It was like the sun rose over the mountain and cast the ice out of the valley, the way Declan's posture and expression warmed, chest swelling up visibly as he inhaled and gazed at Aoba. His eyes shone brightly even when he tried to suppress a too-big smile. The one word he was hoping to hear was hanging out to dry and nothing else really mattered. They never had to do anything more than love each other and Declan could be content. Still...Aoba sounded like he wanted to try, but was just...what? Afraid? Inexperienced?

"I don't know if I'd be any good at anything either. I know I can be a good man to you, though. I can take care of you...where you'll let me. Where it doesn't interfere with what you want." Because his own wants and desires were so few and small in comparison, Declan didn't care a whit about prioritizing Aoba. He preferred it, really.

"But, hm, I'm always willing to...explore. We both need time to understand ourselves here, I suppose. There are some things that hurt my heart to imagine--and others that please me greatly, but I don't understand any of it. We don't need to rush. You...you promised you'd come back."