Slight smile. "Yeah, that."

Refrigerators: keep food cold! Microwaves and stoves: heat food up! Televisions: show you tiny people acting out plays! Video game systems: let you control the tiny people! Laptops: contain literally all information! Beds: are for sleeping!

—he laughs softly at that last one. "I have seen a bed before."

"I don't know when beds were invented!"

He flops on the bed.

Tazalkyran sits down next to him.

"...I like you," he says, slowly, like he's struggling to form the words. "You're... fun."

"I like you! I'd offer to make out but uh."

Small, sad smile. "Yeah. ...I'm... probably a worse person, when I have all my... self. But I think he'd—I think I'd still like you."

"I'm not exactly a great person myself."

"You seem all right so far. I guess I wouldn't know, though. I'm not even sure I know what a good person is supposed to be like, I just know I'm not one."

"Ben is a good person. He thinks the best of everyone. He's forgiving. It's impossible to make him mad. He really genuinely cares about everybody in his kingdom. People think it's an act but it's not, he really is just like that. But-- there are parts of being a king you can't do if you're a good person. And I take care of them for him. So he can be a good person."

"...makes sense. I think that's still... better, though. Than..." and he can't figure out a way to end that sentence that his curse will let him articulate.

Asher hugs him. 

Oh.

That's really good.

Now he's crying.

Asher gives good hugs. Just the right amount of firmness.

Asher is very very good.

He doesn't like crying. It hurts, physically and emotionally, and it never seems to do him any good, and it runs him right up against the blank spaces in his heart where rage and hatred used to be.

But it's... much less awful than usual, with Asher to lean on.

Asher makes soothing noises and rubs his back.

Sniffle. "...thanks. You're... good."

"No, I'm not. But thank you."

Words. "No, you're—a good thing. You're... better. Than not you."

Asher kisses his forehead.

"Thank you."

...!

He sniffles again and nestles close and hugs him.

Asher kisses him softly and gently on the lips.

That is also good. Asher is very good. There can be sniffly weepy cuddly kisses now.

There can be lots of sniffly weepy cuddly kisses!

He knows a kiss from a prince won't break the curse but he is still mildly surprised when it doesn't. 

Tazalkyran was not expecting any such thing and in fact is not even thinking about how much he wants to be rid of the curse for once in his life. He is mostly thinking about Asher and how warm and solid and pretty and kissable he is. Also still crying a little.