Smooching time is... very good. Extremely good. He can't stop smiling, through the whole while. He's more hesitant than Byleth, but not complaining. Not even a little bit. His free hand wraps around Byleth's shoulders, holding him in place - careful not to hold too tightly, even if he wants to cling onto this for ages. And not ever let go.

This feels really good. Really, really good. And not just the kissing. There's the closeness, the warmth. There's the smile on Byleth's face. He's missed this. Missed a connection with someone.

Frankly, he was about to say something stupid or thank him again, but Byleth's speech cuts him off. Probably for the best. His expression turns wide-eyed, the more the other man speaks. Whatever he was expecting here, that wasn't it. Shared partners doesn't surprise him nearly as much as the rest of the speech. He's just kind of staring, he realizes, belatedly.

"Boyfriend...?"

No, he needs to actually process the rest of it. But he's sure if he thinks about it longer, there's going to be tears in his eyes. Ah - no. There he goes. It's like Byleth just reached into his constant concerns, the loneliness of the last few years, and offered an answer. Take your time, we can talk - what reality did this man walk out of and is he even real?

"You - you really want that?"