Of course you will; nothing is going to change that.
[That response is immediate, at least; he's almost content to leave it at that, but after a moment's deliberation, he doesn't.
He moves forward a bit instead, and while it's infinitely more awkward to do it here than it is in dreams - and it was awkward as hell in Jaeger's dream that one time - he pulls Jaeger closer into what amounts to the world's most stilted embrace. It's obvious that he's bad at this still, and he'll let go if Jaeger wants him to, but for now this is...good, in some way that he isn't used to.]
[Jaeger hesitates for a brief moment, but before Wesker can pull away he's quick to latch on. His grip is probably a little too tight, but he doesn't want to let go any time soon.
For once in his life, Jaeger doesn't have anything to say. He'll just cling for a little while, if that's fine with everyone.]
He isn't exactly expecting the force with which Jaeger latches on to him, but he doesn't try to pull away from it, either; after a while one of his hands will shift upwards to tousle the back of his hair gently, and while the gesture is uncertain it's probably the closest to affectionate that he's been with anyone in a long time.
He won't move, or try to encourage him to let go; he'll stay where he is, don't worry - he's not going anywhere.]
[Oh, that's nice... The tension leaves Jaeger all at once and for a moment he just sort of leans on Wesker while he relaxes. It's sort of silly, but he's really missed physical affection like this.
He'll find words eventually, but they're sort of muffled.]
...Thank you. I'm fine, I'm just... tired, suddenly. I don't really want to move right now.
[His hand pauses for a brief moment against Jaeger's hair when he's leaned up against more thoroughly, though he'll start up again easily enough; he sounds decidedly calmer when he replies - genuinely so, not the odd sort of forced calmness from before.]
As long as you want - I wasn't going anywhere.
[It's weirding him out a little, but it's nice, overall; he doesn't particularly want to move either, if he's honest.]
[It's still sort of mumbled, quiet in a way he usually isn't. It's content-sounding, though.]
I never would have imagined our lives would turn out like this. Not that I'm complaining, of course. Thank you, Albert.
[He's not sure what part of this he's thanking Wesker for. Telling him about all of this? Trusting him with it? Just letting him cling for awhile as he sorts himself out? All of that, probably.]
[Wesker isn't sure what he's being thanked for, either, but he's not going to argue with it any; there's a fair amount to argue there, granted, but for the time being he's content to just keep stroking Jaeger's hair and hold him for a while longer.
His immediate response is to want to say that Jaeger deserves it, but he bites it back; it's striking him a bit too roughly for the time being, saying what people do and don't deserve, and it sort of begs the question of whether he thinks in those terms because of his past life's fixation on judgement. It's not something he wants to think about for too long right now, though it's going to bother him later.
For now, though...for now he just shifts slightly, nuzzling up a little before he settles; he's not really a physically affectionate person and it shows, but he's doing what he can for the time being.]
...You don't have to thank me for any of this. I did tell you that I'll do what I can for you.
[Oh, that's... really nice, actually. Jaeger leans into that a bit before resettling once Wesker stops. He didn't realize how badly he needed something like this, but now he never wants to let go.]
Ja, I know. And you do a very good job of that! I'm so thankful I've had the opportunity to get to know you so well.
[Even though all of this mess with Retrospec is horrible... he can't say he completely hates it. It did bring him closer to Wesker, after all.]
[The feeling of Jaeger's grip tightening gets a soft but pleased noise out of him; it feels nice, and he's sort of vibrating a little, but it's understated, not nearly the level of shaking that he was doing earlier.]
[He sounds pleased though, and he's comfortable right where he is. Wesker's not the only one vibrating a bit; Jaeger's not shaking, exactly, but he's obviously worked up in a good way. This is really nice. He doesn't want to move ever.]
[He'll remain where he is for a moment longer before pulling away, however; he doesn't pull his hands away entirely, he's maintaining some degree of contact, just not as extensively as it has been for the past while.]
...Things are...better, I suppose, now that we've done that.
