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Pao
It was a snuggly walk the rest of the way, which was nice and helped take his mind off of the whole display thing and just pulled his focus back on just spending the night with her.

Once back at the apartment he set all of his stuff down and started pulling his layers off in the bedroom. By the time he was in the bathroom he was down to just his jeans, and he smiled over at her as he finished getting undressed.

"Honestly missed having a tub around," he chuckled as he slipped into the water, immediately feeling his muscles start to relax as soon as he was fully in.

Aria
She gave him an admiring glance as he walked in the door, watching him getting his clothes off. She might not risk touching him below the belt for now, but she could admire the view. Once he was in the water, though, she just walked to the edge of the tub for a moment, hands resting on the edge.

"I did too, babe. It was nice to be able to just relax at the end of the day." She smiled down at him, gave him a small kiss, then slipped into the water to join him, resting against him with a soft sigh of relaxation. They had done a lot of walking today, and the bottoms of her feet definitely were appreciating the heat and the soaking.

"Mmmm tomorrow, let's do a half day of touring... It occured to me there's something I need to get while we're in a town with actual shops."

Pao
Again from his seat in the tub he admired her as she got undressed and lingered by the edge, an adoring smile on his face. He leaned up into the kiss, a very relaxed 'mmm' slipping from his lips until she pulled away. And then she joined him and he pulled her close, nuzzling into her shoulder again once she settled against him.

"Sounds good, was also curious what the tourist shops have to offer." He kissed her shoulder, glancing down at their bodies in the water. "So where didya want that massage? Feet and legs? ...And back?"

Aria
She mmmm'd softly at his nuzzling, her hands sliding to hold his. Her eyes were closed, and her body was relaxed and comfortable. These times in the tub with him were some of her favorite times, warm and safe and close to him.

"Mmm yeah souvenirs and stuff are good too, but I was thinking of some necessities, too." She murmured, her head tilting to rest against his. "And... Like I said at dinner. What you think you can handle, do the same for me..." She sounded a little far off, but it was the kind of far that came from being totally comfortable

Pao
He loved these times, too, just their perfect private time that no one could interrupt. And her being there helped to relax him as much as the water did.

"Necessities," he murmured back, tilting his head to lean against hers a bit as well. "Those are good, too." He squeezed her hands gently, considering her reponse to his other question. "I feel like we could both use a foot and leg massage," he replied slowly, "so...let's try that?" The lower body aspect of it worried him, but if he couldn't he trusted she would stop. And the point was to test, so...

Aria
She nodded softly, her fingers caressing his in the squeeze. "All right... But tell me if it gets too much, babe. Don't... try to play strong on this one?" She turned her head enough that she could look him in the eye. "I trust you to tell me, and I don't want to risk pushing you too far, love." She worried, honestly worried, about hurting him. She knew what was going on now, and if he panicked... She'd be upset, but she wouldn't let it stop them.

It was him getting hurt, and having to go through all of that again, that was her concern.

Pao
Rhys sighed, burying his face into her shoulder at her words. It was a strange challenge, a frustrating challenge in fact, but one he well understood could not be rushed regardless of how bad they both wanted to get past it.

"I won't," he said once he looked up again to meet her eyes, nerves and determination and a touch of sadness swimming in his gaze. "And I'll let you know if I start getting antsy...and I really ******** love you, Seren Yong..."

Aria
She smiled softly as when he buried his face into her shoulder, and leaned a little to kiss him on his hair, her eyes gentle with understanding. He was so good at keeping that facade of cool, appearing fairly chill at all time, and letting it down on an issue as difficult as this would be hard. But she knew he could do it. He was strong enough to live through that, he was strong enough to do what he needed to do to get past it.

When he met her gaze again, she just looked back as she listened, with her own gaze full of support, belief in him, the understanding still, and that love she felt for him shining right back. His words made her smile a little brighter, and she nods. "I really ******** love you too, Rhys Donovan."

