The area around him was unnaturally warm. Kyungsoo liked it, and he even turned to snuggle closer to the warmth. He didn't know where or what could have produced such a perfect amount of heat. He didn't really want to question it, but somewhere in the mist of his consciousness, he recognized a breath cooling the base of his neck and something tickling his nose. The tickle he could have withstood in the pleasant numb of sleep, but then a weight pushed against him down there. He snapped open his eyes and catapulted himself away, only to be yanked back at the waist, leaving him half-dangling over the floor.

He recognized his living room table even if upside-down and figured that Head Janitor Wu had to have taken him back home. Hauling himself back onto the couch, Kyungsoo froze when he saw exactly what had held him down at the waist and who that what belonged to.

Kyungsoo's half-leap had dragged Jongin's upper body to the vertical center of the couch, his head off the couch pillow they had apparently been sharing, his arm hooked around Kyungsoo's waist. His wrist bent in a forty-five degree angle, so Kyungsoo eased himself up (which wasn't easy to do AT ALL since Jongin's limbs had taken over the rest of the couch) and tucked Jongin's arm back against his side. He saw that Jongin was still in his school uniform, and looking down, Kyungsoo saw that he was too. Reaching for his phone that had been placed on the table, he tapped it awake and did a doubletake at the date and time.

A whole day had passed and they had slept well after morning. He either had to have been exponentially tired or the zhinghuaksta knocked people out.

"'Calming' my logarithm."

He noticed a little note had been left next to their phones and picked it up, shining the phone screen light on it.

I wasn't sure if you would have accepted clothes that had been on the lunchroom floor on your bed, so I left you two on the couch.

P.S I locked the door on my way out.

-Yifan Hyung

Kyungsoo gave the note his best just-woke-up-but-I-have-enough-consciousness-to-do-this-deadpan look, because Head Janitor Wu decided to reassure him of pretty common-sense things. He saw that he had signed with 'Yifan Hyung,' and Kyungsoo smiled at the thought of being able to call him that. He would ask next time he saw him.

Setting the note onto his phone, Kyungsoo looked back at a snoozing Jongin. His lips had parted the slightest bit, and his hair stuck up in a few places. Lightly, he smoothed the strands back down. They popped back up every time, but Kyungsoo knew that they would. He brushed Jongin's bangs from his eyes and watched the calm in his features for a moment. Last time he had seen Jongin sleep was after he told him the kitten story, and he looked just as innocent that time too. Kyungsoo cringed a little at how there was a last time and worked on disentangling Jongin's legs from his. 

Once he was free and standing, Kyungsoo froze as Jongin started to shift. He watched him roll over to his side, and let out a little huff at how he had scared him. But Jongin was still moving and rolling. Towards him. Off the couch. Dropping into a squat, Kyungsoo barely caught his shoulder before losing balance and crashing face-first into the floor, Jongin's weight flattening him to the hardwood.

"How in the polar coordinate system," he muttered to himself.

He tried reaching behind him to tap and shake at Jongin, but he still didn't wake up. Well, first he would have to turn over if he wanted to push Jongin off him. Somewhat carefully because he got annoyed at how heavy Jongin was, he turned over while alternating between holding up Jongin and shrugging him around with his movements. Kyungsoo finally got onto his back with Jongin's head landing on his chest, all while he still snoozed away.

He lay on the ground for a moment. As he stared at the ceiling, catching his breath from how much of a dead-weight Jongin had been in his maneuvering, Kyungsoo thought that Jongin was either a heavy sleeper or really tired. Coupled with the zhinghuaksta, he must had knocked out completely, and Kyungsoo wondered if that was his fault.

Yesterday had asked a lot from Jongin, whether Kyungsoo directly asked for him or not. He already knew from previous experiences and the rag delaration that he wouldn't sit back and do nothing if something happened. He tried for him. That was how Lee Seungmin could insult Jongin. He held back more than Kyungsoo could ever know or feel, and guilt laughed at Kyungsoo for being so pathetic.

He also sat on him and took his warmth and played with his hands for longer than he should have. Jongin had stopped him from getting off, but maybe Kyungsoo should have insisted. Part of him that shamed himself said that he accepted Jongin's invitation to stay on his lap when he didn't have any right to. But somewhere in him, smaller but constant, refuted that claim, saying that he had just faced something terrifying, seeking comfort after that had been okay, and Jongin had offered from the beginning. 

