Chapter Text
Bright white light greets Jabber as he awoke, making him wince at the sudden onslaught of pain.
Not his favourite pain.
Actually… there was surprisingly very little pain.
He vaguely remembered what had happened-- Zanka and him having an argument(?), their fight, Lovely Assistaff hitting his jugular...
After that it was all a bit fuzzy. Hadn't there been someone holding his face… ?
The fleeting touch against his skin had been so warm, every touch gentle and soothing. If nothing else, that memory was clear as day.
Speaking of, where was he?
There was something attached to his nose. He tried to turn his head, but found it weirdly stiff, the feeling like pins and needles slipping into his throat every time he moved.
He tried to turn his head again-- eyes widening when a delicious stab of pain thrums through him.
He moans, hands raising to touch at whatever was on his throat.
Wow! Were those stitches on his throat?! He didn't know they could do that!
He grins, imagining himself pulling and teasing the stitches as soon as he can.
Unfortunately for him, though, his hands were completely caged. Chains were wrapped snug around his wrists, hands covered by metal casings.
He experimentally wiggled his fingers.
Oh? Mankira seemed to still be on. That's a relief!
He wonders if he can activate-- nope. It was like something was stopping his claws from erupting.
Well, at least he still had her on.
“Ah! You're finally awake.” A gentle voice says, interrupting his internal monologue.
Jabber turns his head again, shivering in delight as another burst of pain shudders through him, his vision turning white for a moment.
“Don't move around too much, ya moron!” Another, far more familiar voice says, rushing to his side.
Jabber's eyes widen as he sees Zanka by his bed, eyes red and puffy with eye bags deeper than he was used to. It looked like it took every effort to not collapse from exhaustion.
He quirked an eyebrow at that. “Man, this is a weird ass fever dream. Ain't I supposed to be seeing memories flashing by or some shit? Wait, maybe I'm already dead?” He glanced around the room. White on white on white.
A woman in white with bright blonde hair and pink eyes stood just away from him, gaze innocent and shy.
He looked back to Zanka, who was trembling. He was more in grey than white but still!
“Huh? Shouldn't I be in Hell? Ain't no way I got into heaven that easily.” He says, staring at the man.
Zanka flushes prettily.
“No, you fuckin’ idiot. Yer in the hospital.”
Ohhhh. Yeah that makes sense-- wait. No it doesn't!
“Why the fuck would I be in the hospital? My artery was completely punctured, last I checked. Ain't neck wounds meant to be fatal? 'S no way we made it to the hospital in time.”
“I-it was uhm. Your friend. T-the one with the… manhole…” The woman in white said, her pretty pink eyes looking away like it physically hurt her to stare at his eyes.
“Toni? She didn't even know where I was!”
“We called her on yer choker, ya idiot!” Zanka finally erupts, voice cracking. “We dragged ya to the alleyway and she transported ya to here. She's s'pose to be comin’ back fer ya in an hour.”
Oh? He didn't think Cthoni would respond that quick! She was always cool headed, but to willingly let a Cleaner take him in? That was new.
“Haaa? So she saved me? Didn't expect her ta’ care that much!” He grins.
“She said it was only because yer in the front lines, so they hadta save ya. Don't be too grateful.” Zanka grumbles, face pinched as if the very thought bothered him, for some reason.
Oooh that makes a lot more sense! Still weird though. Couldn't Cthoni just have transferred him back to the Raiders, then? Sure they didn't have that scary powerful healer, but they had enough.
Hey, wait--
“Why ain't I in more pain?” He says, accusingly.
“U-uhm. That would be because of me… sorry…” the blonde woman said, fiddling with the wire of a-- wait. Was that a power cord?
“How the fuck--”
“Her vital instrument can heal wounds.” Zanka interrupted. “Now, can ya please stop speaking? Yer gonna open up yer stitches with all yer yappin’.”
“Oooh, ya think so?!”
“Stop! Speaking!” Zanka crowed, his hand raising to hover over Jabber's lips as if to cover his mouth.
Jabber's eyes widened as his entire being flinched violently, body reacting quickly as it pushed himself off the bed with a wild look in his eye.
Hm? His heart was beating pretty fast, for some reason. Wait, was he trembling?
“Oh no!” The woman yelled out, quickly approaching behind him and adjusting the thing attached to his nose. She then began the rough work of carefully pulling him up, despite him towering over her.
He lets her, using his legs to lift them both up the rest of the way.
