[ Oh. That was something else, wasn't it? She liked that? Had she not been aware enough to see how much he'd struggled to make sure that he was doing the right thing?

Or had he really not shown it outwardly because he'd been so focused on making sure that she was safe? Somehow the fact that she'd liked that part of him, that resilience, it was enough to make his heart flutter just a little. He let his hand slip down a little farther on her back, fingers tracing over the spot where her wings met her back and then back over some of those scars. ]

You don't make me nervous, I make me nervous...

[ Idle thoughts out loud, said as he closed his eyes and sank back just a little. ]

...I'm not used to this kind of thing, you know? The last few months have been...well...

[ There it was, another round of stilted laughter. ]

...I probably could have made time for things like this back home, but I never really did, you know? So just now I had a thought that I could kiss you, but I wasn't really sure it was the right thing to do. Does that make sense?

[ Christ. ]

The more I talk, the more stupid it sounds, I think.