Kyungsoo knew that he caused Jongin to hear ugly insults and feel helpless. He saw the bitter regret when Jongin said that maybe he should have ran to him that day. Because of what Kyungsoo caused, he shouldn't have taken more from him after he had calmed from the attack.

But Jongin said that he could ask him for help, that he would tell him if his request was wrong. He didn't tell him that leaning on him, holding his hand, had been wrong. Should he just trust Jongin's judgement? It wasn't that he didn't trust his judgement but...

Jongin dug his cheek into Kyungsoo's chest, breaking him out of his thoughts. The side of his face fell right over his heart, and Kyungsoo burst into a blush as he felt it beat faster. Or was it vice-versa? Whichever it was, he had to get out from under Jongin. He tried holding Jongin up while sliding his body up and out, but he stopped as Jongin's face neared his down there and just nope. He could not. Sliding back underneath him, Kyungsoo set Jongin's head on his stomach while he came up with a new plan.

He could wake him up, but then he would have to explain how they had gotten onto the floor and in this position, and he wanted to avoid what embarrassment he could. He could also just leave Jongin on the floor to sleep and put his head on a pillow, but he didn't know if Jongin was okay with sleeping on the bare floor. Plus, it just seemed rude. He was considering just lifting him up with his hands and feet and chucking him back onto the couch when something pinched him on the sides of his , making him wince. Jongin let out a soft groan and climbed back up Kyungsoo's torso, snuggling down onto his chest again, right over his heart.

Kyungsoo grabbed him by the shoulder and waist, planted the soles of his feet onto his stomach, and launched Jongin up and onto the couch. He didn't even turn around to check if he had woken up before dashing out of the living room down the hallway and into his room, slamming his door shut with his back.

His brain stood as frozen as he did, but he could feel the thuds in his chest hard and clear. He started moving around, tussling with random cloths and papers, and opening doors and drawers so that he wouldn't have to feel them. He could brush up and do his morning (well, now afternoon) routine. Yeah, he would do that instead.

After brushing his teeth and changing, he calmed considerably and peeked around into the living room. He guessed that Jongin hadn't woken up and decided to start warming breakfast/late lunch. He had just gotten a spoon for himself when there was soft shuffling in the kitchen. Turning around at the sound, Kyungsoo got a face-full of neck as Jongin draped himself over him.

"Morning."

Kyungsoo shoved him off and covered his face with his free hand, feeling the heat radiating out. From indignation and surprise, not from the way Jongin had come to hug him first or the way he felt Jongin's throat rumble when he spoke or the way he felt Jongin's adam's apple bob when he swallowed. Not any of those.

"Oh, it's not morning." Jongin chuckled. "Afternoon, Kyungsoo."

"Afternoon," he managed to mutter out. He was going to be irritated, but he couldn't after seeing Jongin smile at him.

"Are you okay? Why're you covering your face?"

"I'm good. Just take this and you can eat first. I'll make another."

Jongin took the spoon and set it on the table, looking down into the steaming bowl of fried rice.

"I can wait since this one is yours. I'm going to rinse out my mouth first."

As Jongin left the kitchen and Kyungsoo started warming another bowl, he played with his hands. The thoughts from earlier didn't disappear and they tapped at his mind again. Jongin was here, and it was the weekend, so they wouldn't have school, and his mom still had weekend shifts this month so... he would ask him.

He set the table just as Jongin came back. They started eating in quiet. He didn't know what Jongin was thinking, or if he was thinking with how voraciously he ate. He even asked if he could have more, but Kyungsoo was using each bite to bolster up his courage. When he felt like he had eaten enough, he glanced up at Jongin.

"Can I ask you something?"

He paused in shoveling his face and nodded.

"So, uh, yesterday, was that... okay of me?"

"Was what okay?"

"Just... sitting on you. And distracting myself by using your hands. And... holding onto you."

"Yes."

"Even after I was okay enough? Even after I could've gotten up, but I didn't because you said it was okay, but maybe I shouldn't have accepted because—just because something is offered doesn't mean that I should—"

Jongin leaned over, took Kyungsoo's spoon, scooped up a bite, and shoved it into his mouth, and Kyungsoo didn't know what suprised him more—the fact that Jongin just fed him to shut him up or the fact that he didn't mind that Jongin had just fed him to shut him up.