Oooh, even his legs had chains! So exciting!
“Z-Zanka. I-I'm sorry b-but you c-can't scare the patient like that… putting his body under stress might cause him to hurt himself…” She says quietly, looking down at the bed when Jabber is able to pull himself back onto it.
Zanka only stared at him, like a kicked puppy.
Huh???
“I… I'm sorry. That's on me.” He finally says, his hand dropping back to the side.
Jabber tilted his head, wincing when he felt that delightful sting of pain from the action. “Huh? Ya ain't do nothin’ tho? I've always wanted to get stabbed!” He says cheerfully.
He was a little confused though. Why did his body do that when Zanka approached him?
“P-please don't say that.” The blonde woman said. “You shouldn't wish to be stabbed… you could die…”
“But it feels so good, though!”
“That's dangerous…”
“Eisha, don't bother with that guy. He's just like that.” Zanka said, his voice strangely gruff.
The blonde woman sighs. “I understand. But please, Jabber, Try not to hurt yourself. U-unfortunately, Type:Heal wasn't able to do much besides stop the blood loss, so you had to get stitches… like Zanka says, it would be bad if your stitches were to open…” She gestures to the power cord around her neck as she says this.
Oh, so that was her vital instrument? That's sick!
“Don't say that, Eisha. You literally healed his body more than could ever be possible.” Zanka says, voice oddly flat.
Jabber turned to the woman-- Eisha, he said?-- with wide eyes. “Damn! Are you that crazy healer that can fix people instantly and shit? I didn't know I was gonna meet a celebrity! Thanks girl!” He says excitedly.
Eisha flushes. “I-I really didn't do much--”
“Nahhhh the Raiders hear ‘bout ya all the time! Ya make everyone practically immortal! It's a pain in the ass for us but it's cool!”
Somehow, her face turned an even brighter red. “Th-Thanks…”
“Jabber, I need ya to let Eisha get yer choker. We gotta call the manhole woman.” Zanka says, still looking down. His hands were crossed in front of him, fingers curled inside the opposite long, flowy sleeve.
“Oh, yeah man! Just take it whenever. I can't do much anyway.” With that, he raised his cuffed and covered hands.
Eisha nodded, carefully raising her hand like Zanka had done just moments ago as she reached for the choker on his neck.
Hm? His body wasn't reacting to her at all. Weirdddd.
She unclasps the choker, clearing her throat as she pressed part of the choker to Jabber's skin to open the line of communication. “H-Hi. Jabber is, uh, awake now. H-He's not allowed to speak--”
“Cthoni, they got that immortal healer chick here!” He calls, interrupting. “I got healed by her! Ain't that crazy?”
Eisha flushes again. “P-please don't speak. Your stitches…”
“Jabber, listen to the healer. I'll let Zodyl know, so get ready to be picked up.”
Was Jabber hallucinating or did Cthoni sound kind of… relieved? Soft, even?
Nahhhh he must be hearing things.
Eisha mumbled something to Cthoni, mentioning something about doctors orders or after injury care or whatever, Jabber didn't really care, before leaving the room quickly to get something for him.
“Y-your feeding tube is out of food…Let me get some more for you…” she mutters, closing the door before he could respond.
Aw man, a feeding tube? Finally noticing that was what was attached to his nose. Here I thought I wouldn't have to deal with those again!
Jabber was serious about trying to get stabbed, but the whole healing process was not worth the effort to keep doing that.
“Wait, so ya just gonna let 'em take me back? No tryna capture me?” He says with a raised brow.
Zanka shook his head. “It was her condition for teleportin’ ya. She knows where this hospital is, anyway, so it's just better to have her in the loop while yer getting fixed up.”
He jutted his chin at his encased hands. “That's our condition. You won't be able to leave or wander around outside this room.”
Jabber hummed, looking at the things encasing his hands more closely.
Was that… paint? “Ey, I was actually wonderin’, why didn't y'all take Mankira off or somethin’? This seems like a lotta effort when you coulda just done that."
“Can you please stop speaking? And no, we couldn't take it off. Since it's part of ya soul, takin’ it off might cause yer body to go under cardiac arrest or somethin’. Better to keep it on than risk the stress killin’ ya.”
Jabber opened his mouth, but Zanka beat him to it.
