8. Laying a gentle kiss to the back of the other’s hand. ( mirage )
「 50 types of kisses | not accepting (let me get through this batch first and then u can send more i promise) 」
Crypto both loves and hates to see Elliott like this.
He loves it because it’s not a side that many others get to see. The shiny “Mirage” veneer is gone, leaving behind just the man underneath. There’s intimacy in that; Crypto tries to give him glimpses of the same, of the man he used to be.
The man he hopes he still is, deep down.
But he hates it, because he knows the other is in pain.
Evelyn’s alive but in rough shape; Crypto hasn’t paid attention to it all, too focused on Elliott instead, but from what he understands, she got confused and took a fall down the stairs.
She’s home again, which is the good news, but Crypto can tell Elliott feels guilty at the prospect of leaving her again. They both understand the unspoken worry: What if it happens again?
What if it’s worse next time?
They sit side-by-side in the car, a comfortable but somber quiet blanketing them; there’s so much they could say, but they don’t need to say anything.
Even so, Crypto reaches for him, takes his hand in both of his and raises it to his lips. He presses a gentle kiss to the back of Elliott’s hand, strokes his fingers across his knuckles, and murmurs, “It’ll be okay, jagi.”