Pao
He smirked when her expression brightened and she echoed his phrasing, and then he leaned in for a sweet and very lingering kiss, his arms wrapping around her a bit tighter. He put his heart and his everything into that kiss, her response just...he'd heard her say those words to him quite a number of times already but it still floored him whenever she said it.

Aria
She arched a brow at the smirk, just before his lips met hers. She made a soft mmm! sound into the kiss, her eyes closing as she let herself just feel the emotions he was trying to share with it. She let the kiss go on for a bit, then broke it before it became too much, because it felt so good, and almost too good. She took a few, steadying breaths, and smiled at him with love in her eyes. "Mmmm, I like that it's not freezing cold here... the water wont get chilly as fast."

Pao
When she broke the kiss he smiled, taking slow, steadying breaths as well, just quietly returning her smile with a loving one of his own. "Yeah, still wouldn't wanna prune, especially not before a massage."

So he said, but he made no effort to move at all.

Aria
"Mmm we have some time." She wasn't really that worried about pruning, normally, but the massage part definitely was a factor. Still, she was in no rush to move either. She closed her eyes again, snuggling against him, and just relaxed. It was a good several minutes before she sighed, and, blindly, reached for the soap. "As much as I don't want to move... I think we should get clean, and dry." She murmured.

Pao
Rhys was glad to kill some minutes just cuddled up as they were in the water, especially since its temperature wasn't quickly dropping like the water in Siberia, but when she eventually moved he did as well. He grabbed the shampoo though, chuckling. "Clean and dry sounds like a great plan. Then massage time..."

Which got him moving at least a little faster. It was still minutes before he finished and got out of the water, grabbing a towel and starting to dry off.

Aria
He was done first, as it was a hair day for her, so while he was toweling off, she was working the conditioner through her hair. It was another couple minutes of setting before she rinsed it, and slowly stood, carefully twisting as much water as she could out of her hair before she wrapped it in a classic towel turban, then stepped out to dry off.

"D'ya think they have a blow dryer in here, babe?" She asked, thinking it would help her get her hair dry a little faster.

Pao
He was mostly dry when she asked, so after wrapping the towel securely around his waist he walked to the sink and looked through the various cabinets, eventually producing a blow dryer.

"Yep, lucky," he grinned and set it down a safe enough distance from the sink. "Need anything else?"

Aria
"Mmm got my comb, so that should be fine." She finished toweling off, and tied it around her like a tiny dress, then went over and plugged the dryer in, and got started. It took a number of minutes, and she hoped she wasn't boring Rhys while she worked on her hair, combing though it carefully, holding the blow dryer far enough from her hair that it wouldn't get frizzled.

Finally, though, it was dry and neat, and she braided it to get it out of the way. She put the dryer away, walked over and kissed his cheek, then headed back to the bedroom, where she paused, pondering whether to just fold the towel out of the way and lay down, or what... Then it occured to her that maybe laying some towels over the sheets was a good idea to prevent the oil from staining anything, so she turned back, grabbed some, and lay them down, before folding the towel down and laying belly down on the bed.

Pao
He didn't get bored, not even close. In fact he sort of just watched her from by the door for a little while, content in just admiring until she was done. The kiss on the cheek was met with a smirk as he followed her out, taking a detour to grab the oil before joining her in the bedroom. He was still in just a towel though, and his hair was wet and slicked back, when he looked up and saw that she was already ready.

"Good idea with the towels, babe," he commented, setting the oil down on the bed before leaving and coming back with a dining chair, which he set at the foot of the bed. Once he was seated he quickly oiled up his hands and got to work on one foot first, gently kneading into the muscle to work out the tension built up from a full day on their feet.

"Lemme know if you want me to go harder or gentler, yeah?" he said in a quiet, rather soothing voice.

Aria
She smiled over her shoulder at him and said "Yeah, don't want the deposit being eaten 'cause we accidentally stained the sheets or something." She settled her head back down, and closed her eyes, taking a slow, deep breath. When his hands touched her foot, her toes wiggled for a moment, and then relaxed again. She clearly was a little ticklish on the bottom of her foot.

