Noble bit his lip. He was trying to stop himself from blurting anything out, which was — unlike him, but this was so weird. He also felt a flash of something like irritation and shoved it down — Ford didn't need him being irritated at him, because he was already having a time and already seemed on the verge of collapsing, and Noble didn't want to make it any worse. (He couldn't make it any better if Ford wasn't going to let him in, either, so — maybe that was why he was annoyed.) "You're being — really fucking weird, Ford," Noble said, because that was the most neutral thing he could think of.

He felt a little guilty about it all the same, but — at least Noble wasn't Verity, or their mother.

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