Meical's grip tightened around him.
"You say that like it would bother me," he answered.
Min jae let out a small breath that felt close to a laugh. "It would bother you?"
"No," Meical replied. "It would scare me. Only because I want you safe."
He adjusted Min jae's weight in his arms and kept walking, steady and unhurried.
"And if something like that ever happened," Meical continued, "I would take care of you. Every step. Every day. I would not disappear."
Min jae blinked up at him. "You sound very sure of that."
"I am," Meical said. "You may not trust me yet. But I am still sure."
They reached a shaded bend in the path. Leaves brushed Meical's shoulder as he carried Min jae through it. Min jae's fingers loosened in the fabric of his shirt, almost as if the reassurance allowed him to relax a little more.
"You make it too easy to want things," Min jae whispered.
Meical lowered his head slightly, close enough that Min jae could feel the warmth of his breath.
