A little Reason would have been a huge help just then, Declan struggling to cobble his thoughts together and make any measure of sense as to why the poorly worded propositions weren't enticing him, hardly noticing the slips. Sure, he probably would have liked some kind of intimacy, he supposed. He was a gentle man at heart and when not threatened or in battle, he wouldn't get rough in any way, so it wasn't as though he was afraid he'd physically hurt Aoba. It was...more complicated than that.

"Until I hear it from both of you, I won't even think about it," Declan finally stated, shaking his head and gazing down at the valley.

"I'm...grateful that any part of Aoba would consider me; there are many people better suited, and I'm sure back home there's probably someone waiting even if you don't notice. But I won't do anything to you. It's one body with two different opinions. Until you're in agreement I can't, in good conscience, even consider such things. I'm...not a good choice, anyways. For anyone." He only had the vaguest ideas, anyways, and the more he talked about it, the more his mind seemed determined to push it well out of reach, recoiling from the possibility.

Hugs and kisses, maybe? To him, touching Aoba was thrilling enough. What else did Desire want? Why was he protesting if he didn't even know what the man was asking? Was it fair to say no to him when he was part of Aoba? Wouldn't he have said yes otherwise? That thought had him staring hard at the distant ground, his distress clear on his face when he looked up, trying to convey in silence just how lost he was.

How had they gotten here?

"Is there a compromise?"