Mmmm a little harder, 's less tickly that way I think, for the bottom of my feet, babe?" she murmured in response to his question. She was resting her chin on her hands, just letting the feeling of his fingers sooth her feet, and relax her inside. He was so good at making her relax to begin with, and this was just amazing... He had such clever fingers.

Pao
"Sure," came his reply, and adjusted accordingly. He was smiling, amused because he assumed it was because she was a little ticklish but decided not to comment. Instead he poured his focus into massaging her, one foot first and very thoroughly before moving on to the next.

"Still okay?"

Aria
"Yeah, I'm fine." She said, calmly, though her foot again did the little toe wiggle, something she clearly couldn't completely control. She just lay there on the bed, though, occasionally giving a soft, happy sigh at his massaging fingers. He was just too good at at this, and she was focusing to not fall asleep from how nice it felt.

Pao
He paused when he finished her feet and got some more oil before moving up to start massaging her leg. Just the one first, and his hands moved slowly because this would mark the first time he really touched her below her waist...

Rhys took his time, switching between hard and soft pressure and gauging her reaction each time. He was blushing a bit, actually, because it was quite an up close view...and he couldn't keep his imagination from wandering into its wishful territory.

Aria
When his hands moved to her leg, her eyes opened up again, and she bit her lip, realizing how good his hands felt on her beyond the simple fact of a massage. She finally let out a soft mmmm sound, one of enjoyment but not too much enjoyment.

She had no idea how much he was actually seeing, not having thought about it, let alone that he was blushing. What she did know was he really knew what he was doing, and she wondered how he'd gotten so very good at this. If he wanted to tell her at some point, that was fine. If not, she was ok too. She hoped she'd be half as good as he was, because she knew she wasn't bad but... he was amazing. "You're so good at this, Rhys..." She murmured, her voice showing how relaxed this was making her.

Pao
He didn't fully realize the effect his touch had on her, so whatever sounds she made he mostly assumed was simply because of the massage. And he took it rather seriously despite the various scenarios popping up in and running through his brain.

Her comment got him to smile, and so did her relaxed tone of voice actually, as he paused to add just a little bit more oil before kneading gently into her calf. "Glad you're enjoying it..." he said, "I studied this for a while. Not formally, just articles and online videos. My guinea pigs were gym buddies that needed a good post-workout cooldown stretch and massage."

Aria
She found herself thinking, just for a moment, of a day in the hopefully not to distant future where this could lead to something more then just mutual relaxation, but after a moment of imagining, she put that thought away in her mind, to save for later, for once they had worked things through.

She tilted her head as he began to explain, her eyes focusing a bit again with interest in his words. "Mmmm what made you decide to learn how to do this, though, babe?" She asked, utterly curious now. Had he considered a career as a sports massage therapist, or something? Or was it just he found it interesting and decided to pursue it, as a hobby of sorts? It fascinated her to learn these small details about him.

Pao
"Mm...necessity?" he replied with a chuckle. "After workouts I used to use a roller to massage my sore muscles. Figured there had to be something to gain if I learned how to do it with my hands to help others, so I learned. It's fun in its own way..."

With that he shifted and moved over to the other side so he could start massaging her other leg. "Traded favors for massages. Small things, just never money or anything too personal."

Aria
"Well, you clearly have a skill for it, so you made... Mmmm... The right decision." She smiled a little, and shifted her newly relaxed leg, letting the muscles tell her how good they felt with a smile.

Pao
He smiled, his hands expertly maneuvering along her leg. He kept the pace slow still, enjoying his work and the view that it came with. He worked his way up and down her leg, fighting...urges. When he was done he gently tapped her lower back to get her attention. "Babe, since you're still down did you want a back massage, too?"

Aria
She was lost in thought about how skilled he was, and was controlling any thoughts related to that that went down paths they weren't yet able to take... Though those thoughts kept creeping in, trying to distract her. She managed to keep them under control, despite that.

