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[lightconductor]

If you have a message for me, Dr. John Watson, please leave it here. I shall certainly get back to you as soon as I can.
- JW

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[pineapplesalmon]

Oh. He hadn't worded that carefully enough. César stares at him in shock for a moment before smiling guiltily.

"I know. It's just... ah." César's thoughts are flying past the conversation too rapidly to string words together. "... ah, well. Shit."

He switched to Spanish but isn't trying to speak it, for the record.

[lightconductor]

"Please don't try to negate yourself. I want a partner, not a shadow. I want you, not you trying to be what I think you want."

He's firm, but his voice is soft, and he starts walking again.

[pineapplesalmon]

They're talking slightly different things. César takes a moment to breathe and let himself be reassured. He strokes Watson's upper arm slowly to comfort both of them.

"I... know you do." César replies quietly, his hand holding still as he looks away. "You coaxed me to be myself again in the first place. But I was a lonely man. I would've... put up with a lot to have been loved. And I do mean that in a horrifying sense."

He breathes. "And the fight with Johnny—well. My maladaptive response makes it obvious now that part of me still doesn't believe I'm enough as myself."

[lightconductor]

"You are enough," he says, simply. "You made a very, very grave mistake, César. I won't lie about that. But asking you to do better is not the same thing as asking you to be someone else."

Watson sighs, though. The thought of César falling into the hands of someone less kind is a terrible one. "There are people who are lonely by nature, but I don't think you're such a man, my dear."

[pineapplesalmon]

César sighs a breath he didn't know he was holding. He relaxes again, properly this time.

"Thank you." It's a simple phrase, but there's trembling relief behind it. "I.. want to say more than that but, I'm stuck on thank you."