[The unexpected intimacy of Ajax's touch, the way his hands cup Zhongli's cheeks and coax a smile from his lips, has him start soft, but easily melted away. The sincerity in Ajax's eyes, the unbridled joy and eagerness to please brushes away any lingering guilt. Zhongli finds himself leaning into the touch in the same way Ajax had leaned into his own fingers in his hair, his hands coming up to gently cradle Ajax's, his thumb brushing over the younger man's knuckles and he titters something low and subtle, amused.]

Bad habits, I'm afraid, [he says softly, his smile bashful but genuine as he admits this.] People keep telling me I have an obsession with fairness.

I can dry it and make it a bookmark, too. [His eyes lift again to meet Ajax's, warm and filled with a newfound sense of ease. The younger man's presence is a balm, soothing the weight of responsibility and the turmoil of the past week. Of any implication of their encounter. To have someone so generously offer him things, somehow that slips under his skin to warm him.] I appreciate your kindness. It means more to me than you know.