John'd had a lot of time to think about things while Bobby had been away. He'd had little time for anything else. So it was with a certain measured regard of his own that he returned to his boyfriend's side, looking him up and down with eyes that knew him better than he used to. He had known that Bobby was damaged, knew it from the day Bobby had taken a step inside his house, but he'd figured he deserved it, no less, that damage was the only thing that made this thing work.

Now all the cracks were revealed, and John had found that they couldn't paper them over again. He didn't even want to. So he took a sip of his black drink, and hooked a finger into one of Bobby's belt-loops to draw him close for a soft kiss. "...You look ridiculous," he murmured. "Just the way I like you."