that he super doesn't want to go out and investigate, but it's time to do just that.]
We're still here, so... It worked? [He shifts just a little, to push up on his elbow and crane to see Gab, yep, Gab is still here (and, oops, he forgot about the literal boar, Richard will probably stab him)— so. Hm.] Should we go see what it's like out there...?
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It's lucky that Charles centers himself, because that centers Junpei in turn, and the stomach-lurching terror of the last handful of seconds fades away into the remnants of an adrenaline rush, and he huffs out a small sigh. He's good, although since he hasn't shifted anywhere, he must directly acknowledge the way Charles looks at him, the way his first move isn't to pull away but to touch him with so much earnest affection that Junpei thinks he might drown in it, and, ah...
Can they skip matters of the world, today, please? He knows they can't; he knows it and he sighs again and leans forward to sigh a third time into Charles' shoulder, exhausted already by whatever this day has to throw at them. He would rather stay here, content and warm and... cared for, but of course, they're going to have to get up eventually.]
Good, [he says, still to Charles' shoulder, and blindly reaches up to pat him on the cheek,] No more field trips for a while.
[And, fine, now he will pick his head up, giving Charles a look that says quite plainly that he super doesn't want to go out and investigate, but it's time to do just that.]
We're still here, so... It worked? [He shifts just a little, to push up on his elbow and crane to see Gab, yep, Gab is still here (and, oops, he forgot about the literal boar, Richard will probably stab him)— so. Hm.] Should we go see what it's like out there...?