He shakes his head. "We both know you would make a mess and that it would be left up to me to clean it up," he says with exaggerated, long-suffering tiredness.

He spares a momentary glance at his phone, left behind on the table when they had gone out. His expression dims briefly but he quickly turns from it and takes Hythlodaeus' hand again, giving it a squeeze.

"When you are ready..." He trails off, heart thudding in anticipation.