"I'm sorry, I-I'm sorry…" Joey whispered, struggling to pull himself together. He drew in a few harsh, wavering breaths, really not wanting to cry in front of Sol in addition to already having worried him. "I-I just— feel like— y-you probably think I'm annoying or weird…"
@Skylark // Private Roleplay
“You are nothing of the sort,” Sol murmured, holding Joey closer. “You are a person with feelings and limits just like anyone else.” He pulled back a bit to look into Joey’s eyes, cupping his face gently. “Estello, I promise you, there is no annoyance or judgment in my heart towards you.”
Joey looked up at Sol meekly, his eyes shining with tears. "B-But there's something wrong with me…" He whispered. "I'm wrong. It's all wrong, but… but I…" He paused, not entirely sure where the sentence was going. It makes me feel… good. "I don't know what good is anymore…"
“Oh, Joey,” Sol said softly, gently wiping away a few stray tears. “You are not wrong. This does not define you. As for what good is, you are good. We all need help sometimes. I can’t tell you how many times my sister has seen me have a panic attack, she does not think less of me for it Nor do I think any less of you.”
Joey buried his face in Sol's shoulder again, still shaking in the other's arms. "But I… c-can't… I can't do it…" He whispered shakily, coughing a bit. "I-I can't do this to you… I can't expect you to take on my problems. That's cruel of me."
“Joey, sweetheart, you’re not forcing anything on me,” Sol said, holding the small angel tight and rubbing small circles on his back. “I want this, to be here for you and to help you. I am choosing this, choosing you, right now.”
"B-But we just met… why do you want me?" He asked weakly, his voice a bit muffled from hiding his face. "Taking care of me is dreadful work… I wouldn't want to thrust that upon you, Sol. You deserve better than that…"
“Joey, I am over five centuries old, I have faced armies and monsters and my own demons. Taking care of you, someone I care about, would be my joy and honor. You are not thrusting anything on me, I told you that I choose this. As for why,” Sol paused. “When I walked into the bookshop, your smile lit the room. Your enthusiasm for what you love is endearing, you are considerate and sweet, and I have immensely enjoyed spending the last day with you, and hope to spend more time with you.”
Joey hiccuped and looked up at Sol again, a couple of tears rolling down his pale cheeks as he clung tighter to him. "I-I…" He flushed a bit and buried his face back in Sol's shoulder, trembling a bit more. "I don't know what to say… no one… n-no one has really bothered with me before." He hiccuped again, wrapping his wings tightly around his frail firm. "I'm just the guy who works at the bookshop… t-they don't care about me. Why do you care…?"
Sol wrapped his wings around Joey. “Why wouldn’t I care?” he asked softly, carefully stroking Joey’s wing like he had before. “You are more than you see, Joey. What do I have to do to convince you that you are worth so much?”
"I-I just… we hardly even know each other and you already want to do so much for me… I don't know why you think I'm worth it. I haven't really done anything to deserve it…" Joey relaxed a bit into the touch, but shivered, obviously unused to it.
“You have been yourself,” Sol said, continuing to stroke the angel’s wings. “And you are lovely. I have been told I can move too fast, so if you are uncomfortable with anything, please tell me.”
"I'm not lovely… I'm the worst…" Joey mumbled. "I'm weak and fragile and anxious and… and broken and wrong…" His breathing hitched and he started shaking a bit harder. "I-I appreciate you wanting to help, honestly, and I'm very grateful that you're willing, I just… I don't see what you see in me."
“You are not broken or wrong, Joey,” Sol said softly, but firmly. “You are fighting your own battle, and you are brave to do so.” He turned his face to press a kiss to the angel’s head. “I’ll help you see it, okay? See that you are good and absolutely worth it.”
Joey hiccuped again and clung tighter to Sol, not entirely sure how to react to this. "I-I… thank… t-thank you…" He stammered. "Even if I don't know why you're willing to help me, I… thank you anyway…"
Sol wrapped his arms around Joey’s thin frame and held him close. “Of course, estello. I would not be who and where I am today if my sister had not seen my battle and been there for me,” he said. “I won’t leave you to fight alone.”
Joey nodded weakly, wrapping his wings more tightly around himself as Sol hugged him. "O-Okay…" He whispered. "If that's what you want to do, I can't… I can't stop you. I won't stop you."
“I will be here for you,” Sol said softly. “But everything is up to you. If I push too much, tell me, okay?”
"Okay…" Joey huddled closer, seeming a bit drained from crying. "M'sorry…" He mumbled weakly.
“You have nothing to apologize for,” Sol murmured, stroking Joey’s wing. “It’s okay, Joey, I promise.”
"Mmm…" He relaxed a bit more into the petting, but still seemed uneasy. "This is a lot to put on you a day after we met…"
“I have been told that for an immortal I can take things rather quickly,” Sol said. “But know that it is not too much, I am happy to be here for you and get to know you better.”
Joey nodded weakly. "I-I guess we should probably try and get to know each other a bit more then, yeah?" He laughed dryly and sat up, rubbing at his teary eyes with one fist. His cheeks, eyes, and nose were all blotched with pink, which made the blue of his eyes more prominent.
Sol gently wiped away a couple of stray tears from Joey’s cheeks. “That’s a good idea,” he replied, gazing back at Joey’s bright blue eyes. “What would you like to know?”
"I-I dunno… um…" Joey was quiet for a moment. "Are you an angel too?" He asked curiously. "I mean, I've never seen an angel without white wings, but… there's exceptions to everything."
“No, I’m not an angel,” Sol answered with a smile. “I am fey. There are different kinds of fey, and my people have wings. Most of us have brown wings, a few have grey or black wings.”
"Ohhh… interesting." Joey examined Sol's wings, hesitating before gently reaching out to touch them. "My wings are really sensitive to touch. Are yours the same?"
Sol shivered slightly at the gentle touch. “Ah, yes, they certainly are,” he replied. “Physical affection towards our wings is common, but only between family and friends. If a stranger or enemy were to touch my wings, it would be considered a challenge.”
Joey nodded a bit and pulled his hand away, huddling up against Sol's chest again. "Physical interaction other than like, shaking hands or something isn't particularly common amongst angels. It's so stiff up there…"
“Stars, I would hate that,” Sol said, cradling Joey close. “My people are very physical affectionate, even outside our wings. My sister loved tackling me when we were fledgelings.”