[now's the time to drop unceremoniously by his feet, poking his arms with a playful finger.]

It's good for me that you love awful things, then, isn't it?

And don't you forget it.

[it can be difficult, loving someone when you know that they'll hurt you. that they'll need to hurt you. but there is an end goal on the table now, a distant spark of light to reach for, and he knows it will be worth every agony when they reach it together.]