His hands fold together on the bartop, clawed fingers intertwined. He ducks his head slightly, avoiding eye contact. Damn it all.

What does he even do with this knowledge? That searing warmth, that blinding light...

"You're so..."

Stupid? Sentimental? Why is it that now, of all times, words fail him? It's so humiliating.

"...If I wake up, will you actually remain here? You vanished not long after our first encounter."

More deflection, but it's the best way to cope with such an overload of... feelings.