Work Text:
"I think that I used to be a different man," Jack sighs softly, laying down beside the other man. "I can hardly remember who I used to be. Before he - no, I, took over..."
"You feel like a seperate person, yes?" Antonio speaks softly, a lock of his hair curling around Jack's finger.
"I think so, yes. But I'm not 'him'. I'm not... the bad child, but I am not the good child anymore either. I think I am... both, perhaps." Jack feels nervous, a tight feeling in his chest, though it's slightly relieved when he feels the other's touch.
"Perhaps I think much too hard about who I am, because I hate myself."
A few moments of silence.
"I understand." Antonio stares up at the ceiling, taking a deep breath. "I'm not much like how I was before I gave my soul to them. I know your situation is different, but maybe it will bring you comfort knowing I feel a similar way."
"...It does. I feel as if only you can understand me." Jack closes his eyes.
"I feel the same. I think that it was no accident, that we've become so close."
A warm tingly feeling creeps across Jack's face. A soft, gentle feeling he can hardly recognize. Vulnerable feelings. Things that remind him he's still a human under everything. Still a human under the monstrous form he'd taken on.
He gently grabs the other man's hand.
"You... make me feel human." Jack speaks quietly, embarrassed to admit such soft things.
Antonio chuckles softly.
"You never stop being human, you know. You're still you, no matter what happens. And I like you. It doesn't matter who you are, to me." He strokes Jack's hand with his thumb, drawing circles.