When he tapped her back, she started to turn, thinking he was saying he was done, but his question made her pause thoughtfully. "Upper back, please? No lower then you'd feel comfortable... I want to return the favor, and since we're already testing one limit, let's not test another?" She gave him a warm smile over her shoulder, however, filled with love and gratitude.

Pao
Testing limits that he knew risked a happy night in bed, just snuggled up with her, but he also knew it would help in the long run. Still, she was right; one limit was enough, so he nodded and oiled up his hands again, relocating the bottle so it was easier to reach from where he would be.

"Try not to think too much," he murmured as he moved to straddle her, though he was careful to stay on his knees so there was no contact between them except along her sides and where his hands would be. In this case, being tall was a very good thing. "Normally I'd have clothes on for this, and it'd be for post workout back stretches, so this is kinda the best way I know to do this to keep everything even..."

With that said, leaning down, he started at her neck, fingers firm yet still gentle as he searched and tried to work out any knots he could find, big or small, gradually making his way down to her shoulders.

Aria
She smiled again at the nod, glad he agreed with her on this issue. No matter how much she wanted him, she refused to let them push him too hard. She loved him too much for that to ever be willing to go that path again.

Her brows rose when he straddled her back, and she took a moment to start breathing again, because trying not to think to much or not, there was a momentary mental flash she had to kick into submission at feeling his warmth over her in _that_way. She thought about his words, and would have nodded if he wasn't working on her neck. Instead, she decided to put on her underwear and pj pants before she returned the favor, because she didn't want to risk anything at all for him. "Mmm, all right babe..." Was what she finally said, however.

He really was amazing at this, though, and she soon felt like a puddle of relaxation under his hands, eyes half closed.

Pao
Most techniques he knew involved starting at the lower back and moving upward, but since that wouldn't be possible here he improvised as best he knew how. He kept the pressure even, motions smooth and steady and stopping just short of her lower back. There was a bit of doubt bubbling up about whether he could still be at ease if her hands dipped that low, but it wasn't so low that the trigger would be a certainty.

Aria
When he stopped, she gave a soft sigh of relaxation, and then turned her head to gaze back at him. "Mmmm that was amazing, babe... Your turn..." She smiled at him, then waited for him to move, since she was effectively pinned unless she wanted to make things really awkward.

Pao
He smiled and nodded, again carefully moving until he was off of her. He slipped his towel off and wandered away to his bag for a second, using it to wipe the oil off of his hands along the way. "Glad you enjoyed it," he said, throwing the towel over his shoulder before digging through his bag and producing underwear, which he slipped into. He realized he probably should have done this right out of the bath, but only after starting the back massage. His thoughts very muvh echoed hers from earlier, hoping that this could eventually be used to lead into more.

He made his way back over to her, leaning down to press a soft kiss to her shoulder. "Feel ready to take on tomorrow?"

Aria
She slowly stretched out once he was off of her, a moment's wistful thought about how nice he'd felt there, that got shoved away quickly, though she did admire the view of him changing into his undies, as she moved to put on her own, and the pj pants she'd packed, and since she was at it, she grabbed her shirt. The kiss to her shoulder caused her to shiver a little, and she pulled the shirt on, before giving him a smile.

"Yes, more then... So go lay down, babe... I want you to feel just as relaxed."

Pao
"Can do," he grinned and carefully got on the bed, lying face down on the towels she'd set up earlier. It was still a little warm and plenty comfortable, so relaxing was an easy thing.

Aria
She smiled and got the oil, moving the chair he'd set up back a bit to account for his much longer length. She settled into it, and poured some oil into her hands, letting it warm up, before she began to work on his right foot, slowly and carefully. She wasn't anywhere as practiced as he was, but she was still ok at it. She worked carefully down the foot, from his heel to his toes, seeking the tension out to the best of her ability.

"If... you have any tips or hints on ways I can do better, make this better for you, babe... Tell me? You know way more then I do..."

