At first, watching J's reaction, S can't help the way his stomach twists with concern, with guilt. He prepared himself for the possibility that J wouldn't like his gift; he didn't for a second imagine that J might wind up on the verge of tears over it. His own eyes go wide, mouth curving into a slight frown, even as J says he loves it. Maybe his choice of gift was even more of an error in judgment than he anticipated. Maybe he just misspoke now, cutting too close even in his caution to subjects far too unpleasant for Christmas morning. It wouldn't be the first time, after all, that he upset J when trying to do or say something nice. Really, it shouldn't even matter all that much, just a slight hiccup like so many others they've had, but it's their first Christmas back together, and he didn't want to fuck it up, hates the idea of getting something so wrong on Christmas, his mind already racing, trying to think of ways he might be able to put this right.
What J says next helps a little, easing some of the tension in his chest, but he still can't be certain yet. "Really?" he echoes, hopeful and worried in equal measure, looking at J carefully as if he might somehow be able to discern the reason for his reaction. He seems like he means it, and in all fairness, he thinks they know each other well enough to have a good sense of when the other is telling the truth, but he still wants to be sure. On one hand, it's just a gift, but on the other, it feels far too important just to let it go, and not because of the money he spent on the camera and the other related gifts. "You're sure?"
Impulsively, he leans forward, one hand braced against the floor so he can close the distance between them and kiss J's other cheek. Worried as he might be, he still thinks J is sweetly adorable like this, with his little pout and apparent frustration with his emotional state. Alongside the rest of it — the reason for the rest of it — is deep fondness, one that has him both endeared by the way J looks right now and wanting to give J as good a Christmas as he possibly can, preferably one without any actual crying.
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What J says next helps a little, easing some of the tension in his chest, but he still can't be certain yet. "Really?" he echoes, hopeful and worried in equal measure, looking at J carefully as if he might somehow be able to discern the reason for his reaction. He seems like he means it, and in all fairness, he thinks they know each other well enough to have a good sense of when the other is telling the truth, but he still wants to be sure. On one hand, it's just a gift, but on the other, it feels far too important just to let it go, and not because of the money he spent on the camera and the other related gifts. "You're sure?"
Impulsively, he leans forward, one hand braced against the floor so he can close the distance between them and kiss J's other cheek. Worried as he might be, he still thinks J is sweetly adorable like this, with his little pout and apparent frustration with his emotional state. Alongside the rest of it — the reason for the rest of it — is deep fondness, one that has him both endeared by the way J looks right now and wanting to give J as good a Christmas as he possibly can, preferably one without any actual crying.