It was imprecise; rough, jagged, terrified and elated. His short, blunt nails ran across the man's scalp, fingers pressing into skin, as if the force of his hand was the force to overcome whatever .. whatever this was .. the runaway freight train in his chest.
It wasn't like it mattered.
It wasn't like he had been a ghost before; untouchable, unreachable. He had been oh so very real even as a fox.
But as the seconds passed and Jigano stayed by him—leaning over him, tilting his head into the touch as he had done so many times before as a fox—his touch grew softer. Less jerky. Instead of trying to get hold of Jigano's head like a man drowning he found his fingers running through the long, soft hair. The motion of his fingertips was gentler, less savage.
And... as he was still looking through the other man he felt it, rather than saw it. His ears—oh. They weren't gone, they had just moved, and Rory let his fingers glide along the nearest. The shape and texture was so familiar, but how the fur slowly bled into hair and skin was not. "Huh," he breathed; an observation, not a judgment.
Swallowing his heart back into his chest he finally made his eyes refocus on Jigano's face. His eyes were closed—and he looked.. peaceful, like that. And with his eyes closed, Rory found that he could look at him without feeling self-conscious. Not quite embarrassed, but hyper-aware of something.
His fingers trailed down from the base of his ear to his hairline, and on a whim that was too personal—less playful, less innocent compared to when done to a fox—he turned his hand the other way, and gently ran the back of it down Jigano's cheek, before letting it fall into his lap, nestling with Isuma. Anticipating that Jigano might open his eyes Rory dropped his gaze to his chest again, something unreadable on his blistered face as he sought for words that eluded him.
It wasn't like it mattered.
It wasn't like he had been a ghost before; untouchable, unreachable. He had been oh so very real even as a fox.
But as the seconds passed and Jigano stayed by him—leaning over him, tilting his head into the touch as he had done so many times before as a fox—his touch grew softer. Less jerky. Instead of trying to get hold of Jigano's head like a man drowning he found his fingers running through the long, soft hair. The motion of his fingertips was gentler, less savage.
And... as he was still looking through the other man he felt it, rather than saw it. His ears—oh. They weren't gone, they had just moved, and Rory let his fingers glide along the nearest. The shape and texture was so familiar, but how the fur slowly bled into hair and skin was not. "Huh," he breathed; an observation, not a judgment.
Swallowing his heart back into his chest he finally made his eyes refocus on Jigano's face. His eyes were closed—and he looked.. peaceful, like that. And with his eyes closed, Rory found that he could look at him without feeling self-conscious. Not quite embarrassed, but hyper-aware of something.
His fingers trailed down from the base of his ear to his hairline, and on a whim that was too personal—less playful, less innocent compared to when done to a fox—he turned his hand the other way, and gently ran the back of it down Jigano's cheek, before letting it fall into his lap, nestling with Isuma. Anticipating that Jigano might open his eyes Rory dropped his gaze to his chest again, something unreadable on his blistered face as he sought for words that eluded him.
