[ the admission makes tseng smile, an expression he hides first against the curve of clorinde's jaw, then down her throat as he presses his mouth there in a series of slow kisses. ]

What a relief, to know it's not a disappointment that I turned up at your door.

[ there's a lightness to his tone that suggests he's joking, that he knows clorinde would never be disappointed by his presence. a part of him perhaps wants to argue that he can always make time for her, but then again it's not a bad thing to have realistic expectations of time and space spent apart—and it makes it all the sweeter in moments like these, where they're able to steal away and indulge in each other for a while.

with his hands resting at clorinde's waist, tseng slowly presses her back toward the bed, walking them steadily as his mouth continues to explore the warm skin of her throat. ]

I may not have a gift to give you, [ he says, ] but I do have some ideas about how I might be able to return the favor regardless.