Pao
As soon as she started the massage he got kind of lost in the relaxing feeling. His feet, for sure, were not any kind of trigger, so that was a great thing. When she spoke he was pulled out of his little lala land, however brief.

"Mm? You're doin' fine, babe...but if I think of something I'll let you know."

Aria
"All right, love..." She said, glad to know she wasn't messing up or doing too badly. When she finished that foot, she shifted to the left, working the muscles with care and love. His lack of response to her handling his feet didn't really surprise her, though it was something she was glad about. If that ******** had been that sick and twisted, she'd have needed a time out to prevent herself from going back to Deus, demaning a portal to NYC and hunting a b*****d down.

When she finished, she took a slow, deep breath, and stood, her hands shifting, slowly and carefully, to rest on his calf, her eyes watching him with equal care for any response.

Pao
He wriggled his toes rather happily when she finished with his feet, a happy sigh escaping him at how much nicer his feet felt after a little massage. As she shifted though, he took a breath as well, biting his lower lip when he felt her hands on his calf. He was nervous, obviously, but so far so good...

Aria
When he didn't react particularly badly, she began to work on the muscles, fingers kneading at the skin. She did admire how perfectly formed his muscles were, and what ******** nice legs he had, but she didn't look up. She was too focused on getting him to relax all the way. She continued to work his calves, slowly moving upwards towards his thighs, and his hamstrings. The further up she went, the more she split her focus, however, between the massage and how he was responding.

Pao
He eased up a little bit as he got used to her hands a bit higher on him, breathing steady if slow and deep. His eyes were closed to, and he tried to keep his focus on the way his muscles felt, from fine to a lot better as she massaged her way up. Around his thigh though, his heart started racing a little, and not in the good way. His breathing picked up in pace and he tensed ever so slightly, just doing his best to not let himself go back to those nights.

Aria
She saw the way he tensed and she froze, and quietly she asked "Do you need me to stop or switch legs, or do you think it's ok, so far?" She refused, absolutely refused to hurt him, and she couldn't gauge how badly his memories were affecting him when he was like this. Whatever he said was best here went. She trusted him to keep his promise, after all, to tell her.

Pao
He glanced over his shoulder, a weak but still present smile on his face. "It's okay still," he answered, aware of the promise he made earlier. He intended to keep it if it did get to be too much, but he really was okay still.

Aria
She gave him a loving smile, and worked carefully on his thigh muscles, using the base of her hand to knead out the tense spots, and the fingers to hunt the tension. She was still splitting her attention, however, and she realized, as she was watching for signs of distress that she... had a very nice view of his really nice a**. She didn't get too distracted, but part of her hoped a day would come when she didn't have to worry about accidentally bumping it... or doing it on purpose.

For now, she just worked on finishing his left leg, before switching to the right, and beginning to work on his calf, and slowly up again.

Pao
It really was a process, the whole getting over his issues thing they were working on. And he liked to think whatever progress they made was a milestone type of thing, so that there was no triggers really flipped beyond a bit of stress about her hands on his upper leg was a huge enough deal to him. When she finished his other leg too, he was totally relaxed again despite having to steady his breathing a little bit.

Aria
She smiled when he didn't freak out, or lose control. When it came to his back, however, she studied him, thoughtfully, for a long moment. "Babe... Do... you think you'll be ok with me... straddling you?" That concerned her. That concerned her a lot. She could do it, but... If he had concerns about it, she could have him sit up, like the last time she'd given him a back massage... But this time, with a clearer idea of boundaries.

Pao
He looked over his shoulder again, gazing at her a bit sadly. "Not sure," was the simple and honest answer. "Another stress test probably wouldn't kill me if you wanna try?" Another chance to take a step forward was how he saw it, but neither of them were thrilled to push things too far if he wound up suffering for it so he sighed. "If it bothers me you'll be able to tell pretty easily, probably without me having to say anything..."

