He was light-headed, faint, unsure; some strange feeling crawled between his skin and his flesh, and gravity's pull nearly seemed impossible to resist. Briefly he wanted to let his head snap back and his body collapse, but it seemed like too much effort, and besides, then he would have to get up again.
The blood sang through his ears.
He realized that part of the reason why he hadn't collapsed in some sort of half-faint was because hands held his shoulders, keeping him steady, allowing him to stay upright as his body oriented itself again. "It's alright," the voice said, much closer, almost close enough to feel, but it wasn't. It wasn't alright. Rory was a pathetic mess, and he hated that it was Jigano, of all people, who was here to mop him up. Hadn't he done enough of it already? Carrying a half-dead Rory to the Temple during Long Night?
All he needed was to breathe. To wait for his heart rate to go down, and for his brain to realize that they weren't dying, and.. Oh, yeah. Eat.
More seconds ticked by, and as some sense of normalcy returned to Rory, he realized that he was leaning against Jigano, though perhaps not quite in the way it had been meant. He was hemmed in by the hands on his shoulders, but leaning significantly to the left.
He felt self-conscious in a way that had him wanting to run away, but instead he merely pulled a shaky grimace and righted himself, cheeks flushing slightly. "I, uh... I just need food, I think," he managed to say. His mouth felt a bit weird and cumbersome, and his hands still trembled, but the blackness that had roared at the edges of his awareness was gone.
Slowly, he dropped onto one knee, and reached out to pick up the discarded flower bouquet, giving Isuma self-conscious grimace in the process. Then, still very carefully, he straightened up again. The bouquet seemed to have survived the fall, and he held it gently in his hands, looking at it for a while before peering into Jigano's face instead.
The sharp lines. Sharp angles. Such a distinct face; such blue eyes. He looked .. tired. Worried. Before he knew what he was doing, Rory had reached out, to put the back of his fingers against his cheek. He still felt weird and tingly and a little distant and unfocused.
"This is very sweet," he said, obviously meaning he flower bouquet, but forgetting that Jigano wasn't in his head, and as he forgot to indicate it by looking at the flowers, or even giving them a shake, well... "I'm just sorry I made such a mess of the reception."
The blood sang through his ears.
He realized that part of the reason why he hadn't collapsed in some sort of half-faint was because hands held his shoulders, keeping him steady, allowing him to stay upright as his body oriented itself again. "It's alright," the voice said, much closer, almost close enough to feel, but it wasn't. It wasn't alright. Rory was a pathetic mess, and he hated that it was Jigano, of all people, who was here to mop him up. Hadn't he done enough of it already? Carrying a half-dead Rory to the Temple during Long Night?
All he needed was to breathe. To wait for his heart rate to go down, and for his brain to realize that they weren't dying, and.. Oh, yeah. Eat.
More seconds ticked by, and as some sense of normalcy returned to Rory, he realized that he was leaning against Jigano, though perhaps not quite in the way it had been meant. He was hemmed in by the hands on his shoulders, but leaning significantly to the left.
He felt self-conscious in a way that had him wanting to run away, but instead he merely pulled a shaky grimace and righted himself, cheeks flushing slightly. "I, uh... I just need food, I think," he managed to say. His mouth felt a bit weird and cumbersome, and his hands still trembled, but the blackness that had roared at the edges of his awareness was gone.
Slowly, he dropped onto one knee, and reached out to pick up the discarded flower bouquet, giving Isuma self-conscious grimace in the process. Then, still very carefully, he straightened up again. The bouquet seemed to have survived the fall, and he held it gently in his hands, looking at it for a while before peering into Jigano's face instead.
The sharp lines. Sharp angles. Such a distinct face; such blue eyes. He looked .. tired. Worried. Before he knew what he was doing, Rory had reached out, to put the back of his fingers against his cheek. He still felt weird and tingly and a little distant and unfocused.
"This is very sweet," he said, obviously meaning he flower bouquet, but forgetting that Jigano wasn't in his head, and as he forgot to indicate it by looking at the flowers, or even giving them a shake, well... "I'm just sorry I made such a mess of the reception."