"Even if you were okay enough to have gotten up, were you okay?"

Kyungsoo looked down into his bowl, a tip embarrassed.

"And afterwards and when Couselor Huang was asking you those questions too..." 

He trailed off, unusual of Jongin. Kyungsoo watched as he looked away, waited as he tapped the back of his hand.

"Whatever you were thinking when he was asking you those, it seemed like it scared you. I don't want to leave you alone like that."

Jongin had moved to rub the inside of his elbow, not meeting his eyes. Kyungsoo looked down at the tabletop, rolling his lips in to contain himself. Something warm floated up to his chest, touching a tangle of chains locked inside, causing them to melt away and evaporate. The weights attached to them followed and faded as they did, and just for a little, he felt lighter. Lighter than he had in a long time. A few chains still rattled. A few weights still dragged at him, but he knew what he had to do to unlock those. And the hope that Jongin gifted him, encouraging him that he could, he would not waste.

He stood, walked over to Jongin's side of the table, and tugged him up. When he was standing, Kyungsoo inched closer, suddenly realizing that what he was doing was forty times more embarrassing than he could handle with his relatively calm mind right now. But in addition to apology hugs, Jongdae had also coined the gratitude hug in their group.

Opening his arms a little, Kyungsoo pulled Jongin into a hug, letting his arms stretch across Jongin's back when Jongin circled his arms around his waist.

"Thank you."

Jongin nodded against his head. Kyungsoo pulled away and played with his hands, trying to will his embarrassment down.

"Jongdae always says that after an apology or out of gratitude, you have to hug so..."

Jongin opened his arms again, and Kyungsoo raised an eyebrow.

"We didn't hug after we apologized to each other before."

Kyungsoo ran back through the day when Jongdae had dragged him to Jongin's window and covered his face remembering what happened after.

"Okay, yeah, but that was a while ago. I mean, you caught me when I fell in from the window sill. Plus, you gave me Halley to hold."

"That was before we had apologized, and that was Halley. This is me."

He pointed to himself, and Kyungsoo didn't know why his mind thought of the word adorable. He told it to STOP when it kept thinking that word.

"She's your spirit animal, so I'm sure that you felt it. I guess. I don't know how spirit animals work."

Jongin blinked at him, then at a space past him, then he looked back at him again.

"Can you hug me anyway?"

Kyungsoo stared at him because which dimension had he been transported to for Jongin to ask him for a hug?

"You're fun to hug."

"What? What does that even mean?"

"Because you fit nicely." He pointed at his arms and his shoulder, like that would make Kyungsoo understand.

He didn't, but Jongin had started smiling, and just something in the way the edges of his lips curled and how the little glimmer in his eyes looked to Kyungsoo made him give in. He shuffled forward and wrapped his arms around him again, Jongin tightening his hold around him.

"Are you a huggy person?" Kyungsoo asked.

"...Are you creeped out by me asking?"

"No, no! I just... want to know."

"Hm, I don't know. I never noticed. Are you?"

"Well, it's not like I don't like them. You're a really heavy sleeper, by the way."

"I am?"

"YES. You wouldn't wake up no matter how much I moved you around."

"You moved me around?"

Kyungsoo pulled out of their hug and sat Jongin back down, collecting his finished bowl and his own.

"I'm going to wash these."

He turned for the sink, hoping that Jongin wouldn't see the growing red on his face, and started washing the two bowls. Jongin's presence came up behind him and hovered at his shoulder, watching him work. When he finished the dishes, Kyungsoo went to the living room to grab his phone, flicking it awake. The group chat had erupted in notifications, and he started to run through them, not believing his eyes (but definitely believing it to be the work of his friends) as he kept reading.

"Is that Jongdae and Yuwon?"

"Yeah."

"What'd they say?"

Kyungsoo stared down at the phone, looked up at Jongin, then back at his phone.

"They had one-sidedly decided to have a weekend-long sleepover at my house starting tonight, where we will—I quote—'stay up all night watching movies, help Kyungsoo with making pastries, feed hippos, and tell each other secrets.'"

Jongin looked questioningly at him.

"Jongdae wrote that."

He nodded and sat onto the couch.

"When are they coming?"

"They said they'd be here at seven."

Jongin tapped a finger to the couch seat.