Aria
Her eyes closed for a moment, and she took a slow, deep breath, then opened them again, and walked to were she could lean down, and kiss him, soft and loving, for a moment. "All right, babe. We'll see how it goes." She moved back, and carefully climbed up on the bed, watching him for his reactions as she moved to carefully straddle him, her knees positioned to keep her as high above him as she could manage, without pressing in. It wasn't as easy for her, with the height difference, but she did her damndest.

Pao
He kissed her back, taking as much comfort from it as he could before she moved away. At her words he nodded, taking deep breaths just like she was and bracing himself as she moved onto the bed. He could feel her hovering just above him soon enough, her legs brushing his sides. It sent a tingle up his spine, actually, because it was Seren and she just had that effect on him. There were no memories of anything of this sort, actually; the fortune of being young and likely to get crushed under the weight of a full grown man...if that could be considered a "fortune" given what he went through in other positions.

He glanced over his shoulder and up at her, smile weak but amused when he saw how hard she was trying to keep any other part of her from touching him. "Babe, you okay?"

Aria
She watched him, but when he looked at her, and smiled, her eyes shone with relief that he wasn't going to have a problem, at least not yet. "I'm fine, love. I'm totally fine." She smiled, brightly, and then, carefully, reoiled her hands and warmed it, before leaning just enough to work on massaging his shoulders, her fingers as gentle and caring as she could make them, until she found knots, at which point she focused on them, working them carefully out of his back.

She was also listening to him, and his reactions, to make sure she wasn't causing him problems.

Pao
Her response got a nod and chuckle out of him and he straightened his neck out again before she got started. The warmth of her hands and the way they glided along his shoulders was soothing, getting a quiet hum out of him. The hum got louder whenever she worked through a knot, though. He was still alright, if a bit tense...but her hands were still in what had been a safe zone back then. The lower she went, the more his mind clouded over, the more unsteady his breathing...but still manageable. Mostly. And he didn't say anything.

Aria
She bit her lip, when she noticed how unsteady his breathing was, and she worried. He'd promised her he would tell her if it was too much, and she trusted him, but she still was afraid, afraid for him, and the potential for his being hurt if she misinterpreted his reactions. What if he thought he was ok, and then had a... No. She trusted him, and was not going to let her fears for him undermine that. Instead, she kept working, but slowed down when she got close to the point where he'd stopped on her, working the knots carefully.

Pao
He was starting to hit that limit, actually, but he was really trying to wait until the very last second. He tried to hold out at least until as far down as he'd gone on her, but everything was already starting to creep back up on him...

Finally, he let out a breath rather forcefully, his voice breaking as he said, "Babe, I can't..."

Aria
She stopped, immediately, and carefully shifted off him, her eyes worried. She used the towel she had had on previously to wipe her hands, and she knelt on the mattress besides him, wanting to kiss or caress him, but unsure what would be safe, and what would be too much. "It's all right, babe. You held out, a good time... I'm ********' proud of you for pushing your limits, Rhys, without pushing too hard."

Pao
He nodded, face buried in the towel beneath him as he gathered himself some. If she looked carefully she might notice he was trembling, however slightly, and it took a long while for him to shove what memories slipped past his guard and calm down enough to sit up.

He was moving slowly, though, and as soon as he could he pulled her into a hug, desperate for the comfort she was always able to bring him.

Aria
She bit her lip, seeing the trembling. Did he push himself too far? Her eyes were filled with concern for him, and she wasn't sure what to do. She was about to ask him if he needed her to do something when he sat up.

She watched him, and when he pulled her in, she just hugged him close and murmured "I love you, babe. Love you so much."

Pao
It was hard, working through all of this. During the darkest times he had to climb out of the mindset all on his own, but at least once he was out he could count on Seren being there for him. Another reason he loved her so much; just that she was so understanding...it was hard to ask for more, really.

He buried his face in her shoulder, breathing slow and steady now. The trembling was almost gone, but being in her arms was doing wonders. "I love you, too..." he murmured. "I mean...really, really love you..."