I do appreciate it. I think it's important for me to know, no matter how badly I react to it. So... Thank you. I'm sure it's difficult to talk about something like that.
[...He is going to spend most of this evening not quite sure what he's being thanked for, honestly...]
Even with what we've found out regarding how these things relate to us, it still feels like there's some sense of distance there a fair amount of the time. And even when there isn't...
[He sort of...stops there, however, rather than continuing; it's not that he doesn't know how to explain the way things are, but rather that it hits him that he can't exactly say it without sounding completely insane.
He shakes his head after a moment; god...]
...Either way, it's not always something I can talk about right away, but if it's worth discussing I can manage it.
Agreed. I don't mind waiting if it's something you can't talk about immediately. I'm just glad you're able to trust me with these sorts of things.
[He's also glad Wesker was able to talk about it eventually, even if Jaeger really didn't want to hear that. It's in his best interest to know, that much they both agree on.]
[Just...let him pause for a moment before he says anything further.]
If there ever comes a point where you consider this to not be worth it - if it's too much to handle, or it becomes nothing more than an obligation to you... If you ever decide that you don't want to continue with things as they are, then I understand. You do know that, don't you?
[That gets an obvious flinch out of Jaeger before he forces himself to settle. His expression immediately falls into the usual pleased look and for a moment he almost responds with something flippant.
Then he catches himself, shakes his head, and tries again.]
...I understand. Really, I do. But that isn't something I ever want to happen and I hope it never does. You're very important to me, Albert; I wouldn't want to ever think that it wouldn't be worth it.
He notices the shift, and he doesn't really seem to know what he should think of it; he does appreciate it, however, and so he lets it go without comment or trying to draw attention to it.]
...I just ask that you tell me, should things reach that point. Which is likely an unfair thing to ask of you, and for that much I do apologize, but it's something that I would prefer to know straight-out.
I wouldn't call that unfair. I hope things never reach that point, but... if they did, I'd tell you. I promise.
[He's been trying to get better about running from his problems or putting on a mask and hiding everything, but he sincerely hopes that this never reaches a point where he can't handle it anymore. He's not sure what he'd do then. This is a promise he intends to keep though, if it ever comes to that.]
I know it would be hard on you, should that happen. And believe me, I don't like the idea of it, either. But I also know that there may come a point where the detriments outweigh the benefits, and I dislike the idea of forcing you to remain in that position.
[...]
I'm not trying to discourage you from staying near me, because that's far from the case. I like things the way that they are; you're important to me, and I don't want to lose you to anything. It's just something that concerns me from time to time, I suppose.
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[That response is immediate, at least; he's almost content to leave it at that, but after a moment's deliberation, he doesn't.
He moves forward a bit instead, and while it's infinitely more awkward to do it here than it is in dreams - and it was awkward as hell in Jaeger's dream that one time - he pulls Jaeger closer into what amounts to the world's most stilted embrace. It's obvious that he's bad at this still, and he'll let go if Jaeger wants him to, but for now this is...good, in some way that he isn't used to.]
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For once in his life, Jaeger doesn't have anything to say. He'll just cling for a little while, if that's fine with everyone.]
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He isn't exactly expecting the force with which Jaeger latches on to him, but he doesn't try to pull away from it, either; after a while one of his hands will shift upwards to tousle the back of his hair gently, and while the gesture is uncertain it's probably the closest to affectionate that he's been with anyone in a long time.
He won't move, or try to encourage him to let go; he'll stay where he is, don't worry - he's not going anywhere.]
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He'll find words eventually, but they're sort of muffled.]
...Thank you. I'm fine, I'm just... tired, suddenly. I don't really want to move right now.
[Indulge him for a little longer, okay?]
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As long as you want - I wasn't going anywhere.
[It's weirding him out a little, but it's nice, overall; he doesn't particularly want to move either, if he's honest.]
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[It's still sort of mumbled, quiet in a way he usually isn't. It's content-sounding, though.]
I never would have imagined our lives would turn out like this. Not that I'm complaining, of course. Thank you, Albert.
