[ it makes him feel some modicum of embarrassment, the way all this is making him sob like this while junpei himself seems so far less affected by shit that actually happened to him — but it's not like he can help it, the way just so much as thinking about the person he loves the most dying so many times, being in pain, and not even being allowed a moment to process any of it, it all cracks him open, fills the depths of his soul with so much sorrow he's drowning in it, and the only way to deal with it is let at least some of it out.

he tilts his head to press against junpei's hand, sniffles a few times, lifts his own hand to wipe the remaining tears with the back of his hand. this isn't a guarantee he won't break down again over this, but at least for now he's more composed, even if his breaths are still hitching a little, like there's little hooks in each of them, catching at his throat. ]

It's okay, [ he says softly, with immediate forgiveness. ] Just, we promised to carry each other's burdens, didn't we? But I can't do that if you don't talk to me. [ gently, to show that he doesn't mean it as admonishment, doesn't hold it against junpei at all when he knows he himself is just as bad at actually talking about his issues, he slides his hands around him again and pulls junpei to him, tucks his face in the crook of his neck for a moment to simply hold him close.

and then, pulling back, ] ... Yeah. Yeah, the bed sounds aces.