[They mostly made the trek back home in silence, which suited Manolo just fine. He needed time to sort through his feelings, and he suspected Joaquin could use some time to cool down after such a stressful night.
It doesn't take long for him to figure out Joaquin is putting off the inevitable by staying holed up in his room. And though he considers just letting him sleep it off, Manolo knows they need to clear the air between them as soon as possible. Because it wasn't a matter of if another crisis would erupt, but when. And when that time came, Manolo didn't want to become a hindrance to Joaquin, nor did he want to just cower behind some table like a dog. There had to be some kind of balance here...
Of course, he feels guilty bringing up anything about balance when it was Manolo himself who made the choices that pushed Joaquin into this state. He doesn't regret shoving Joaquin out of the bell's way, he never will, but he's starting to realize how cruel it must have felt to Joaquin and Maria to see him die again so soon after welcoming him back.
In the end, though, he finds himself knocking on Joaquin's door and, when he doesn't get an answer, he quietly lets himself in. Leaning against the wall by the bathroom door, he idly strums a few soft chords to signal his presence without having to say a word.]
no subject
It doesn't take long for him to figure out Joaquin is putting off the inevitable by staying holed up in his room. And though he considers just letting him sleep it off, Manolo knows they need to clear the air between them as soon as possible. Because it wasn't a matter of if another crisis would erupt, but when. And when that time came, Manolo didn't want to become a hindrance to Joaquin, nor did he want to just cower behind some table like a dog. There had to be some kind of balance here...
Of course, he feels guilty bringing up anything about balance when it was Manolo himself who made the choices that pushed Joaquin into this state. He doesn't regret shoving Joaquin out of the bell's way, he never will, but he's starting to realize how cruel it must have felt to Joaquin and Maria to see him die again so soon after welcoming him back.
In the end, though, he finds himself knocking on Joaquin's door and, when he doesn't get an answer, he quietly lets himself in. Leaning against the wall by the bathroom door, he idly strums a few soft chords to signal his presence without having to say a word.]