"...I didn't care about anybody else's happiness and then I cared about yours and now I care about Ben's and... I think I might end up caring about a lot of people's. I think it's... surprisingly easy to care about people's happiness if I—listen to it right."

"I'm glad." Kiss. "Do more of that."

"Okay." Kiss.

"We should go to bed. I will cuddle you to sleep and then I'll go talk to Ben?"

"Okay. —Tell him I really like him and want to be friends? Unless it would hurt him and then instead don't?"

"I think he's only sad about it because you don't love him."

"—I don't?" he echoes. "Wait, do I?? How do I tell? —I should not ask him to cut himself and then kiss me just to test it. —even though it'd be hot. —especially because it'd be hot. But I think... I'd die for you and I wouldn't for him, but a lot of the rest is... kind of... similar... now that I think about it..."

"I think maybe you could try to go out on a date with him, if you wanted."

"...if he's okay with it. If he wants to. And if it wouldn't make you sad. Then... yeah, I'd like that."

"I'm not going to say nothing that makes you happy will make me sad, but most things won't. Up, we have to go to bed."

He gets up. He follows Asher to bed. He snuggles Asher a whole lot.

Asher snuggles him until he falls asleep, kisses his forehead, and then goes to Ben.

Ben and Asher are up late. Ben cries on his shoulder about feeling sick and alone and like a pervert, and about not wanting to have sex with people he doesn't love, and about the possibility that Tazalkyran might dislike him. 

He sleeps the sleep of someone who just blazed through like a month's worth of stressful life events in a single day. It will be getting on towards noon before he gets anywhere near waking up.

When he wakes up there will be OVERLY ELABORATE BREAKFAST.

"I love you so much."

The eggs Sardou and seafood gumbo are both delicious. 

You know what else is delicious? Asher's FACE. Which Tazalkyran must now KISS. Because Asher is VERY GOOD.

Has Tazalkyran considered that his face is even more delicious?

A novel suggestion! They should investigate thoroughly.

"Before I forget," Asher says mid-kiss, "you should meet my parents."

"Sure." Kiss. Nuzzle. "Are they good? Mine weren't."

"They're amazing."

"Good!! I'm glad you have good ones."

"Once you've had my mom's cooking you'll never want to eat mine again."

"Wow. I mean, wrong, but wow."