Regardless, Grant's more than happy to take things as they come. Again, though, the method's important - he smiles, pressing a kiss to a damp temple. "Okay. No talkin', only showering. I'm all over it. Want in there alone or ya want me to join?"

Grant stands, moving over to the dresser to grab another worn out band shirt and a pair of boxers. "I'll get it goin' for ya, alright? You just focus on hydrating. Take it slow, though, ya still look rough. Careful."

"yeah. bad one." there are times that it feels mortifying to be known so well. grant has learned most every highway, street, and murky back alley that composes the tangled roadmap of kerry. but there is fear in that, too. to be known it to be vulnerable, and to be vulnerable has backfired far too many times. it hasn't with grant, though. not yet.

do you remember what i told you last time?

have you been doing well since i saw you?

that's not what you told me back then.

when was the last time i saw you?

you were shorter then.

i'm picking the restaurant this time.

we've known each other since we were children.

always knew i could count on you.

that time was different. this is worse.

you're not going to let me live that down, are you?

i seem to remember a conversation we had back then.

so you changed your mind about it?

do you remember our encounter in paris?

you should know me by now.

am i the only one that knows the truth?

we had a lot of help back then.

your mom told me to look out for you.

you just love bringing that back up to annoy me.

maybe don't mention my past indescretions?

this was never going to work out between us.

i told you not to get attached.

i know more about you than you think.

i was there, remember?

i'm not about to forget all the shit you put me through.

you told me you were going to try and make this work.

remember what i said to you?

the last time i saw you, things were good between us.

you never mentioned this before.

that was the longest flight of my life, and you made it worse.

can i still trust you after all that?

at least we tried to make something work.

we never discussed what happened between us.

okay, but i'm driving the car this time.

i haven't forgotten what you said last week.

i'm still thinking about your comment.

i didn't realize it was you when i first saw you.

you seem to make a lot of enemies around here.

there's not much for us to talk about.

we worked it out last time.

i know you far better than you know yourself.

we have a long history.

is that the shirt you were wearing last time?

what don't i know about you?

i haven't told them about us.

you were the only person i could go to.

you know me.

this is bigger than both of us.

i can't stand your driving.

are you taking me to the place we had dinner last time?

that's not at all what you said.

didn't we agree on that?

i thought i made it very clear where i stand.

are these the same people that came after you last time?

are you still going on about it?

can we talk about it?

staying silent about it won't help.

you're the only person who knows the real me.

he lies on the side of his good knee,    and so he draws it up to curl his body inward,    his cheek pillowed upon bent elbow.    his gaze remains on kerry for a long moment,    devoid of any outward emotion,    before sliding back toward the wall.    he aches for home as much as he hopes to stay a bit longer here.    but his world is older now,    the monsters nearly eradicated,    THE WITCHERS OBSOLETE.    and he can shut his eyes here without keeping one ear open.

❝    just thinking about   …   life.    ❞        he has learned to speak louder here,    as clearly as his scraped throat can muster,    lest it not be caught in translation.        ❝    don't understand how any of this works.    or how you're all used to it.    ❞

geralt must need these escapes, even if they're just to the grotto. kerry wonders if it's enough, suspects it isn't, and wishes there were more he could do for him - like send him off to a cabin in the middle of fucking nowhere, let him fend for himself, reconnect with whatever old world (though it wouldn't be old for geralt, would it?) roots he might want to.

it's an idea he tucks away for later. he'll bring it up another time, when geralt doesn't seem so damn pensive.