[He doesn't pull back from the hug; not yet. This kind of thing is easier to admit, sometimes, when you're not looking directly at a person.]
I understand.
There are people I'm afraid for, too.
[It's hard, not going looking for them. The idea is tempting -- go find Gillian and Eliot and Thorir and protect them, keep them together, keep them safe. But Aaron has chosen not to -- has chosen to stay where he can help more people, even knowing that the people he cares about might soon be unfindable. It weighs down his heart.]
no subject
I understand.
There are people I'm afraid for, too.
[It's hard, not going looking for them. The idea is tempting -- go find Gillian and Eliot and Thorir and protect them, keep them together, keep them safe. But Aaron has chosen not to -- has chosen to stay where he can help more people, even knowing that the people he cares about might soon be unfindable. It weighs down his heart.]