[ Then, since that's all decided, he starts to shift off of Sholmes. And being the ever so graceful man he is, he starts to lose his balance and literally falls off the couch.
Luckily, Finley senses this and very quickly picks Irene by the scruff and jumps out of the way so they don't get crushed. ]
Ow...
[ But what was that? I guess Kotetsu really didn't want to move because Finley is taking this chance to leap up on top of Sholmes and stand on him. Enjoy a tiger on your chest staring down, bud. Setting Irene right down next to his face. ]
[The tiger on him is quite a shock. Sholmes blinks, a bit stupefied, but as he lays here, Irene hops down from the couch to check on Kotetsu, almost instantly.]
[She snuffles against his neck, before placing a paw on his shoulder.]
[Sholmes just lays there, silent. There's never been a feeling like this before.]
[ At least's she's friendly. But she peers at him and leans forward to press her nose against his. She seems very content being near him like this.
Meanwhile, Kotetsu is shifting a little and sees the hare checking on him. He's shocked by having her so close to him. Not sure if he should reach out or not. He stares at her, feeling his heart race in his chest from this proximity. He turns just a little, lifting his hand, but hesitating.
Should he...? Granted, Irene was already touching him, there is still a strange feeling. ]
[Finley is adorable, as she always is, and his nose tickles from her pressing her head against him. But his attention is caught by Irene and Kotetsu. His own heart is racing.]
[Is it fear? Anticipation? He doesn't know. He knows how it feels to have Finley on top of him like this, but what will it feel like with his own soul, his own daemon, touched by another? But she's already touching him. His head feels lightheaded.]
[Irene doesn't budge, her nose twitching slightly, as if waiting for whatever Kotetsu will decide.]
[ He swallows hard before taking the plunge and moves his hand to touch her. He places his hand on the top of her head, letting it linger there a moment.
When Kotetsu's fingers make contact, Finley seems to respond by rubbing her head against the side of Sholmes' face. She's making sure not to block his view.
His head lifts to look at Sholmes, seeing if this is really okay. Seeing how he's responding. He, himself, looks completely awestruck. ]
[What can he say about this kind of feeling deep inside of him? It almost makes him want to cry and laugh at the same time. He reaches up to gently rub his hand over the tiger's side, watching as Irene's ears tilt back and she lets Kotetsu's gentle hands pet over her head.]
[ When he feels those ears move back, his his hand instinctively follows them down, petting her softly. The touch is tender, fond.
His breath hitches a little when Sholmes starts to rub Finley. This feeling... it's almost overwhelming. It may not be the first time Sholmes has touched his daemon tonight, but that was in the heat of trying to comfort him. This... was much more exposure.
He feels so incredibly vulnerable, but also extremely safe. He believes that Sholmes would never hurt him. ]
[That's the problem, though. He's hurt many people. It's not like he's some flawless man, dancing through life as if its nothing.]
[He knows that for a fact. And there was one person outside of his daughter who made him feel flawless like that. It doesn't make sense to him, and somehow, it does. Kotetsu touches his daemon, and it's as if that's the same feeling. This similar, practically unwavering, trust.]
[(He shouldn't think about him. He shouldn't think about him. Stop thinking about him.)]
[But maybe this is too much for the other man. Eventually, he withdraws his hand, turning his head away to look at the couch.]
[...If it feels so good, why does he feel so sad at the same time?]
[ After Sholmes has turned away, he gives Irene one last pet and leans down to place a small kiss on her head. He crawls over, closing that small gap and leans to press his lips against Sholmes' ear. ]
Hey... I'm not afraid of what's in there.
[ He brings his hand up, trailing his fingers along Sholmes' arm. ]
I'm only afraid of you feeling alone. I don't expect you to tell me everything. I don't even expect you to tell me anything.
I just want you to know that I'm here for you.
[ His fingers trail back up, then reach to gently touch his cheek. ]
Not just the great detective of man famous tales. I'm here for the one and only Herlock Sholmes. The man. You don't have to put on a show for me.
["I'm here for the one and only Herlock Sholmes."]
[There's the urge to say "why, what did I do"? What persuaded him to love the whole picture, not just the detective? Is there even an answer to that?]
Come on, my dear. [His voice is thick as he finally gathers the strength to look over at him, reaching out to cup his cheek.] Who would I be without a good show, hm?
[But he gets what the other man is saying. He understands it well.]
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[ Then, since that's all decided, he starts to shift off of Sholmes. And being the ever so graceful man he is, he starts to lose his balance and literally falls off the couch.
