[It's remarkably corny, true, but--despite what he might always say to the contrary--Jack wouldn't fault him so much for that. (He himself has had his fair share of corny moments, after all.) Still, even corniness aside, the words are entirely unexpected, and ring with a simple honesty that has Jack drawing in a surprised breath and a surprised glance to match it, looking back over to meet the latter's eyes again. It's certainly a compliment, and high praise at that, almost uncomfortably so (especially coming from a guy like Zelos); and so, the slight smile that rises despite himself is accompanied by a shift in place and a slight shrug alongside it. After a moment, he glances away again, almost sheepishly.]
[For anybody else there would have been some preening, be it of the genuine or framed variety, but here, in a conversation like this, plied in a comparison like that...]
I don't know about that. [Eyes roam harriedly over the sparse appliances of the clinic room, and then back over to Zelos again, as if searching out a diversion's just more trouble than it's worth. And besides--] And you don't know about that either. Not for sure. You tend to talk yourself up a lot...but you just don't think very highly of yourself at all, huh?
Have you ever figured maybe some people do think highly of you?
[There, the result of doing his own brand of observation over the weeks they've known each other on this ship; a result that Jack might have never verbalized normally, might have never really arrived at as a certain conclusion himself, except now the evidence really does come together, after the conversation they've had here.]
[And he's almost positive that Zelos doesn't figure that, not in the least. Which is something of a shame in itself, really...someone able to read other people so well even despite, and would go so far as to overcome temptation in favor of sticking it out for his friends, even to such a bitter end as a fight with the Project Head himself--Zelos is a genuinely decent guy, as far as Jack's concerned, and that's truthfully something that doesn't exactly come a dime a dozen.]
[But unlike Zelos, he's not so good at figuring out how to actually say something like that--has never had the experience for it, corny or no--and so the rest of that goes unspoken, and the can only hope that last sentence goes over as he wanted it to; that Zelos could catch the implication of it.]
[And now they're shifting back to the first topic, again--which is less startling, but no less unhappy in its own way, and Jack's smile fades promptly alongside it.]
[Because man, but it really is difficult not to project onto this somehow...and Zelos's actual words on the subject don't help things any. Hates...siblings sometimes do say that, and Jack's not so naive as to think that a relationship like that would never arise, and yet something in him still rebels against the idea, when it's put in relation to Zelos himself. Because, as far as Jack's concerned, it still just doesn't make--sense--]
--Is she older or younger than you? [It's an abrupt and intent question, when it finally comes out at length.]
no subject
[For anybody else there would have been some preening, be it of the genuine or framed variety, but here, in a conversation like this, plied in a comparison like that...]
I don't know about that. [Eyes roam harriedly over the sparse appliances of the clinic room, and then back over to Zelos again, as if searching out a diversion's just more trouble than it's worth. And besides--] And you don't know about that either. Not for sure. You tend to talk yourself up a lot...but you just don't think very highly of yourself at all, huh?
Have you ever figured maybe some people do think highly of you?
[There, the result of doing his own brand of observation over the weeks they've known each other on this ship; a result that Jack might have never verbalized normally, might have never really arrived at as a certain conclusion himself, except now the evidence really does come together, after the conversation they've had here.]
[And he's almost positive that Zelos doesn't figure that, not in the least. Which is something of a shame in itself, really...someone able to read other people so well even despite, and would go so far as to overcome temptation in favor of sticking it out for his friends, even to such a bitter end as a fight with the Project Head himself--Zelos is a genuinely decent guy, as far as Jack's concerned, and that's truthfully something that doesn't exactly come a dime a dozen.]
[But unlike Zelos, he's not so good at figuring out how to actually say something like that--has never had the experience for it, corny or no--and so the rest of that goes unspoken, and the can only hope that last sentence goes over as he wanted it to; that Zelos could catch the implication of it.]
[And now they're shifting back to the first topic, again--which is less startling, but no less unhappy in its own way, and Jack's smile fades promptly alongside it.]
[Because man, but it really is difficult not to project onto this somehow...and Zelos's actual words on the subject don't help things any. Hates...siblings sometimes do say that, and Jack's not so naive as to think that a relationship like that would never arise, and yet something in him still rebels against the idea, when it's put in relation to Zelos himself. Because, as far as Jack's concerned, it still just doesn't make--sense--]
--Is she older or younger than you? [It's an abrupt and intent question, when it finally comes out at length.]