"Are you strictly alphasexual, then?"

"Why aren't you listening! I'm not sexual! Not with anyone! Just you!!"

"Well, and I'm a slut, maybe I'll—" But he can't actually say it. The thought of not wanting Inori is just unthinkable.

"I don't trust myself," he says, in a much lower voice, turning his gaze down to the table. "I might hurt you. I might push you away. I might mess up. I don't, don't deserve you. Not really. So, I—I want to know that you want me anyway, despite all that. Okay?"

He almost starts shouting again, that he keeps SAYING that he wants Tōkan, why doesn't he want to LISTEN, but something clicks in his head with that description and he starts cooling back down. He tries... imagining what he'd have felt like, before Tōkan, if someone told him he could mostly get rid of his heats but then he'd have extra strong ones around this one alpha he doesn't like. And he can't think how he could stop liking Tōkan—although this evening sure is an argument in a certain direction huh.

"...okay," he says, quietly. Then he leans towards Tōkan again and starts rubbing his head against Tōkan's shoulder like a cat while he gets his cutlery and starts eating.

Tōkan lets out a relieved breath. He's not sure Inori gets it, but he definitely got something. So, progress? Progress.

He lifts one hand to pet Inori with and gets to figuring out how to eat with just the other hand.