"And here I am and I know about Milliways and I could probably tell if you were hiding it anyway even if I couldn't guess what - making it hard to visit my family is really the only thing on there that would be very bad - uh, I'm pretty sure some of the things I could say would constitute trying to seduce you and I think I could do that on purpose in fifteen seconds and by accident in a minute and a half and that at this point you'd still feel weird about it so."

"I - yes, but if you're planning to wait me out you're going to be unhappy in the meantime, and it'll be a long meantime because I am an Elf."

"I was thinking I'd see if me getting a little older helped."

"Okay. But - I don't expect you to be unhappy for decades on end to accommodate me, I don't want that."

"I know. We'll figure it out or I'll go home. If you want me to go home all things considered you can say that, I can mostly tell what considerations you're considering but you get to actually decide what wins, you know."

"I don't want you to go home. I don't wish you'd grabbed someone else, or been a girl. I just - 

- I just will feel less like I'm doing something wrong if I spend Years feeling guilty in advance, I suppose, and that really isn't fair."

"And it doesn't make sense. - Look, you could've swept me off and that would've been pretty much exactly what I signed up for when I grabbed you and you didn't do that, and just because you're the only person I've touched who's interested in having sex with me doesn't mean you're the only person I've touched, I have my parents, I have nine siblings, there's only one of you and you're not even making access to the interesting multiverse contingent on spending any time with you at all, I am not being coerced."

"I am satisfied on that point. I also believe that you're old enough to know what you want, and that this isn't it. I believe you that doing right by you would involve less - refusing to give the slightest sign of wanting expensive presents - than I'm doing. If I wasn't satisfied that you were capable of telling me off, I am now. I didn't eat any pears. 

Liatsi's still right to judge me."

"Is not."

" - buying out Ruviri's contracts is also not conditional on spending any time with me you could just tell someone else you want it, did I tell you that -"

"I knew." Kiss.

Sigh. Snuggle. "It really does bother me how much better you understand me than the reverse - I don't want to insist but - if you could tell me what you want, it would help."

"In ways that do not accidentally seduce you in a minute and a half?"

Pause.

"I'm not going to have sex with you today. I am going to at least sleep on it. I am pretty sure you can say things that'd make me regret deciding that but it is very important to me that when I decide things I am reliable at them. My word needs to be meaningful, even now that oaths have been all rounded off so you can't hurt yourself."

"Okay. So. Are you aware that you are a ridiculously hot well-spoken fabulously rich prince with a sexy accent who is to redmages what redmages are to mindreading and you go around being constantly visibly too ethical and noble to tear my clothes off and take me, because I'm not sure you appreciate how much you are that."

He looks a bit shellshocked. 

Then the tips of his ears go very very pink.

Cir smirks at him.

After a minute he manages a strangled "I appreciate the clarification."

"Will you have trouble not sleeping with me today if I kiss you?" chirps Cir.

"- I enjoy kissing you."

"Yes, I know. Do you enjoy it too much for me to do it right now what with your having decided not to sleep with me today," says Cir, still smirking. "I hope you aren't expecting that I'd do anything about it if you changed your mind there, I'd probably tease you but I'm not sure I'm ever going to have that much impulse control and also you could pick me up with one hand, did I mention that, I forget if I mentioned that."

He whimpers. "You're cheating."

"I'm not even trying very hard, if I were trying very hard I would kiss you without pausing to investigate your self-control and there would be a sentence starting with 'I can't stop thinking about'."

"I meant what I promised and you can kiss me and start sentences however you like but you are definitely cheating."

Cir kisses him for a good long time and comes up for air and whispers in his ear, "I can't stop thinking about your hair, is it as soft as it looks -"