[ It's a good thing, then, that Tim isn't hungry. Potentially bleeding out simply hasn't stopped him from his favorite pastime of being prepared. Though clearly, figuring out which buffet to pig out in presents a very different set of stakes than, say, surviving some demonic cultists. At least in facing the repercussions of such an event, Tim and Ann have had to face each other - learning to do so in such a difficult time, when flaws such as Tim's own are thrown into relief: that detestable self-destructive side of his unending altruism. The expectation that he has to persist, despite himself, despite all the people who care about him who could lose him.
But that moral reckoning's been belabored enough, hasn't it? The lesson's been learned, though it still falls on Tim's shoulders to show his work. Prove his promises aren't empty words. At least Ann's faith is clear. Faith shown in her little jokes, in her understanding, her willingness to give him comfort just as much as to give him grief for his stubbornness. ]
You sure it's not too late for that, the whip? Bet it's worth powering through the injury for.
[ With a shit-eating grin, he's waiting to get murdered for that. ]
In my current state, [ He peers down at her, admiring the head now resting on his arm. ] this is the best thing I could ask for.
[ He cranes his neck to kiss Ann's head, lips soft against all that floof. She'll have to make an effort to look up at him to see a wistful smile tighten into something more... rigid. Laden with guilt. Tim, who does everything possible yet punishes himself for not doing enough, now punishes himself for doing too much. ]
...I'm still sorry.
[ When he speaks, his lips don't leave her. However he can, he keeps her close.
They were never detailed conversations, but he remembers. Has enough of a sense, from what Ann's told him, of what Shiho went through. The lengths in spite of herself that her own trauma drove her to, lengths that Ann had to witness. Their respective contexts were literally and figuratively worlds apart. But Tim can't help realizing that the same protective impulse that led Ann to fight for her friend is exactly what he witnessed today. Ann fought him on this, alright.
But she fought for him, too.
What else is he supposed to do with that but thank her? ]
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But that moral reckoning's been belabored enough, hasn't it? The lesson's been learned, though it still falls on Tim's shoulders to show his work. Prove his promises aren't empty words. At least Ann's faith is clear. Faith shown in her little jokes, in her understanding, her willingness to give him comfort just as much as to give him grief for his stubbornness. ]
You sure it's not too late for that, the whip? Bet it's worth powering through the injury for.
[ With a shit-eating grin, he's waiting to get murdered for that. ]
In my current state, [ He peers down at her, admiring the head now resting on his arm. ] this is the best thing I could ask for.
[ He cranes his neck to kiss Ann's head, lips soft against all that floof. She'll have to make an effort to look up at him to see a wistful smile tighten into something more... rigid. Laden with guilt. Tim, who does everything possible yet punishes himself for not doing enough, now punishes himself for doing too much. ]
...I'm still sorry.
[ When he speaks, his lips don't leave her. However he can, he keeps her close.
They were never detailed conversations, but he remembers. Has enough of a sense, from what Ann's told him, of what Shiho went through. The lengths in spite of herself that her own trauma drove her to, lengths that Ann had to witness. Their respective contexts were literally and figuratively worlds apart. But Tim can't help realizing that the same protective impulse that led Ann to fight for her friend is exactly what he witnessed today. Ann fought him on this, alright.
But she fought for him, too.
What else is he supposed to do with that but thank her? ]