"Then can I do homework here until then?"

"You want to stay?"

He nodded, his tapping finger moving to rub the inside of his elbow.

"Uh, then we can set up shop in the kitchen."

Their backpacks had been left nearby, so Kyungsoo took his and went to the kitchen, clearing the table for the two of them. Jongin followed, and they started on their schoolwork. Kyungsoo had no problem concentrating and helping Jongin where he asked. He didn't hesitate too long when he asked Jongin for biology help either, and Kyungsoo felt particularly proud that it only took him under one minute to build the nerves to ask him.

It wasn't until the clock started ticking closer to seven that Kyungsoo started tapping his pencil and looking over in the direction of the door. The thoughts that homework had covered resurfaced in his mind, and he didn't know how to handle the questions with no answers. What was he going to tell Jongdae and Yuwon? What had Head Janitor Wu told them? The memory of him asking appeared hazy in his mind, but he had told Counselor Huang that he wanted to be the one to tell Jongdae and Yuwon, and Counselor Huang seemed close—well, not just close—to Head Janitor Wu, so he might have relayed his message to him.

The point of his pencil scratched the inside of his palm as it dropped from his grasp, and he turned back to the table. Jongin had stamped his pencil over his, and his eyes widened at the gray streak when Kyungsoo turned his palm up to see if the graphite left any mark. Jongin took his hand and started rubbing at the mark with his eraser, a little worry in his eyes.

"Jongin, it's okay. I'll just wash the rest off."

He gave Kyungsoo his hand back but kept staring at his hand.

"I didn't mean to mark you."

"I was tapping my pencil, right? That was probably annoying. Sorry. I'm kinda nervous."

"Don't be sorry. Nervous about what?"

"When Jongdae and Yuwon come over. I don't know what to say to them."

Kyungsoo started erasing the rest of the mark, glancing at the door again. He didn't know how much they knew. Jongin had said that Yuwon probably saw a little of the lunchroom incident, and knowing her, he could predict that she would ask him about it. And what was he supposed to tell Jongdae? Kyungsoo had basically skipped his afternoon classes yesterday. There wouldn't be any doubt that Jongdae would wonder what had happened and where he had gone.

"Are you going to tell them?"

Kyungsoo looked up from his thoughts. "Tell them? Today? When they sleepover?"

Jongin nodded.

"Won't that ruin the mood though—I guess—if they're having fun?"

"Is that more important?"

Kyungsoo slouched in his seat. Jongin had unjudgingly asked the question, but he felt dumb when he heard it out loud.

"No, I guess not."

"Then you can use the chance today to tell them. Jongdae isn't wrong when he said that secrets spill out during sleepovers."

"How do you know that?"

Jongin looked away, rubbing the inside of his elbow, a faint red stripe coloring over his nose bridge.

"I sleep over at Krystal and Taemin's place a lot, and they stay at my house often too."

"Uh huh. So are you the one spilling the secrets?"

The red stripe grew longer and thicker across his face, and Kyungsoo hadn't been expecting that reaction from him.

"Wait, so you are?"

He got up from his seat, closed all his journals and books, and gathered his things, sweeping them into his backpack.

"Wait, Jongin, I want to know."

He swung his backpack on and spedwalk out of the kitchen and down the hallway, Kyungsoo jumping up and hot on his tail.

"Wait, Jongin, tell meeee. What kind of secrets? The embarrassing kind or like childhood stories? Would Krystal and Taemin know all your childhood stories?"

"We met in middle school."

"So then is it the embarrassing kind or the childhood stories kind of secrets?"

Jongin shoved his feet into his shoes and stood up right in front of Kyungsoo. He stepped back, surprised, but Kyungsoo leaned forward.

"So? What kind of secrets?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"Because they're your secrets."

"Exactly. My secrets."

"But you told Krystal and Taemin?"

Jongin flipped around and tried to open the door, but he fumbled with the direction of the lock turn. Kyungsoo took the chance to pop his head above the lock and into his line of sight.

"So did you?"

Jongin's face flushed fully then, and he covered his mouth, turning back around into the house.

"Why do you want to know?"

His syllables jumped from consonant to consonant, the vowels spiking in between, and Kyungsoo chuckled at how nervous he had gotten. His laugh didn't last long, because through the fun teases, he realized something. He had thought of it before too, but today had made his lack of knowledge bare and apparent.

