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Alex waited patiently on the floor, his mind racing so fast it was almost dizzying. At some point one of them was going to have to bring up the reason that the zomboil was here. But....what if Yin's decision was no? Alex felt like he was prepared for that, since that's all he ever expected to begin with but at the same time, wouldn't it be nice to just pretend for a while longer that there wasn't this huge life altering decision to be made? Would it not be nice to just act like things were completely normal for just a little while longer?

Then again, if Yin said yes...

He won't say yes, don't be stupid!

Yin had come back, and had something to clean the blood from Alex's neck with. Alex didn't recognize it for what it was, and just assumed it was some towel or rag that Yin had found to do the job with. He was about to reach up and take it from Yin when the other boil hesitated, but then the weremantis was pushing the cloth against Alex's skin, and the zomboil immediately tensed up. Not because it was awkward or he was nervous about being so close to Yin, but because somebody was touching his neck, and he just..he could never let anybody do that, not since his mom had stitched him back up. It was..he could just feel the blade pressed up against his skin again. A shudder ran through his body and he was forced to close his eyes. He had to fight with every instinct driven by irrational fear to not reach up and push Yin's hand away.

This is just Yin, it's ok, he wouldn't do that, just relax. Just lean back into the bed and relax.

Slowly, the sudden panic tightening his chest and gripping his mind started to ease, as Alex leaned back and even lifted his head a bit. He tried to think of other things other then what Yin was doing. He even peeked his eyes open, thinking that if he could see that it was Yin, then that might help.

Eventually, the weremantis finished, and what little tension was left in Alex's body faded away. He sat forward again, and while it was the last thing he felt like doing at the moment, he smiled. "Thank you," He said, quietly. He could always get up and wash his hand in the sink, so pushed himself up from the floor to do so now.

And found himself standing very, very close to Yin. He hesitated, as though he was going to say something, and then changed his mind, inching his way around the other boil and making his way over to the sink, turning the tap on and letting the water run over his blood covered hand until it was relatively clean again before turning the tap off.

Of course, there was nothing to actually dry his hand off on, but since it was clean enough...he just wiped it down on a pant leg before shoving both of his hands in his pockets and shuffling back over towards Yin.

"So I..I guess you know why I'm here." He offered, a little nervously. Alex had made the choice to get the ball rolling.

It was time to talk.

It had been a week. A week. A week that Alex had first thought would be there and gone in an instant. A week was such a short time, after all, why would that have not been so? But this week had drug on forever and ever and ever and dear jack Alexander never realised just how long a week could take to be over. He had had ages to think. He had endless days and nights to think.

But his decision had been made long before he even started.

"I did." He started, as he stared at his friend who was looking down at the floor. "I thought about it every minute of every day for the last eight days. I--I understand that what you would require from me would not be dating, that it's a commitment, that you expect more from me then just...what everyone else does."

Ok, he really didn't feel like he was getting how he felt across very well with the person he was confessing his feelings to staring down at the floor. Alex removed his hands from his pockets, and even though they were shaking ever so slightly, he laid one on Yin's shoulder and used the other to gently raise Yin's face, so he could look him in the eye before continuing, quietly. "It would be...foolish of me to promise I won't ever hurt you, and that I will feel this way forever. It's just..it's a risk, I know, but if it makes any difference, I know that no matter what happens, I will still try to make things work. I am..incredibly stubborn when I want to be, after all." He smiled a little, before going on.

"It's hard for me to believe right now that you would even consider me as being more then a friend but...Yes, I still want something more, if that's an option you are willing to consider. If it's not then...then I'll just..." Just what? Had he considered what he would do if Yin said no? He had assumed that it was the only answer he was going to get but did he know what would happen after that?

"I'll just do whatever it is you want, whatever you are most comfortable with." Yes, that meant that if Yin wanted Alex to just be his friend again, then he would do that, no matter how painful it might be.

And now that Alex was finished, it was time to face whatever rejection he had to face and move on. He should have thought about this a little more before cutting right to decision time. There was still the brown paper bag on the bed...

Oh well, he could just leave it there for Yin to enjoy when he made his exit. It would be the least he could do after putting the weremantis through all of this during the last 8 days, right?

But..something was happening. Yin wasn't pulling away from Alex like he had expected. Instead he was almost leaning in to the zomboil, and Alex blinked in surprise. And now Yin was talking but the words weren't making any sense. Alex's head was reeling, and he actually stumbled back half a step just from sheer shock at what he thought he was hearing.

Yin wanted to...to be with Alex. To commit himself to Alex. If Alex ever slept he might have believed he was simply having a dream. Maybe somebody had hit him really hard over the head and he was passed out? He could dream then, right? Or maybe he was just hearing what he wanted to hear, and Yin was saying something else entirely.

His hand slipped way from Yin's face, just as the weremantis moved his head to stare down at the floor again. No, not the floor, his hand? Why was he looking at his hand. Alex's brain felt incredibly fuzzy right now. He also felt a little unsteady on his feet, more so then usual.

Yin was holding something out to Alex now, and Alex just stared at it numbly, before whispering. "Of course I'll accept it." He was still just staring at it though, his hand twitching and then slowly raisimg from his side, and then it stopped, and closed into a fist. "Are...are you sure?" He said, his voice full of uncertainty. Yin wouldn't be trying to pull some kind of joke on the poor zombie. He wouldn't do that. This had to be real.

