[He does look at her, does see it, because her words make him withdraw enough to watch her face. It's a somewhat urgent motion, like he's all to ready to protest what she's saying, but he doesn't actually say anything. Not at first. He just watches her and feels it all slowly coming, her pain about the situation magnifying his own, his eyes stinging ...]
[Heather had told him precisely that once before. AJ and Rainbow Dash had been adamant about similar things. And now when Carmen is telling him, it strikes him in a way that makes his breath catch and he has to swallow something down to find it again.]
[He remembers what he told AJ, back then: It's the only way I know how.]
[Yet ...]
[It's almost with a shiver that he leans forward again, this time like a slow fall with his forehead coming to rest lightly against hers, and he closes his eyes, feels her fingers still in his hair.]
It's still happening.
[He whispers it back. It doesn't matter what he deserves or not. It's still something he has to deal with.]
action;
[Heather had told him precisely that once before. AJ and Rainbow Dash had been adamant about similar things. And now when Carmen is telling him, it strikes him in a way that makes his breath catch and he has to swallow something down to find it again.]
[He remembers what he told AJ, back then: It's the only way I know how.]
[Yet ...]
[It's almost with a shiver that he leans forward again, this time like a slow fall with his forehead coming to rest lightly against hers, and he closes his eyes, feels her fingers still in his hair.]
It's still happening.
[He whispers it back. It doesn't matter what he deserves or not. It's still something he has to deal with.]