Base

Philip watched the news for a few more minutes and upon determining that there wouldn't be much in the way of anything important happening, he stood. So much for having something to do today. Stretching, he wandered towards the refrigerator, opening the door and staring at its contents for a while. Stood there numbly, he looked as if he'd fallen asleep on his feet, an assumption not terribly far from the truth. With a sigh, the Canadian grabbed a diet Coke and let the refrigerator door close on its own. Philip didn't move from his position in front of the fridge, however, and simply stared at the stainless steel with a blank expression on his otherwise tired-looking face.

Philip's head turned towards the source of Jack's voice after processing the sound for a couple moments. He nodded and let out a small sigh, making his way over to the chair next to his teammate's. Jack looked horrible. The dark circles under his eyes and his messy hair gave away the fact that he'd pulled at least one all-nighter. Maybe two. Philip got up to retrieve his notebook and pen from the countertop, writing, You don't look too great yourself, y'know. The Canadian poked Jack's hand gently with the other end of the pen, giving him and his laptop a chiding look. How long have you been up?

The Canadian huffed. Of course. He knew Jack often stayed up late to finish homework or a project he'd gotten obsessed with, but it worried him when he took it this far. God knows how many hours he's spent typing away at his keyboard in the middle of the night. The tip of Philip's pen hovered over the paper for a moment as he eyed Jack up and down critically. You need sleep, he wrote simply. Have you eaten recently? he added in cautious script. The concern had surfaced in the mute's mind almost as an afterthought, but his suspicion grew the more he contemplated it. It was certainly likely Jack had forgotten to eat, given his proneness to focusing all of his attention on a project and nothing else.

Just as he'd suspected. With that, Philip made his way to a cabinet and pulled out a frying pan. Taking eggs and vegetables from the fridge, he worked quickly. Within ten minutes, he'd turned off the stove and slid a plate covered nearly entirely by an omelette towards Jack. He looked at the dish pointedly as he sat down and popped open his can of soda. Philip could've made something nicer and perhaps a bit more substantial, but he'd rather Jack ate now than in an hour or two.

Philip smiled back at him, answering Jack's question with a shrug. After a moment's consideration, he pushed the laptop away gently, tilting the screen down a bit. Now that the main distraction was out of the way... He gestured at the plate of food and wrote simply, Don't let it get cold.

Philip's faint smile grew into a grin as soon as he saw Jack's hand signing the first word. Most of the emotion that washed over him was relief. Relief in that he wouldn't have to write everything out, at least not most of the time. Relief in that conversations with his best friend could flow smoothly now, without having to waste time with a pen and paper. A different, warm feeling ached in the Canadian's chest, touched that Jack would go to the trouble of learning to sign. You've been practicing in secret? his hands asked. If it's hard for you, you don't have to sign yourself.

Quick hypothetical question:

Which sounds more aesthetically pleasing?: Phack or Jhil?

(Jhil)

Jack grinned, a warm feeling in the pit of his stomach. Phil was tearing up with how happy he was, and Jack was suddenly overtaken with a brief and ridiculous daydream in which he reached over the table and grabbed the other's hand. Shaking off the thought, he lowered his head instead, hiding his smile and matching dimples. "It's the least I can do to make you more comfortable."

Jack stiffened at the contact of Philip's skin and shirt over the stump of his arm, but after a moment, returned the embrace, dipping his head into the Canadian's shoulder. He was huge and warm, and reminded Jack somewhat of a grizzly bear-- if grizzly bears teared up at such a small gesture and were much more touchy-feely than Jack had ever expected from his first impression of the guy.