Jesse. Just be straight with me, as always: are you tired of being in this story? Are you tired of being used and jerked around? [ He shakes his head again. ] I won't do that to you anymore. I can't.

[ He'd be all right with either of those things. Leaning against each other, lying down together, it's all things he wants, and he doesn't hesitate to press himself against her just a little. He knows his clothes are soaked and that can't feel good to have resting against her, but he's seeking closeness and comfort from having her next to him.

A low sigh escapes him as her hands move further into his hair, feeling her grab onto the locks that have grown somehow even though time in the Dark Place doesn't move the way people think it does. As for her feelings towards him, even if words fail to describe it all, he knows without a doubt that she loves him. Even though he wonders if she's had enough of him jerking her around, he's never doubted that she loves him.

If only they could have this forever... no forced separations, no hellish stories, nothing that gets in between them. They could just be themselves, forever.

When they part for air and she breathes against his lips, he returns the gesture, whispering her name against her mouth as he raises a hand to twine into her red locks. ]