Akai and his parents talked about it for what seemed like an hour. He had grown tired by the time Connor rejoined them. His parents finally left his room, to go back to their hotel room to rest a bit. He wondered how they could afford to stay there and worried slightly that they were lying about sleeping in a hotel bed. Often times they would simply sleep in their car, but they were ashamed to admit that they were too poor to afford anything else.

He was glad to see Connor and asked him to come close, so he could kiss him. It felt good being alone together again. It felt like it had been years since they had been and he couldn't stop smiling and telling Connor how much he loved the man. "Do you still find me attractive?" he asked, looking down at his missing limbs. "Even when I am a bit... lopsided?" He couldn't believe Connor would like him still. He wanted the man to prove him wrong. "I want to be inside you again, right now, right here. I don't care if someone sees. I don't care that I am hooked up to this machine. I want to be with you."