"Because I don't know you as well I want to."

Kyungsoo turned and unlocked the door, pulling it open. When he looked back at Jongin, he had turned back around, his eyes blinking in surprise. Kyungsoo rubbed his neck and figured that his tutee probably would like an explanation.

"It's just that, after yesterday, I feel like you know a lot more about me than I know about you. I know that that kind of stuff takes time though, so I won't rush you. I was just teasing."

Jongin tapped the back of his hand, but a smile had taken his lips, and as his shoes stopped under Kyungsoo's gaze, he chuckled. A soft sound that pattered at the air lightly, like a veil swaying in the wind. Kyungsoo had never heard his laugh so clearly before, and out of instinct he looked towards the sound. The pattering had faded, but Jongin's eyes smiled at him too, in the curve of happy orange slices.

"I'm in the same boat though. I feel like I don't know you that well either. Yesterday made me think that."

"Really?"

Jongin nodded and reached over, gently taking his fingers and rubbing Kyungsoo's knuckles with his thumb. Kyungsoo thought the gesture felt like a promise to learn about each other, slowly and with patience, and he held Jongin's fingers too, wanting to make that promise. They stood there for a moment, Jongin rubbing his knuckles, before he stopped and turned Kyungsoo's palm up.

"Tell me how it goes. When you tell Jongdae and Yuwon."

Kyungsoo tensed at the thought but nodded. Jongin opened up his hand that had clenched, smoothing each finger out until he had relaxed again. Slowly, Jongin slid his hands back to himself, giving a little wave. Kyungsoo waved back and watched as Jongin walked down the pathway and down the sidewalk. Closing the door, he took a deep breath in and tried breathing out his nervousness. He still had twenty-ish minutes to prepare the house for Jongdae and Yuwon's coming over and to think of what he was going to say. He would be fine. Hopefully.

Moving to the kitchen, he tidied up his school work and left it on his desk. He let himself have a quick shower because he realized that he had been on the dirty high school lunchroom floor that had touched by who-knows-what over all the years. He changed the couch covering (because of their uniforms) and started a load of laundry while he was at it (also because of his uniform). By the time the doorbell rang, Kyungsoo was just pulling extra blankets and pillows out. He dumped them on the couch and moved to the door, opening it. He was prepared for his friends' usual explosive greetings, but his stance clearly wasn't when Kyungsoo hadn't even let go of the door knob yet and Jongdae bodyslammed him to the ground with a hug.

"Kyungsoooooo! I missed you!"

"It's been one day."

"But I miiiiiiissed youuuuu!"

"Okay, okay, but I need to breathe."

Jongdae helped him up, and Yuwon stepped up, crushing his right side.

"My turn."

"Are you guys going to take turns squeezing the life out of me?"

He said it as a joke, but he saw his friends' faces turn seriously contemplating. And whenever they both had that look, he knew that it was time to flee.

He slipped out of their grasps, dashed back down the hallway, and leapt to the far side of the living room. He already had his pillow defence up when they ran into the room.

The two gave each other a silent confirmation with a glance, Jongdae dashing forward first. Kyungsoo threw the pillow at him and weaved around him, only for Yuwon to cut off his escape. She leapt first, and he dodged out of the way at the last second, leaving her to collide into Jongdae. As they became a mess on the floor, Kyungsoo chuckled over them.

"You two are no match for my brilliant strategies."

"Ready?"

"Do it!"

Yuwon threw out a blanket, blinding him, and he felt himself be tackled onto the couch. His left arm pinned by Jongdae's body, his right arm pinned by Yuwon's, Kyungsoo found himself immobilized and spitting out fibers of the blanket.

"And that, ladies and gentleman, is how to trick a Kyungsoo."

"Nice strategy, Yuwon!"

With the blanket pulled from his head, he looked left and right at his friends, their faces sporting innocence and naughty glances, before the three of them burst into laughter. They settled in quickly, deciding on their itinerary of helping/making Kyungsoo bake, watching movies, then playing a board game that Jongdae brought. When Jongdae pulled the hot pink box out of his duffle bag to set it aside, Kyungsoo didn't recognize the language inscribed on the cover or card pieces.

"It's a foreign game and really fun to play. Don't worry, I'll teach you guys how to play."

"What language is this? I've never seen anything like it," Yuwon asked.

