[Liem doesn’t look back at Matt until he speaks again—until he’s confident that his unfairly-inviting look has shifted into something less dangerous. He slows his breathing in an effort to combat the eager thudding of his heart. When he meets his eyes again, his expression is slightly sheepish.
Though his look both softens and steadies when Matt offers him his cloth-wrapped arm.]
Oh… Please do.
[Even with the invitation, he hesitates at first to touch it. The offer can’t erase his suspicion that he’ll inadvertently make the limb feel worse, regardless of his best intentions. For a moment he just looks, using his eyes to map the way muscle and bone terminates abruptly at the site of his missing hand.
But he does reach for the arm then, his fingers alighting first over Matt’s elbow, and skimming slowly along skin and then black cloth as he moves down his wrist. He stops before he reaches the stump itself, instead pausing his fingertips as gently as moths’ wings on the bandaged section just before his wrist bone. And he looks back down to meet his eyes.]
no subject
Though his look both softens and steadies when Matt offers him his cloth-wrapped arm.]
Oh… Please do.
[Even with the invitation, he hesitates at first to touch it. The offer can’t erase his suspicion that he’ll inadvertently make the limb feel worse, regardless of his best intentions. For a moment he just looks, using his eyes to map the way muscle and bone terminates abruptly at the site of his missing hand.
But he does reach for the arm then, his fingers alighting first over Matt’s elbow, and skimming slowly along skin and then black cloth as he moves down his wrist. He stops before he reaches the stump itself, instead pausing his fingertips as gently as moths’ wings on the bandaged section just before his wrist bone. And he looks back down to meet his eyes.]
How’s this?