“I HAVEN’T SEEN YOU IN A WHILE.”
baby does well to keep his tone neutral, void of any harbored disappointment and reluctant relief; it’s a dangerous thing to be sentimental, but apathy doesn’t suit him, so he feels it fiercely anyway, emboldened by a feeling of relative safety provided by the shades perched on his nose. baby taps out a rhythm -- keep yourself alive by queen -- and wonders if ace can hear what goes unsaid: i was worried that you were dead. he could’ve easily been, and baby’s stricken with the sudden fear that ace will die and baby will never hear; he’ll simply disappear, and baby will have to live with that, the occasional thought spared towards this man that he can’t even consider a friend -- he’s just nicer than the rest. baby withdraws into himself, tasking himself with finding a different song, reframing his mouth into a frown as if it’s a strenuous job. he hopes ace ignores him, offers nothing more than a shake of his head and a venomous rebuke; it’d make it easier to summon the hatred he should feel, the detachment he feigns so well. // @hienous