Tae-gun knows that he cannot be trusted to make decisions in this state but, since she was willing, he followed her lead. He hadn't been with a woman since—well, since he manifested—but a lot of things are the same, and the ones that aren't they managed to mostly figure out. It was even better than he'd expected and he made a bit of a fool of himself but all in all it was a successful, uh, guiding session.

Hye-jin... sure has made decisions and also choices, hasn't she. She can't bring herself to regret any of them, but she sure can be embarrassed about them. And hide in her (technically still not official) partner's arms about it. He was legitimately very sweet and that was really really nice and holy shit she absolutely needs to sort out that birth control thing yesterday because - well, look, there are things Hye-jin experienced that she would also like to experience elsewhere.

She should probably say words, represent herself as a thinking being that has more than just carnal urges.

"I, er, don't actually have to head home tonight," she ventures, shyly. "So, um, if you've still got some backlog - and it seems like you do? - I can stay. For the night."

wha

That sounded a lot like she wants to fuck some more? But they just fucked a bunch? Like he's down to be clear but.

....

"I meant in a, a, sleeping fashion," she snorts, when she looks up and sees the expression he's making. "I-I mean I'm not necessarily against it but, I, like, need an hour or two at least and some water probably? But, um. ... I like the cuddles?"

Oh.

Oh.

Your mind, Lee Tae-gun. The gutter. "Um. Right. Yes. Um. But, uh. Yes. Me too. But c-clothes and, and toothbrush?"

"Those are... probably acquirable? I think? A trip to the convenience store and, like, a spare t-shirt or something?"

"Right so—should I—go to my place to get some of that...?" He does not have a spare t-shirt in the shared guild silo.

She gives a little giggle. "Um. Maybe? Does. Does Quasar have spare clothes on hand, maybe? ... And spare toothbrushes?" The former seems like an obvious thing for a guild to provide espers, who are famously terrible at staying in all of their clothes. The latter... there are still convenience stores that can help them!

"Oh. They might." He has no idea. Maybe he should... unhug... and go find out...

...he will instead conjure some ice he can telekinetically reshape and control and use that to open a closet door and start rummaging from a distance.

.... this elicits giggling from his partner.

"Oh, come on, we just worked very hard to undo that backlash!" she snorts.

"No, we undid a lot more backlash than that. Just hugging you while doing this is still backlash-negative." And Quasar does seem to have a selection of some basic clothes in many sizes, what do you know!

"Yeah, but you've still got a backlog! Like, if I -" she creates little motes of light, and sends them to help light up the closet his ice is working through, "- do that, my backlash fades away really quickly. So."

She is so cute. He hopes they'll be partners. Then he can tell her about his backlash and she can fuck him some more who said that.

Anyway yeah okay they do have clothes and some more exploration reveals they also have toothbrushes and stuff. Yay for forethought!

Yay for forethought!

She finds and retrieves her phone, then nestles happily against him.

Speaking of becoming his partner: "... lawyer's cleared the partner paperwork. So, um. I am up for signing that part whenever," she says, a little shyly.

"O-oh. Um." Now? Can it be now? It maybe shouldn't be now.

"No, uh, second thoughts now that you've, er, checked under the hood...?" she asks nervously, because she doesn't know what to do with his silence.

"N-no! Um. Just. I'm. Free whenever. ...well, no, I have a dungeon in the morning, but."

"So, probably should be sorted out today, then?"

"Um. Um. Maybe? Probably?"

"I-I mean we can wait if you have doubts....?"

She reaches out to pet him despite her somewhat self conscious words.

"No! I don't! I just want to make sure you don't a-and, aren't being, uh, rushed?"

"Oh. No, I'm... you've been really, really great? I don't feel rushed, I just. Like you. Am excited to partner with you. ... am slightly irrationally scared that if I don't lock things in you'll go find someone else but I'm pretty sure that's, just, like. Not literally impossible, but why."

Oh. "I, um, was maybe, um, having the same i-irrational thought." Haha yeah so irrational. Yeah.

"Oh. Well. Okay then, let's get our clothes back on and find some people to watch us write our names on some paper and then probably come back here or - to your silo, maybe - for celebratory sex."

!!!!!!!

"O-okay. Let's, uh, yes. Go. Then. —oh, I need to, uh—lawyer—I mean Quasar lawyer—" He opens his commscreen to try to get an appointment with someone asap.