Aria
She just held him close, pressing her face against his hair, giving him gentle kisses to the top of his head. She could feel the few small trembles that were still sliding through him, and she didn't comment, as she always didn't, not pressuring him on that.

His words caused her to smile, and she whispered "Anything I can do to help, Rhys, beyond this?" She wished she could do more, in fact.

Pao
Her just being there meant the world to him, and the hugs and kisses and all the things she did to comfort him were already beyond. So he shook his head gently at her question, then he gave her a squeeze before finally pulling away and meeting her gaze.

He couldn't think of anything to say or do, but it was all there in his eyes. Love and trust and gratitude for her loving him back and being there and really for every good thing he knew she brought to his life...

Aria
She nodded a little, and smiled at him, when he pulled back, her own eyes showing the love and trust and understanding. He meant so much to her, and in her mind, she didn't do enough in turn... But she knew he felt she did a lot, so she didn't try to argue.

After a moment of just sitting there, she leaned forwards and pressed a soft, loving kiss to his lips, for a moment, then she said "Want to get your pjs on, babe? I'll put the towels in the bathroom laundy basket."

Pao
He kissed her back, soft and sweet, and waited for her to pull away. The brunette nodded at her suggestion, and after a moment longer he finally slipped out of her arms and headed back to his bag and got dressed.

He slid back into bed and waited for her, mind still reeling a bit despite already recovering this time so he lay there silently.

Aria
She soon returned from dealing with the towels, and slipped into the bed besides him, her head on her pillow as she studied his face, her eyes gentle with her concern for him. "You all right, Rhys?" She murmured, one hand sliding up to caress his cheek.

She wondered if tonight would be a nightmare night for him. She was ready to deal with it if so.

Pao
He didn't notice that she joined him, actually, too absorbed in his thoughts and worries about this being his absolute limit for the rest of his life...

So he leaned into her touch, eyes closed as he took a deep breath. He'd been on the verge of tears since earlier but this was the first time any tears fell, just a compounding of all of that and the idea that he'd be stuck like this...they'd be stuck like this for the rest of forever regardless of their efforts.

"Not really," he answered quietly, voice quivering. "I just want all of that s**t to leave me alone already..."

Aria
Her fingers slid up to wipe the falling tears away, and she snuggled in against him, her arms sliding around his shoulders and she kissed him again, soft and comforting, before she responded. "I know... I wish I..." She sighed, not wanting to get into her fear issues with men who might have power over her, or who are angry. Instead, she shifted it to "I wish I could do more. But babe... I know it doesn't feel fast enough but... You're making progress, even if you don't see it... I do."

Pao
He leaned into her touch, eyes still closed, and they stay closed through their kiss. He opened them finally when she broke away, and he held her gaze. And she was right; it didn't feel fast enough. It didn't feel like he was budging at all, actually...but if she saw it then he probably had. He trusted her fully, believing that she wouldn't say that just to calm him down.

"If you see it..." he sighed, leaning in to rest his forehead against hers. "I'll believe it. Sorry...I know we've already talked about this, but I just...it sucks..."

Aria
She nodded, quietly, and carefully so as not to knock her skull on his, and said "Yeah... I know, babe. But you're making progress more then I think you realize. You didn't even notice, earlier today, when I put my arm around your waist. Sure, that was through clothing but... Still, babe. You're getting there. It's not an instant process."

She smiled, weakly, at those words, thinking of the things she was working through. Sure, today she'd been eating a lot, for her, but back home, her appetite was still not the best. She was still scared of men in power. But she was working on these things, and his presence helped her so much. "Not instant at all, and I'm ********' proud of you for it, ok?"

Pao
He didn't notice too much, but was glad that she did. His measure was possibly just based on the bigger things, but like with fitness, he probably had to start seeing the small things to even make it to the bigger things. So he smiled a small, almost timid smile before he kissed her. Just because he loved her, and because he could, and because he wanted to...

"Thank you, love," he said, sighing softly. "I hope I can help you with your stuff at least as much as you help me with mine. If I can do it, you know I would for you, right?"