[He's not sure what part of this he's thanking Wesker for. Telling him about all of this? Trusting him with it? Just letting him cling for awhile as he sorts himself out? All of that, probably.]
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His immediate response is to want to say that Jaeger deserves it, but he bites it back; it's striking him a bit too roughly for the time being, saying what people do and don't deserve, and it sort of begs the question of whether he thinks in those terms because of his past life's fixation on judgement. It's not something he wants to think about for too long right now, though it's going to bother him later.
For now, though...for now he just shifts slightly, nuzzling up a little before he settles; he's not really a physically affectionate person and it shows, but he's doing what he can for the time being.]
...You don't have to thank me for any of this. I did tell you that I'll do what I can for you.
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Ja, I know. And you do a very good job of that! I'm so thankful I've had the opportunity to get to know you so well.
[Even though all of this mess with Retrospec is horrible... he can't say he completely hates it. It did bring him closer to Wesker, after all.]
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It almost makes the entire experience worthwhile, doesn't it.
[As much as he'd prefer to not have all of these damn memories in his head, he can't deny that this much is good.]
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[This much is absolutely good; he can't imagine what his life would be like without Wesker in it, after all.]
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Just give him a moment; he's overstimulated in a way that he usually isn't.]
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I'm so glad I've had the opportunity to get to know you, Albert. I don't know if I can ever express just how much that means to me.
[The words are still sort of muffled, but he sounds happy.]
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...It means a lot to me, hearing that. Thank you.
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[He sounds pleased though, and he's comfortable right where he is. Wesker's not the only one vibrating a bit; Jaeger's not shaking, exactly, but he's obviously worked up in a good way. This is really nice. He doesn't want to move ever.]
Not that I'll complain, though~
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[He'll remain where he is for a moment longer before pulling away, however; he doesn't pull his hands away entirely, he's maintaining some degree of contact, just not as extensively as it has been for the past while.]
...Things are...better, I suppose, now that we've done that.
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I'm glad to hear that. I do want to help, after all! It's a bit difficult to know what to do or say to something like that, though.
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I know it scares you, hearing about things like that. I tell you these things because you deserve to know; I'm not looking for you to do anything.
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Even with what we've found out regarding how these things relate to us, it still feels like there's some sense of distance there a fair amount of the time. And even when there isn't...
[He sort of...stops there, however, rather than continuing; it's not that he doesn't know how to explain the way things are, but rather that it hits him that he can't exactly say it without sounding completely insane.
He shakes his head after a moment; god...]
...Either way, it's not always something I can talk about right away, but if it's worth discussing I can manage it.
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[He's also glad Wesker was able to talk about it eventually, even if Jaeger really didn't want to hear that. It's in his best interest to know, that much they both agree on.]
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[Just...let him pause for a moment before he says anything further.]
If there ever comes a point where you consider this to not be worth it - if it's too much to handle, or it becomes nothing more than an obligation to you... If you ever decide that you don't want to continue with things as they are, then I understand. You do know that, don't you?
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Then he catches himself, shakes his head, and tries again.]
...I understand. Really, I do. But that isn't something I ever want to happen and I hope it never does. You're very important to me, Albert; I wouldn't want to ever think that it wouldn't be worth it.
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He notices the shift, and he doesn't really seem to know what he should think of it; he does appreciate it, however, and so he lets it go without comment or trying to draw attention to it.]
...I just ask that you tell me, should things reach that point. Which is likely an unfair thing to ask of you, and for that much I do apologize, but it's something that I would prefer to know straight-out.
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[He's been trying to get better about running from his problems or putting on a mask and hiding everything, but he sincerely hopes that this never reaches a point where he can't handle it anymore. He's not sure what he'd do then. This is a promise he intends to keep though, if it ever comes to that.]
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[...]
I'm not trying to discourage you from staying near me, because that's far from the case. I like things the way that they are; you're important to me, and I don't want to lose you to anything. It's just something that concerns me from time to time, I suppose.
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