What was this? First Yin was offering him the badge and now he was telling Alex it was nothing? It was his badge. His emblem. Alex really really wanted it. He just didn't want to take it then have Yin realise he had made a terrible mistake and ask for it back again.

But this was Yin, and he wouldn't do that. So, Alex closed his eyes for a second, he focused his FEAR. He hadn't really done anything like this in quite a long time. His eyes blinked back open, it had only taken the span of a heartbeat, and he could feel that he was successful, and that he had his own badge in his hand now.

But would Yin take it? Did he want one in return or was Alex misunderstanding the situation completely? Something in Yin's voice betrayed what the weremantis was feeling. Alex could sense it. He was upset that the zomboil hadn't just taken the emblem. There was some significance to it that Alex hadn't understood and now Yin was upset.

Alex stepped closer to Yin, even though he felt ridiculously dizzy and unsteady, regaining that half step he had stumbled back and then some. "I just didn't think you would say yes. I...I think I'm just a little bit in shock." He took a deep, un-necessary breath, to try and steady himself, to try and clear his head and relax before continuing. "You have no idea..how happy I am, Yin. I just want to make sure you will be happy too and I'll do anything to make that happen."

Before Yin could pull away, or close his hand around the emblam, Alex reached over and took it from him with a thumb and forefinger, his two middle fingers still bent to keep his own badge palmed. "And I want this." He said as he held it, then transferred it to his free hand, closing his hand around it. It was so warm against his cold skin, just from sitting in Yin's hand for the short time that it had.

And now it was Alex's turn, so he held out his hand palm up, so that his badge was visible for Yin to see. "Will...will you accept mine as well?"

Yin seemed so pleased with Alex taking his pin, that his face lit up as a smile spread across his face. A smile that had been absent for just a little over a week now, as he was too busy fretting over what was going to happen tonight to even think about giving anybody who spoke to him more then a mere shadow of his usual grin.

And Yin wanted Alex's emblam too. He could see that the weremantis really wanted it. He was even tracing one clawed finger over the surface and Alex could feel the warmth of his hand. He wanted so badly to just close his hand around Yin's right now....

Oh, Yin was talking again. That meant Alex should stop fantasizing and start listening. He returned Yin's gaze, trying hard to maintain a serious look even though on the inside he was giddy with a sudden joy that he never knew could possibly exist. He thought he knew what it meant to be bonded. That was almost like marriage, right? That was the commitment thing he had been talking about. He knew it wasn't exactly the same but it was similar in some ways...or he at least thought so. But he specified that it was his cultural thing, that it was to him that they were bonded. And he already told Alex that he wouldn't hold him to such a commitment.

But did Alex honestly think he would ever feel this way about another boil ever again? He'd never been physically attracted to boils before...just Yin. Did that make Yin special? Did it warrant special circumstances..such as this bonding thing that Yin spoke of?

"I understand." He said, still maintaining some level of seriousness. "And I still want you to have it." As he spoke he moved his hand up, and closed it around Yins, pushing the pin into the palm of the weremantis's hand with his his fingers and squeezing gently.

So far, best moment of Alex's unlife. He wondered how soon it would start getting even better.

Alex just..was stunned. He had no idea at the beginning of the day that things would possibly end like this. He had always been so prone to messing things up, to being disappointed with himself at every turn. But now...now he had something special, something to actually smile about instead of just smiling for no reason. He had Yin, and it felt so damned good he thought he might even cry. If he could, of course, even if it would make him look ghouly and emotional. What did he care?

When Yin pressed his free hand against Alex's, a warm tingle traveled up his arm and down his spine. Even though they'd held hands before, this was different, this actually meant something. Before had just been as friends, but now they were, as Yin called it, bonded. It had happened, it was done, and it made everything different. It made everything better. The weremantis's words were touching, and made Alex just all the more happy, if that was even possible at this point. He wanted to reach out with his free hand to pull Yin in close and just..never let him go. If he could do that without the other boil freezing to death, he would probably have done it by now. Instead, he reached around the back of Yin's neck with his free arm, still clutching Yin's pin in his fist for lack of ever wanting to let go of it, either. He then gently pulled the weremantis in just a little closer towards him, and leaned his tall frame down so that his forehead could rest lightly against the other boils.

"I can't even tell you enough times how happy you've just made me. I can't..I.." he murmured, his voice cracking a little bit. This was still happiness, even if he did sound like he might cry, he was just completely overwhelmed. "I wanted this so much. Thank you, Yǐn Cáng."

Could they just stay like this forever now? Please?

Well, Yin's forehead did feel awfully hot against Alexander's, though that wasn't exactly anything new. Yin was always hotter then Alex, and always would be. So it wasn't exactly completely disappointing when Yin drew himself back, because Alex was about ready to do the same, despite earlier thoughts of just holding Yin forever. He loosened his arm from around the back of Yin's neck as well as he straightened back up to full height.

The moment. It was over.

"I..uh..yes, actually. I brought you dinner..though not anything I made myself." He added, a little sheepishly.

"I just ordered something in and had it delivered to my dorm, then brought it here. It's not much, really, because I wasn't sure if you would have eaten already by the time I got here." He glanced back towards the bed, his arm sliding off of Yin's shoulders completely now and slipping back down to his side, though his other hand was still gripped in that of the weremantis's, and that was nice.

"I...I meant to mention it before everything else but..ya, I got a little distracted I guess." He smiled softly to himself, still basking in the afterglow of his happiness.

"Are you hungry?" He asked the other boil, turning back to look at him questioningly.