“Don't speak. I can guess yer questions. No, Mankira can't be activated in those cuffs. A spell caster made sure of that. As long as you have those on, anima won't flow to yer hands. As soon as yer back with the Raiders, they can break ya out of them. You're going to need to be off the field for 3-5 weeks-- don't look at me like that, I'm not finished-- but ya should be decent to eat or drink soft foods after the first week or so. Eisha managed to heal ya well enough that speakin’ isn't gonna kill ya, but those stitches need constant maintenance. Everyday for a week yer gonna clean yer neck area, then re-dress the wound every other day until the stitches dissolve. It should only take two weeks total for the process to end, but ya still shouldn't move around much. You can still use ya hands so yer gonna have to feed yer self soft foods, but ya can't do anythin’ strenuous like lifting somethin’ over 10-15 pounds. Got it?”
Jabber blinked. That was a lot of information. Did Zanka study that or something?
He opened his mouth to ask, but was interrupted again.
“You can just nod yer head if you understand. No, I don't know anything about surgery, I was just paying attention to what ya hadta do because I know ya ain't gonna pay attention to it without me poundin’ it into yer head. No, I'm not gonna hit ya head, you just got out of surgery. Stop making that face.”
Jabber furrowed his brows. Was he really that easy to read?
“Yes.” Zanka says flatly. “No, I can't read minds. Yer just that easy to read, so don't ask.”
Jabber pouted.
The door banged open, Eisha and-- heyyyy ain't that the tattooed guy he saw sometimes? The one with the umbrella? What's he doing here?
“Enjin!” Zanka says, eyes widening as he back straightens.
Tattooed guy smiles kindly at him, before turning a harsh glare at Jabber.
He leans down, hovering over Jabber. “Welcome back. I'm only gonna say this once, so you better pay attention." He looks at him with something close to hatred. How exciting!
"Listen, you're lucky Zanka here cared enough to call us, and your lucky the Cleaners are such good guys, ‘cos otherwise you'd be dead. If you stalk and harass any of our Cleaners ever again, I can't guarantee the same response-- especially not from me.” He says, voice cold.
“E-Enjin, you shouldn't be threatening the patient like that, it might stress him out--”
“Don't worry Eisha, he likes it. He's not stressed.” Zanka says flatly.
Jabber nods excitedly, grin wide.
Damn! And he gets threatened? This day couldn't go any better!
“Don't move ya head like that, ya dolt. We just told ya about the stitches.”
The tattooed guy sighs, shoulders slumping as he leans back, all the terrifying energy seeping out of him in an instant. “Mannn, I don't know how ya deal with this guy, Zanka. He's a tough nut to crack.”
“As long as ya know he's a masochist, you can basically guess what he's like.”
Okay well that's not true! He does other things too!
“Okay, I refilled your feeding tube.” Eisha says, stepping back. “After today you shouldn't need it anymore but you really have to be careful not to bite down on anything, try to get soup, or noodles…”
He tilted his head. Damn, he didn't know if he had any noodles left. He's gonna have to order a whole fuckton to make up for it. That suuuucks.
“Don't worry. I'm going to give the food to the manhole woman, so don't try and eat something difficult just because, awright?” Zanka says, tilting his head to something in the corner-- holy shit! That's a lot of food!
Damn, how can he afford all that?!
“I save up money. It's all pretty simple foods so it really wasn't that expensive.” Zanka says, pulling out some of the snacks to show him.
Jabber whistled lowly. He got the good shit too! Mashed potatoes, smoothies, pre-scrambled eggs… the whole nine yards!
“Don't whistle.” Zanka says, putting the food back in the bag.
Tattooed guy looked between them in awe. “Wow, you really weren't kidding about guessing exactly what he's like! Have you been around a lot of masochists before, Zanka?”
Zanka's freezes. Slowly, his cheeks tint red, making Jabber cackle.
“Yeah man, ya talk to a lot of masochists lately? Careful, I might get jealous of ya!” He says with a wheeze.
Ooh, there was even pain when he laughed! Even better!
He laughs harder.
“Don't laugh, ya idiot!” Zanka says furiously, face somehow turning redder.
“Man, y'all are a hoot! It's fiiinee, it ain't much different from laughin’ when ya broke my ribs!” He says gleefully.
Tattooed guy clicks his tongue, apparently seeing him as a lost cause. “Whatever, man. Zanka, now that he's awake, please go to your room and sleep. Looking at you stresses me out, dude.”
“I- I have to agree. Not sleeping or eating could cause you to get sick…” Eisha says.
“I'll leave when he gets picked up. I have to stand guard.”