"It's... I forget the name. But I remember how to play, so don't worry."

Yuwon shrugged and started taking out her own supplies, which included a console to access the internet and her family's account to streaming services. As she hooked up the TV, Kyungsoo tugged on Jongdae's sleeve and murmured between them.

"Is this game..."

"Yeah, it's qiao'uyi. I wanted to have you guys play it since it's really fun."

Kyungsoo held it up and noticed the little hippo-like creature that adorned the pieces and covering.

"Is this what you meant by feeding hippos?"

"Oh, Kyungsoo, you have no idea."

As Jongdae let out an evil cackle and took the game from Kyungsoo, he nudged him.

"Okay, Kyungsoo, you have to pick a pastry for us to make."

"Why are you guys so insistent that I bake?"

"Because you baked for Jongin, and Jongdae is jealous," Yuwon's voice sounded from behind the TV.

"Hey! Yuwon..."

Kyungsoo snickered and patted his friend's shoulder.

"Then you can pick the recipe yourself. Come on."

He led the way to his room and pulled out his special box, taking the stack of recipes organized on the left. He held out the papers to Jongdae, but his friend's eyes had trained onto the bottom of his open drawer.

"What's that?"

Following his gaze and point, Kyungsoo saw what he was referring to and plucked it from its place at the puppy figurine's paws.

"A noodle soup keychain. Jongin got it for me as my birthday gift."

He let Jongdae shake the plastic contents across the cartoon noodles and held out the recipes to him, but Jongdae didn't take them.

"You should hang this somewhere. It's cool."

"Oh. Yeah, maybe. I just don't want to lose it."

He hadn't completely lied. Losing the charm and having it destroyed meant the same to Kyungsoo. When the corners of Jongdae's mouth pulled down, he was surprised, the split thought of wondering if Jongdae figured his real reason for not hanging the charm flashing in his mind. Then Jongdae looked around his room. He stepped towards his trashcan and started sifting through it.

"Dude, what're you doing?"

He didn't respond, and Kyungsoo pulled back when he didn't. The frown hadn't left his face, and he wasn't used to that lingering frown. Kyungsoo watched him fish out the packaging for a pack of pens he had bought. Glancing behind him, Jongdae turned his back to the door and sat, setting the keychain onto the floor as if it were a delicate hamster.

He ripped off the remains of the paper backbone and closed his hands over the plastic rectangle. Kyungsoo expected to hear the crackles of plastic crinkling about, but nothing sounded. The plastic seemed to melt in Jongdae's hands without ever dripping to the floor, a clear liquid squishing out and spreading out into tendrils. With gentle caresses, Jongdae molded the tendrils down into a lump, then into the shape of a small hook. He stood, the translucency of the hook wavering in the light, and poked around Kyungsoo's pens, picking out a red, blue, and black one. 

Kyungsoo couldn't stop his mouth from slowly unhinging during the plastic mending, but he really couldn't stop it from dropping completely when Jongdae flicked his fingers once in a command that looked like "Come to me" and streams of ink seeped out of the pens. Red, blue, and black threads twined together, mixing their colors into a single string of dark red. It floated down onto the translucent hook in Jongdae's palm, laying itself into the striped pattern that Jongdae prescribed with the twirls of his fingers. He pressed the color in with his thumbs, picked up the charm, and stuck the hook on the wall near his desk.

When he stepped back, Kyungsoo leaned in to see that part of the wall had rended up to secure the back of the hook, and the dark red color marbled over the transparent shape like the color, pattern, and material had been one entity from the start. Jongdae hung the charm on it and patted his hands off.

"There. Now you have somewhere to hang it."

"Did you just— From packaging and pens— Was that—"

Jongdae chuckled and slid the recipes out from Kyungsoo's hand.

"It's kinda shabby compared to the object-tailors at home, but I tried."

"This?! This is shabby?! What— You just molded plastic, ink, and the wall with your bare hands!"

"Shh! Kyungsoo!"

He peeked out from the door, and saw that Yuwon, luckily, was still setting up sound on the TV, intermittently playing and pausing a movie as a test and moving back behind the TV.

"Sorry. But don't say that it's shabby. I like it, and that was exponentially cool."

Jongdae rubbed the back of his head, a smile sneaking on his face, his irises marbling in the same fashion and colo