Ford wasn't crying, but he felt as though he could have been. He sniffled as Cash put his arms around him. This felt like a departure from their typical dynamic, but it was what Ford needed — he didn't have the presence of mind to be the stronger one at the moment. He shuffled on the floor slightly so that he could better fit under Cash's arm and leaned his head against the other man's chest. He took a deep breath and tried, without much success, to quell the rising tide of loneliness inside him.

"It's not fair," he said, although he knew that didn't matter.

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