Malba may be oblivious—okay so he was definitely oblivious—but he didn’t quite fail to notice the way Zelos shivered at his touch or the nervous laugh either one. He considered himself pretty goddamned well-versed in the complex unwritten language of Zelos Wilder, but there were still times when he found himself at a bit of a loss. Especially at the moment. Thinking was hard enough, that whole not firing on all cylinders or whatever a real bitch and all, but he... Was he being too clingy, too needy? Probably, but then again, Malba was more than a little afraid to ask.
“Yeah? Stray, huh,” he murmured after a short pause, fighting to keep himself focused on Zelos’ actual words. “Pretty sure I actually got the better end of the deal, brat,” Malba softly admitted.