Ford's face lit up at the unexpected assurance that it was mutual. He bounced on the balls of his feet for a second, and had the urge (which of course he quashed down to nothing more than a pleasant buzz in the pit of his stomach) to lean in and kiss Ty just at the corner of his mouth, in the place where his smile always started. Since he hadn't planned to say that bit about Tycho making him feel safe, Ford had had no expectations when it came to his friend's reaction; probably the most likely response would be for Ty to just brush past the comment and move on. Which might have been what he was doing, since he was talking about the patio now, but — well, if he'd meant it, that didn't fit the narrative Ford had composed about the two of them in his head. And Tycho had sounded as though he meant it.

This thought continued to hum through the back of his mind as he finished off the rest of his drink and followed Ty outside, where Ford slipped his mask off to better breathe in the cool garden air. "Your mask makes your eyes look nice," he commented. "The contrast, I think. They look brighter." He glanced around to see whether anyone was within earshot, and when he noticed that no one was, added: "You're very beautiful."

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