“Dude, you've been standing guard. For days! How much have you slept? Did you even eat today?” Tattooed guys accuses, eyes narrowing.
“Oooh Mr Bad Attitude’s in trouble!~” Jabber says with glee.
But damn, was he really that dedicated? It wasn't like Jabber was gonna be going anywhere while passed out. Even if he did wake up, he doubts he'd have been able to get the chains off him in his current state. He was strong but not that strong.
For some reason, that left a bad taste in his mouth. What was Zanka doing, not eating or sleeping? How was he supposed to get stronger when he does that?
“It's fine. It's just for a few more hours, anyway.” He says stiffly.
The tattooed guy shakes his head, pursing his lips. “Okay man. I know I can't force ya, but at least eat something while waiting. You want me to get you anything?”
“It's fine. I have my own food.”
Tattoo guys stares at him, as if assessing him. Eisha looked between the two in silence.
“Uhm… okay. Well, uh,” she takes out something in her pocket. Oh! His choker!
She gently clasps it back around his neck before quickly stepping back. “Uh, this is to let you know when you're getting picked up. I, uhm, have to help some other patients, so please tell them to read this booklet when you have a chance. It has all the information you need to recover, so please don't do anything impulsive…”
She places the booklet next to him on the side table. With that she bows, leaving the room.
“Thanks again, girl!” Jabber calls as she leaves.
She flushes, nodding slightly before scurrying off.
“I guess I also gotta leave, gotta make sure Rudo isn't tryna dig through the hospital trash without supervision. Don't want him to get nicked by a dirty needle or something-- though his hands are always covered, so maybe he'll be fine…” the tattooed guy said, leaving. “Remember to go straight home after, okay Zanka?”
Zanka nods, waiting for the door to close before finally relaxing.
He slumps into the seat next to him, and just stares.
“Uh.. Ain't ya s’pose to eat somethin’?” Jabber says.
“How many times do I have to tell ya to shut yer mouth? And it's fine, I don't actually have any food with me.”
Jabber narrows his eyes at that. “What do ya mean? Just get something from there.” He gestures at the bag full of snacks.
Zanka shakes his head. “That's for you. Not me.”
“Yeah an’ I'm tellin’ ya to take something. You bought plenty o’ grub, I won't die because you ate a single packet of noodles or somethin’.”
Zanka glares. “Does every other word go in one ear and then out? I said to stop speaking! I can guess what you're gonna say--”
“Naw, I'm gonna keep speakin’ until you eat something. I’ll yap at ya for hours if I have to.” He says angrily.
"I'll make sure ya shut up then!”
“Try me!”
They glare at each other.
Zanka raises a hand, as if to cover his mouth once again, but Jabber's heart does that thing again, and he freaks out.
Why was his body shaking so badly?? Why was he trying to lean back as far as possible from Zanka?! It's not like he's going to stab him again! He literally brought him to the hospital!
Zanka looks at him with a pained expression, leaning back in his chair. “Ah, yer still scared of me then.” He says softly.
Huh?? Him?? Scared of Zanka???
“Yer literally trembling. Obviously yer body is reactin’ poorly after all that.” Zanka continues, staring at his hands.
“I ain't scared of ya! Why would I be scared--”
“I literally stabbed you.”
“Yeah, and? I stabbed ya before too!”
Jabber was so frustrated. Why was he acting like a kid? What was so terrifying about the guy in front of him? Yeah there had been a brief moment of terror when he was fighting him, but he liked it! That's what made the fight so fun!
So why was his body doing this?
“I dunno, Jabs. Maybe it's because yer not usually scared of me.” Zanka says quietly.
The nickname takes him off guard for a moment. Huh. When's the last time someone called him that?
“Shouldn't you be scared of me then?” He says instead.
“I am. I'm always scared of you.” Zanka confessed.
Jabber blinked in shock. “...what?”
Zanka rolls his eyes, a brief spark of fire reigniting in his gaze. “Don't get it twisted. I ain't scared scared. Yer just a little terrifying to fight, is all. That don't mean I'm not gonna beat yer ass every chance I get.”
Okay, well, that's a relief.
Still, there's something a little sickly when he thinks about Zanka being scared of him. Usually he wouldn't care about that, but it felt wrong.
Zanka and him were one and the same, after all. And who would be scared of their reflection?
I guess I would be. He thinks, glancing at his still trembling form.
Nah, fuck that!
