The effect is immediate: John melts under the gentle movement of Serph's thumb. All the tension drops at once from his shoulders.

It jolts up again full force at the question.

"I'm sorry as well." He stumbles over the apology, fixes Serph with a pained look. "It was... freeing, I suppose. To fall back into old ways. But— I mean, we can be better than that. Both of us." Jack had entirely the wrong idea, he's sure, when he suggested they'd want to do it again. "I don't blame you, Serph. We weren't thinking straight."