[It's a bit of a guessing game in itself, trying to figure out how Zelos is going to react to any of this half the time. But even keeping a fairly open mind about it, it usually ends up being a surprise anyway.]
[And it's a surprise here, as Zelos bursts into a cheerful laugh--which is an exceptionally sharp contrast from the expression that had started across his face mere seconds earlier, an expression that had seemed pretty torn between something surprised and something touched, odd enough in itself (Zelos hardly tends to be open with them, as Jack's come to notice somewhat peripherally; notice and maybe even envy slightly, what with his own inability to get the whole hiding-emotions thing down at all yet...)]
[That's what makes the laugh so unexpected, in a way it wouldn't have been by itself. And Jack only has time to blink, because before he can formulate some snippish reply for that remark about Zelos being weak to compliments apparently ('oh, and here I was thinking you lived off them all this time', never coming to verbal fruition), there's a warm hand on his shoulder, and Zelos is leaning down to meet his eyes, and--]
[Ah--]
[It is familiar, this time, which lends itself to about two seconds' worth of mental warning that's entirely useless. That same bafflingly warm sensation of a mouth meeting his, there and gone again (much more quickly than last time), and still more than enough to send that same odd tingle from before shooting through his spine and rendering him a bit frozen in place again. But at the very least the seizing up doesn't last quite as long as it had last time, and Jack is relaxing again, shifts back on his heels only slightly and purely from reflex as he huffs a startled breath afterwards, eyes wide and blinking.]
[While, invariably, Zelos achieves his goal, what with the flush returning full force (oh for goodness's sake how do you stop this thing ugh), considerably more prominent than before--enough so, in fact, that the oddly purple tint to it is a bit more visible, doubtless a bit off from the typical pink that would have been normally expected. (His blood circulation is a bit odd, like that--)]
[But all that aside, it's all the more ridiculous because the guy's just so composed about it, really...for his part, Jack ducks his head even as his eyes flick back upwards, probably more obviously flustered than he would have preferred by a long shot, because this stupid blush really needs to get out and just--]
--Uh-- [so smooth okay no this is still ridiculous pull yourself together man--] --Okay, geez, is this gonna...start being a new habit of yours? Just outta curiosity...
OH MY GOD WHY AM I LAUGHING SO HARD...
[And it's a surprise here, as Zelos bursts into a cheerful laugh--which is an exceptionally sharp contrast from the expression that had started across his face mere seconds earlier, an expression that had seemed pretty torn between something surprised and something touched, odd enough in itself (Zelos hardly tends to be open with them, as Jack's come to notice somewhat peripherally; notice and maybe even envy slightly, what with his own inability to get the whole hiding-emotions thing down at all yet...)]
[That's what makes the laugh so unexpected, in a way it wouldn't have been by itself. And Jack only has time to blink, because before he can formulate some snippish reply for that remark about Zelos being weak to compliments apparently ('oh, and here I was thinking you lived off them all this time', never coming to verbal fruition), there's a warm hand on his shoulder, and Zelos is leaning down to meet his eyes, and--]
[Ah--]
[It is familiar, this time, which lends itself to about two seconds' worth of mental warning that's entirely useless. That same bafflingly warm sensation of a mouth meeting his, there and gone again (much more quickly than last time), and still more than enough to send that same odd tingle from before shooting through his spine and rendering him a bit frozen in place again. But at the very least the seizing up doesn't last quite as long as it had last time, and Jack is relaxing again, shifts back on his heels only slightly and purely from reflex as he huffs a startled breath afterwards, eyes wide and blinking.]
[While, invariably, Zelos achieves his goal, what with the flush returning full force (oh for goodness's sake how do you stop this thing ugh), considerably more prominent than before--enough so, in fact, that the oddly purple tint to it is a bit more visible, doubtless a bit off from the typical pink that would have been normally expected. (His blood circulation is a bit odd, like that--)]
[But all that aside, it's all the more ridiculous because the guy's just so composed about it, really...for his part, Jack ducks his head even as his eyes flick back upwards, probably more obviously flustered than he would have preferred by a long shot, because this stupid blush really needs to get out and just--]
--Uh-- [so smooth okay no this is still ridiculous pull yourself together man--] --Okay, geez, is this gonna...start being a new habit of yours? Just outta curiosity...