He turns to Zanka. “That don't matter. I'm still gonna yap your ear off until ya eat! You can try to stop me or whatever, but I'm still gonna do it.”
Zanka scowls, but there's a small look of relief in his gaze.
“Fine. Since yer practically beggin’ me.”
“Ooh, really? Well if you want, I can--”
“Shut up! Don't start!” Zanka says with a flush.
Jabber watches him take a packet of mashed potatoes, carefully unwrapping it.
“And a drink.” He says petulantly.
Zanka glares at him, but obliges. He takes one of the smoothies out of the bag, setting it on the ground next to him.
Jabber watches him eat. He's not sure why, but he wanted to. It was soothing, for some reason.
His mind wandered. What was he going to do for a month? He couldn't fight, couldn't even really train. He could try to find some poisonous plants to scavenge, but he probably won't be allowed to go to the best spots for them while in recovery.
What else was there to do?
“You could always read. Or draw. Canvas Town has a lot of stuff you can use.” Zanka says casually.
Jabber blinked.
Oh, right. He can somehow read his thoughts.
Weird.
“Or if yer really desperate, you can try sewing. It's got needles and stuff. I'm sure the danger of accidentally cutting yerself would keep ya entertained.” He says slyly.
Jabber wonders about that. Besides his clothes, he doesn't really sew much. Maybe it could be fun!
Ooh, wait--!
“No, I don't think Mankira would make for good sewing needles. Even her small form is too big for that. Sewing isn't just about sharp needles, ya know.”
Okay, well. Whatever.
Zanka smirks at his pouting, finishing the mashed potatoes and setting it nearly down next to him. He's just sipping on the smoothie now. “Maybe I should stab ya in the neck more often. It's nice to have some peace and quiet.”
Jabber flinched at that. “Aw, ya always know the way to my heart, Mr Bad Attitude! Stab me any time~” He says, playing it off.
“Hey, I ate just like ya said. Ain't ya supposed ta’ be all nice and quiet now? Why are ya tryna speak?”
Jabber rolls his eyes. Fineeee. Jabber was no cheat!
He looked at Zanka, admiring his relaxed form.
Man, this was the guy his body was scared of? He looks so soft and shit in his big ballooning sleeves and fluffy hair. What about this guy freaked him out?
With a look of determination, he forces himself to lean in close.
Zanka flinched, not expecting him up in his face. “Hey, why are ya so--”
“Try to touch me again.” He demanded, ignoring the way his body shook. Ignoring the memories of a towering figure, stepping into his blood--
“Fine, fine, just stop doing that.” Zanka said, biting his lip, clearly still a little concerned. "...Are ya really sure?"
Jabber refused to move, his eyes boring into him.
Zanka sighs, before slowly raising a hand towards him.
He feels his body tremble, that small flash of terror erupting in his veins as those haunting blue eyes and wide grin flashed in his memory--
No! He wasn't scared! This was Zanka. Why would he be scared?!
He feels fingertips brush against his cheek, the touch so gentle and light it feels like it's barely there.
Jabber melts, a familiar feeling of comfort flashing in his mind.
Rough hands, a fluttering touch. Fingertips brushing against his pulse as he snuggled into it.
Oh.
So someone had been touching his face before.
It had been Zanka.
He nuzzled into the palm before he could stop himself, sighing contentedly.
Damn, am I cat or somethin'?
“W.. What…”
“You've got some rough hands for someone who acts as prissy as you do. Don't you have lotion or somethin'?” Jabber laughs, leaning further into his palm as he blinks up at him.
“I like ‘em tho. Your hands. They feel good.”
Zanka's face was red, his breath stuttering as he glanced at him and then back on the floor. “Ya don't have to tell me again…”
Oh? He told him already? Well, whatever. He'll say it over and over again.
"Put your other hand on my face too. My other cheek is cold.” He says with an obnoxious pout.
“Only if you stop yammering, ya scuzzball…” Zanka mutters, still looking away in embarrassment.
Jabber flutters his eyes closed, trying not to melt into another puddle with both hands on his face. Damn, he had no idea that touch could feel this good without pain!
He leans forward, nearly falling off the bed in an attempt to get even closer.
Zanka, ever the mind reader, meets him where he's at and leans up at him, breath brushing against his lips.
There's a soft pressure on his forehead.
Jabber peels his eyes open, realising it was Zanka.
They were forehead to forehead, breath to breath. He could count every eyelash and every freckle on Zanka's face, feel every warm breath against his skin.