Aria
She watched him thinking about her words, and that small smile, that rare timidness in it, made her smile back, loving and gentle. The kiss was met with happiness, because as far as she was concerned, as long as it wasn't a situation where it could cause problems, he was always welcome to kiss her as much as he wanted, and if it helped him feel better... That was even more awesome.

"Always, Rhys... Always and any time." She just ran her thumb along his cheek. "You help me every day with the things you can... The food, the... not seeing myself as a curse... All of the things you can help me with, you do." He couldn't help her with the other, not now. She trusted him too much to be afraid of him hurting her. The only time it was at all possible was in the future, who knew how distant, when they could indulge each other's fantasies, and even then... She trusted him with herself that much.

Pao
That smile got a bit bigger as she spoke, and when she finished he kissed her again. "The offer still stands, in case things change or something." Really, the only things he wanted to change between them at this point was finally moving in, and finally getting over this touch barrier issue, but change was unpredictable and inevitable then his offer was out there for her whenever she needed it.

After one more kiss he snuggled in close, arms slipping around her finally so she had room to move closer as well. "Mmm...y'know, I always think I'm the luckiest guy 'cause you picked me."

Aria
She kissed him back, and just gave him a look of gratitude and love. "You're the best, babe... You really are." She knew they'd make it through this, the hard changes and the not so hard ones, because they'd already made it past the hardest barrier, at least in her mind. The touch barrier... would come down with time.

The second kiss was also happily returned and she cuddled into him, glad he was ready to do that... She'd been slightly concerned he would be too on edge tonight, and she knew that would bother him too. "Mmm and here I think I'm the luckiest girl because you let me in."

Pao
Truth be told he had the strangest feeling that sleeping without her in his arms would be quite a challenge now, considering it was just...what they did. They were a cuddling couple and he loved that. After what happened with the massage he found he just wanted to be close to her because her embrace was soothing and helped keep him calm...and with any luck would keep any nightmares at bay.

"That makes me wanna say that I'm luckier, answered the brunette, chuckling before kissing her again. "But that doesn't really matter, huh?"

Aria
She laughed at his words, and kissed him back, then shook her head at him in amusement. "No, it really doesn't matter. Who is luckier, here, doesn't matter. What matters is we're here."

She shifted so that her head was tucked under his chin, her favorite position for sleeping now. She just liked having as much of him wrapped around her as she could have, it left her feeling protected and safe. And it was nice and warm, too, which was a delightful bonus. She knew that if they somehow had to sleep apart, it would be a difficult night's sleep for her, certainly.

Pao
He laughed, soft and light but he laughed as he nodded in agreement. "I think so, too," he said, allowing her to shift before really settling in. He really couldn't imagine sleeping apart, though because of work, or maybe even other reasons, it would be an inevitability. Which was...not cool, but they would handle it.

"Tired yet?"

Aria
She smiled, enjoying the sound of his laugh. It was a rich sound, in her ears, and every time she heard it, it made her happy, because she was sure he didn't get to laugh enough when he was younger.

"Mmmm... A bit. I could sleep, or wait... You?" She wondered if he was thinking about something else.

Pao
"Sleep is good," was his reply before nuzzling into her hair. It was always so soft and smelled so good...no doubt this was also his favorite position to sleep in when they were cuddled up like that.

"We can plan for tomorrow over breakfast?" He already sounded like he was dozing off but trying to stay awake because she was still up.

Aria
She smiled at his words, and the way he always seemed to like pressing his face into her hair. She was glad she kept it neat and maintained, so he never pressed his face into dull, oily hair... Well except that... One time at the end of the days of hell, but that was different.

She nodded, slightly, at his suggestion. "I'll find a good breakfast place in the morning, and we can plan there, sounds good."

Pao
"Sounds good."

He turned his head and settled with resting his cheek on her hair as he gradually drifted off to sleep. "Good night, babe," he murmured very sleepy-like. "Love you."