The giddiness–which was something he hadn’t felt many times since his adolescent years–was laced with a tincture of shame and embarrassment…because the older man shouldn’t have had to come here to bail them out in the first place, and yet, here he was…with his back to them as Angeal stood just beyond the threshold. Was the prospect of seeing Valentine, after what seemed to be a really long time, what had brought this on? Had he been missing his former comrade’s potential biological father? The circumstances were rather unfortunate, but Angeal had to acknowledge that the fact that he was going to see him at all–whereas he’d resigned himself to going back to the Eastern Continent without catching one glimpse of the crimson-eyed ex-Turk–was very welcome something he hadn’t realized how much he’d been looking forward to until now. The feeling that suddenly bloomed within his chest took him by surprise then, just as he was about to turn toward the door, and his heart was somehow hammering against his ribcage and skipping a beat at the same time.