( The relief that floods through him is like dousing a flame, dropping it in a lake. Cool and sudden and all-encompassing. It doesn't manifest much on his face, all his expressions are generally tempered by chill, but Luke is bound to know him well enough to see it clearly.
It's now that he finally breaks the touch barrier, reaching out to first squeeze Luke's shoulder firmly and then gently clasp the side of his neck almost immediately after. It comes with the lightest jostle, not playful, just telegraphed care.
He won't argue about kicking Cole out of camp, though he imagines a few people on the other side of the door might. It's okay. They caught this early enough that it might not be too heavy a scar on their credibility. Judging by Cole's state of mind, he's high as balls right now anyway -- that probably balances things out in terms of who the majority of the group sides with. Ian's well aware of popular opinion mattering more than Luke realizes. He navigates that aspect with relative ease; this will be more challenging, but he'll manage. )
Hey.
( He says gently, trying to nudge his way through the dark cloud swiftly settling in. )
I'm proud of you.
( And he means it. But he won't subject either of them to this whole thing anymore, and he seems to withdraw into something a little more businesslike when his hand finally drops away.
Luke takes care of them in one way. Ian takes care of them in another. It's a testament to how much he has bent to fit the new world that his plan turns sharp and undeniably a little unethical. )
Come on, let's clean him up before we let his friends take care of him. We can say he was nodding off, you shocked him conscious again. It's not like he's gonna feel it for long anyway, he's like a walking pharmacy right now. The high should mask the concussion. I just need you to scale back a little and pretend like you've got, like, two percent concern for him when they come in, alright?
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It's now that he finally breaks the touch barrier, reaching out to first squeeze Luke's shoulder firmly and then gently clasp the side of his neck almost immediately after. It comes with the lightest jostle, not playful, just telegraphed care.
He won't argue about kicking Cole out of camp, though he imagines a few people on the other side of the door might. It's okay. They caught this early enough that it might not be too heavy a scar on their credibility. Judging by Cole's state of mind, he's high as balls right now anyway -- that probably balances things out in terms of who the majority of the group sides with. Ian's well aware of popular opinion mattering more than Luke realizes. He navigates that aspect with relative ease; this will be more challenging, but he'll manage. )
Hey.
( He says gently, trying to nudge his way through the dark cloud swiftly settling in. )
I'm proud of you.
( And he means it. But he won't subject either of them to this whole thing anymore, and he seems to withdraw into something a little more businesslike when his hand finally drops away.
Luke takes care of them in one way. Ian takes care of them in another. It's a testament to how much he has bent to fit the new world that his plan turns sharp and undeniably a little unethical. )
Come on, let's clean him up before we let his friends take care of him. We can say he was nodding off, you shocked him conscious again. It's not like he's gonna feel it for long anyway, he's like a walking pharmacy right now. The high should mask the concussion. I just need you to scale back a little and pretend like you've got, like, two percent concern for him when they come in, alright?