That reaction stirred something inside him, and he didn't quite know what it was or why he felt like something was shifting in their dynamic. But he pressed another kiss to Dolemeck's skin, gingerly, testing the waters without really knowing what response was good or bad.

"I'd rather get help from you than anyone else. I'm sorry if that's selfish. I just I want to be with you. You're everything I didn't know I needed." He presses little kisses inbetween his next words to punctuate them. "Unprejudiced. Sweet. Optimistic."

With each kiss, he came closer to blurting out that three word phrase he'd never had use for in the English language: I love you. But that was crazy, right? He'd be crazy to say that. Or worse, he'd scare Dolemeck off. Is there a book on romance? He needs to find it, and read it, immediately. Instead he slips back into Russian. "Zvezda moya, zolotse..."