"… I think he'd be okay with superspeed if he wanted to kill anyone, even if he didn't look like a human. Probably kinda difficult to get away from that."

"Yes, let's all talk about what a lovely designed predator I am, this sounds like a thrilling conversation."

"Ngh!"

"What?" he asks, frowning slightly.

"You keep giving me these openings!"

"I was just commenting on how utterly thrilling it sounds! That doesn't require you to hug me."

"No, not for hugging, for flirting, and the lovely designed part."

"Oh, for– ugh."

"… You okay?"

"No, I– don't know! I don't know if I'm okay, I'm busy being stuck on the fact that I am a fucking vampire now, like, what the hell."

"...should I stop mentioning the times I would've flirted with you, is that a terrible reminder or something? It's kinda how I cope with—stuff. That and dry humor."

"I don't know! It's bringing back the conflicted thoughts each time but it's hardly like they don't come back enough – I'm sure I can cope."

"You should probably resolve the conflicted thoughts instead of burying them."

"Yes except the conflict possibly results from the magic love and I don't yet know how I want to resolve that but I cannot apparently resolve it against your favor so apparently I'm resigned to love you anyway! You can see how this might be just a tad terrifying with a slight bit of no thanks please."

"Well it seems to be mostly okay when we're not talking about it, and seemed okay in the bathroom?"

"Okay, so I could resolve against your favor and then never see you again and presumably have issues every time I thought of you because I'd be like 'oh but what if', that sounds like great fun making for totally untroubled times."

"Is that how it works? You can't stick to a resolution once you see my face?"

"I literally don't know! Right now I'm mainly just being like this because I'm forcing myself to stay on track with what I'm saying and not pausing to admire your pretty face because earlier I seemed legitimately incredulous and I haven't had strong reason to stop except a strong repeated distraction! I keep wanting to stop being angry because how dare I with you and then I notice that that's not how I would usually think and I was aiming to be incredulous so I should stick to that and right now I just don't know!"

"… Do you want a hug?"

"Kind of! Yes!" he says, and then hugs Matt, looking agitated, and then stops, looking frustrated. "I continue not to know what I want because I try squinting at some weird ideas and they go and I do it at some normal ideas and they seem silly and then I do it at others and they seem really fucking solid so I don't know!"

"...stick to the solid ones, then? And I mean I don't object to you admiring my pretty face 's long as, you know, you do that while dealing with everything else."

He sighs. "Well that's good to know if I ever would have otherwise had a conflict over whether you want me to stare at your face or not." Eyeroll. "And the solid thoughts aren't particularly helpful anyway, but yeah, probably better than dealing with the squintable ones, if I can help it."

"What are they?"

"What, the solid ones or the squintable ones?"

"The solid ones."