[ Why does it still feel like they're talking about completely different things here? Except he's still not entirely sure what answer Claude is looking for. So he just huffs out a breath and spreads his hands in a helpless shrug. ]

I don't know what answer you're looking for here, Claude. Yes, I know what I want. I want you. I want us. What we've been doing. What we'll continue doing - I hope. At least as long as you're interested in putting up with me, anyway.

[ He bites the inside of his cheek the moment those words slip out. Shit. Too much. Way too much. Should have aborted earlier. ]

Beyond that... I've no fucking clue where it's supposed to go from there, Claude. You've officially reached the end of my experience, and outlasted all your predecessors by about a hundred times over, to boot. I'm officially forging ahead blind here. Basically, my plan was to enjoy this for as long as it lasted. Should that not be my plan here?

[ It had seemed like a pretty smart plan, at the time. At least until he realized what a disaster it was gonna be when all this exploded in his face.

Which was looming alarmingly closer every time he opened his mouth, he feared. ]