empathicfault | IC Inbox

Will's mouth twists a little, as he regrets the words just as much as he figured he would. He reaches forward to put his hands on both of Malcolm's shoulders, steadying him.

"I am," Will confirms. "But that's why I don't rest on my laurels and consider it progress. It's why I want to make sure I'm working with Shaw and letting you know how it's going. It's why I'm listening out for what makes people fade from here- sounds like it's a lack of connections." So he really doesn't want to disconnect himself from the others on this ship, if only for that reason alone.

"I used to be satisfied with my end on that cliffside. I'm not, anymore. We both deserve our trips. We deserve a home where we feel safe." He leans forward and kisses Malcolm gently on the lips. "And we deserve to know the intricacies of love, every twist and bend and fold. I won't let anything take it from us." His eyes shine with determination. He's going to make this work.

That he believes. He smiles in the wake of the kiss.

“Lack of connections. Well. We can’t let that happen.” He kisses Will this time. “So… you’ve got Shaw and me. Sweeney. Who else are you close to?”

"Uhh." Oh no, what has he brought upon himself? This seems like a tough challenge. But as he thinks, he's finding he can come up with people. "Iris, definitely. And Sheehan. Anyone else is more of an acquaintance or friendly or...I'm not sure where we stand anymore. Reid, Laura, Yunlan, Raylan...Sebastian, Kirei, Kiryu..."

He rubs face, looking suddenly a lot less confident and a lot more like a rumpled cat. That was everyone, right? "Surely that's enough. Don't you think?"

“Yeah; it’s tons. Good job!” He pauses. “…Is Laura on the second list because of the thing at the party?”

Will chuckles at the 'good job,' wondering if he'll get a gold star after managing to collect fifteen people he doesn't hate.

But the question has his attention moving on. "That and the talk we had afterward. I mean, we came through it okay? But it was skirting some of the same things that fell apart for me back home. And all of those people could hit that point pretty easily."

Will's not sure why he's taking it any differently now than he used to. No expectations lead to less disappointment, and he knows that. So he shrugs.

Malcolm looks concerned, but it's for him, for his heart, not his checklist.

"What things? What things did it skirt?" he asks, fingers drifting restlessly across the front of his shoulder.

He doesn't think Will is really the one making things difficult; he's the one with a record of making things difficult here but he never wanted to make things difficult for Will.

Will's eyes look down at a worn-down patch of his couch. The last thing he wants is more confrontation between Laura and Malcolm- so he does his best to keep it vague. "It's the crunch of gears not fitting together properly. The moment when they realize that they don't know me as well as they thought. And that means I've betrayed them, or left them, or...I really am unstable." What a surprise, the roll of his eyes says.

He shakes his head. "It didn't get that far with Addy, but I could see hints of it. I guess I'm just trying to prepare for the turn."

"I know what's that's like," Malcolm acknowledges. "But... maybe it wasn't that. Maybe she just was surprised that you like me when the prevailing opinion she's encountered on the Barge is... otherwise. Maybe she's fine now, if that's passed."

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