As Nee reached out to lay a hand gently on his thigh, Basil felt himself both relax and light on fire a little bit. On the one hand the touch was extremely comforting; it meant that they were still doing alright and that, at the end of the day, they were still friends just as they had been before any of this had begun. On the other hand, it also burnt Basil much the way that kiss had with an overwhelming sensation of…newness he wasn’t sure he’d adequately explored. He quickly brought his own hand to cover Nee’s and maybe hold it in place, lest it decide to go anywhere.

Sitting up straight as the other agreed they should give it another go, Basil nodded his head. “Maybe you try this time,” he whispered. He still needed a minute to recollect his own wits.

---