He wishes his hands were free. He wanted to hold his face in his hands, too. Wanted to feel the faint pulse against his throat, thumb tracing his cheek. Maybe they could get their pulses to beat in tandem.
“Jabber.” A deep voice suddenly says, taking them both out of their reverie.
Zanka jumps back suddenly, making Jabber whine at the loss of contact.
“Hey, why'd ya stop--”
“Cus I'm here to take you back, Jabber.” Says the voice.
He turns his head to see Cthoni with an unreadable expression on her face, glancing between him and Zanka.
“But Toni, I'm tryna stop bein' scared! It's not like he was gonna hurt me!”
“Don't speak. The doctor told us that you should keep quiet.” She takes the booklet off his bedside table. She pursed her lips, skimming the pages.
“Seems pretty standard. I'll give this to Zodyl too.” She sticks the booklet in her pocket before turning to Zanka. “I can take it from here,” she says stiffly.
“Uhm-- wait--” Zanka quickly gets up, going to a sink in the corner.
With a quick wash of his hands, he dries them off and walks back to Jabber.
“Lean forward.” He orders.
“Sir yessir.” Jabber says, grinning.
Zanka rolls his eyes, disconnecting something from the nutrition packet next to him.
Then, with a careful hand against his back he takes off the tape attached to his feeding tube-- oh! He forgot that was there!-- and carefully wrapped his hand in it.
“Hold yer breath.”
Jabber obliged.
Zanka carefully took it out of his nose, face furrowed in a cute look of concentration.
Wait. Cute?
That's bizarre. When has he ever called anyone or anything cute?
The pressure in his nose was gone before he could think about it, Zanka sighing in relief as his other hand rubbed small circles on his back. Jabber took a deep breath.
Okay! That's new!
He leans into the touch, humming. The circles on his back were weirdly soothing. Is that normal?
He closed his eyes and stopped paying attention to the world around him. All he could hear was the faint, clipped voices between Cthoni and Zanka.
He could probably stay like this all day. Well, maybe not exactly like this, but mostly!
“Jabber. Are you going to fall asleep? Don't answer, just shake your head yes or no.” Cthoni said loudly, voice surprisingly gentle.
Jabber blinked, forcing his eyes to open. Hm. He was feeling really relaxed.
Yeah, sure, why not?
He nods, grinning.
Cthoni sighs. “Alright. Fine. I'll come back later. Just take a quick nap.”
“Thanks, Toni.” He says, lying back down with a sigh.
“Don't speak. Just sleep.” And with that, the faint sound of something metal echoed in the room. She was gone.
Zanka sighs, as if winded. He starts to take the hand off his back--
“Hey! Don't move! I'm gonna yap ya ear off if ya do.” He threatened.
Zanka laughs a quiet, twinkling laugh.
Pretty. Jabber thinks, with surprise.
“I wasn't gonna completely take off my hand, ya dolt. I was just adjusting it because I can't sit at this angle.” He gestures at his half raised, half crouching position.
Jabber frowns. “Just lie down, then. It's not like the bed is small.” He says, stubbornly.
Zanka stares at him in shock. “What??”
“I said, just lie down. If ya sit back down, your hands are just gonna be on my shoulder. I like em where it is.”
He shifts in his position, trying to make some room for the other.
“Uh… are ya sure?” Zanka says, flabbergasted.
“When have I ever been one not to say what I mean? I'm tellin’ ya to lie down.”
“I… uhm. Okay.” Zanka responds, convinced surprisingly easily.
He stands, before carefully crawling next to him.
The hospital bed wasn't comfortable, per se, but it wasn't horrible. And okay, Jabber might have lied when he said the bed wasn't that small. It was actually pretty small.
But whatever!
He grins, snuggling into the warmth of the other. “Don't forget the cheek.” He mutters happily.
Zanka sighs quietly, before setting his other palm in the side of his face. “There. Happy? Just nod or shake yer head.”
Jabber nodded, eyelids already heavy.
Hm… maybe he should sleep like this more often.
He sighs, feeling whatever tension in his body leaking out like a deflated balloon.
This is so nice.
He feels like Zanka agrees, with the way he settles beside him with his own gentle breaths. That's good, maybe he'll sleep too.
He didn't know why he cared so much, though.
Ah, well! Maybe he'll think about it more tomorrow.
But right now, this was perfect.
Jabber nuzzled into his touch once again, tangling his feet with the other unconsciously.
Yeah, perfect.