[Asher can't possibly know how he feels for him. He's kept his heart shut up tight, locked quietly away-- yet the momentary fear that still strikes him twists his mouth with what if he's guessed, what if he's repelled at the thought of another man thinking about him in that way? left painfully unspoken.
Jin considers just leaving. It'd be easy to take the barb to heart, turn, and walk away. It's what Asher deserves: he's got every right to it, even if he know that that's not the point of the verbal jab. Asher's not like that. He trusts that he is decent enough to never stoop so low for an insult.
What Asher is, however... is afraid. Jin's seen it before, but only now does that sharp pull inward, the pushing stubbornly away, truly begin to make sense: he's afraid, so he struggles against the things that push him, if only to hurt before he's hurt any worse. And gods, do those well-worn patterns of behavior ring familiar, because it's what he fights back against the world with himself.
They're pulling the same exact shit on each other, aren't they?]
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1/2
Jin considers just leaving. It'd be easy to take the barb to heart, turn, and walk away. It's what Asher deserves: he's got every right to it, even if he know that that's not the point of the verbal jab. Asher's not like that. He trusts that he is decent enough to never stoop so low for an insult.
What Asher is, however... is afraid. Jin's seen it before, but only now does that sharp pull inward, the pushing stubbornly away, truly begin to make sense: he's afraid, so he struggles against the things that push him, if only to hurt before he's hurt any worse. And gods, do those well-worn patterns of behavior ring familiar, because it's what he fights back against the world with himself.
They're pulling the same exact shit on each other, aren't they?]