Luckily, Finley senses this and very quickly picks Irene by the scruff and jumps out of the way so they don't get crushed. ]
Ow...
[ But what was that? I guess Kotetsu really didn't want to move because Finley is taking this chance to leap up on top of Sholmes and stand on him. Enjoy a tiger on your chest staring down, bud. Setting Irene right down next to his face. ]
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[This is...]
[The tiger on him is quite a shock. Sholmes blinks, a bit stupefied, but as he lays here, Irene hops down from the couch to check on Kotetsu, almost instantly.]
[She snuffles against his neck, before placing a paw on his shoulder.]
[Sholmes just lays there, silent. There's never been a feeling like this before.]
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Meanwhile, Kotetsu is shifting a little and sees the hare checking on him. He's shocked by having her so close to him. Not sure if he should reach out or not. He stares at her, feeling his heart race in his chest from this proximity. He turns just a little, lifting his hand, but hesitating.
Should he...? Granted, Irene was already touching him, there is still a strange feeling. ]
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[Is it fear? Anticipation? He doesn't know. He knows how it feels to have Finley on top of him like this, but what will it feel like with his own soul, his own daemon, touched by another? But she's already touching him. His head feels lightheaded.]
[Irene doesn't budge, her nose twitching slightly, as if waiting for whatever Kotetsu will decide.]
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When Kotetsu's fingers make contact, Finley seems to respond by rubbing her head against the side of Sholmes' face. She's making sure not to block his view.
His head lifts to look at Sholmes, seeing if this is really okay. Seeing how he's responding. He, himself, looks completely awestruck. ]
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[Is all he says. What can he say?]
[What can he say about this kind of feeling deep inside of him? It almost makes him want to cry and laugh at the same time. He reaches up to gently rub his hand over the tiger's side, watching as Irene's ears tilt back and she lets Kotetsu's gentle hands pet over her head.]
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His breath hitches a little when Sholmes starts to rub Finley. This feeling... it's almost overwhelming. It may not be the first time Sholmes has touched his daemon tonight, but that was in the heat of trying to comfort him. This... was much more exposure.
He feels so incredibly vulnerable, but also extremely safe. He believes that Sholmes would never hurt him. ]
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[He knows that for a fact. And there was one person outside of his daughter who made him feel flawless like that. It doesn't make sense to him, and somehow, it does. Kotetsu touches his daemon, and it's as if that's the same feeling. This similar, practically unwavering, trust.]
[(He shouldn't think about him. He shouldn't think about him. Stop thinking about him.)]
[But maybe this is too much for the other man. Eventually, he withdraws his hand, turning his head away to look at the couch.]
[...If it feels so good, why does he feel so sad at the same time?]
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Hey... I'm not afraid of what's in there.
[ He brings his hand up, trailing his fingers along Sholmes' arm. ]
I'm only afraid of you feeling alone. I don't expect you to tell me everything. I don't even expect you to tell me anything.
I just want you to know that I'm here for you.
[ His fingers trail back up, then reach to gently touch his cheek. ]
Not just the great detective of man famous tales. I'm here for the one and only Herlock Sholmes. The man. You don't have to put on a show for me.
[ A small huff of a laugh, in warm amusement. ]
Not if you don't want to, that is.
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["I'm here for the one and only Herlock Sholmes."]
[There's the urge to say "why, what did I do"? What persuaded him to love the whole picture, not just the detective? Is there even an answer to that?]
Come on, my dear. [His voice is thick as he finally gathers the strength to look over at him, reaching out to cup his cheek.] Who would I be without a good show, hm?
[But he gets what the other man is saying. He understands it well.]
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[ He stares at him, unwavering in that resolve. He is the type, after all, to stick to his values. ]
The very man I see before me.
[ His fingers stroke his cheek just a little more. ]
Not that I don't cherish and love that side of you, too.
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[His eyes are fluttering closed at that touch.]
Your heart has such immense capacity for kindness, my dear fellow.
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[ He rests his chin on Sholmes' shoulder. ]
I'm not always sweet and kind.
[ He lets out a quiet sigh, still watching him. ]
I'm not about to pretend either of us aren't holding baggage. That we don't have regrets.
...Even heroes have things that haunt them. That they're afraid to look back on. Things I want to share with you.
[ He lets out a small laugh, resting his head against Sholmes' shoulder. ]
I'm not that great at all of this, but I'm trying really hard. Because I want you to understand how I feel about you.