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"I'm not so sure about this. Are you?"
"Am I what? Sure that this is something humans enjoy?"
"...Yes." he said with some amount of vague, flustered strain in his voice. The concept only seemed... Honestly, less and less believable the longer he stood there, staring up at you as you stood parallel to him with looped lengths of red, silken rope in one hand. You couldn't help but notice the lights behind his visual visor furrow into a squint, though it was hard to tell if it was suspicion or embarrassment from the subject matter.
"I have no reason to lie to you," you reassured, "I like this and I know many others who do. Human sexuality is an enigma, and while I could and will, if you want, explain it to you for hours more... It's something you have to... Feel, to understand sometimes, if not rip apart the human psyche through textbooks. You can always back out if this is uncomfortable." you said casually, slightly tilting your head as the bed creaked with the weight of your rear settling down onto its edge.
His eyes only narrow further, shimmering with decisive intent as he speaks as bluntly and deadpan as ever. You knew him well enough to also know that that was, in part, currently a facade to uphold his dignity and majesty. His eyes were lightly flickering behind his visor. Though as if he could see that, and as if he would even want to know he had a nervous tell. "I wish to know everything - I just wanted to make sure. I'm open to understanding previously unknown concepts if it means knowing more about organic beings and life."
You can't help but smile at that, fingers tightening around the ropes still in your palms as you feel your own eyes narrow for a different reason - Something more tender as you saw his face slightly turn off to the side. You were endeared and, to be quite frank, honored that he trusted you enough to truss him up like this despite how you know he's been violated similarly but for different reasons at least once. "Okay," you said in a soft, crooning tone, wondering if that was why he was so nervous. He wasn't the type to want to be tied down even figuratively either, so to speak, and you knew that. "Are you ready?"
"...Yes." he said again, sounding as if he wanted to sigh, and turned his face back towards you as if halting all of his intrusive thoughts with the sheer force of bravery. To which you upheld your gentle, inviting smile as you rose from the bed.
Promptly to not give him too much time to fret, you asked, "Can we start with your legs? I want you to have your hands free for the first couple of ties so that you can help guide me if you have to. You have a very unique body shape and I don't want to hurt you, after all," ending in a warm chuckle to hopefully break the tension. Though that was somewhat of a lie. You wanted him to feel safe, knowing he had a literal sword at his disposal for cutting free if he so much as pleased. But you didn't want him to think you considered him mentally weak, either.
"Yes." he said, with a slight bit more confidence in his voice, and looked down to his legs absentmindedly. They were, in fact, surprisingly shapely for metal... Would the rope simply just slide across the surface of his body, he wondered? He understood that he would simply have to find out, and looked back to you as if waiting for instruction.
You understood immediately, offering him a simple task: "Can you lay on your back for me? It's one of the easiest ways to get to your thighs and ankles at the same time. I have an idea that would work well, I think." To which he did so methodically, sitting first and then rocking his weight back until he was laying out on the floor, looking stiff as a board but actually quite relaxed as if ready for repairs. He was shockingly silent as if taking in every single move, his naturally-wide, red sensors peering down his faceplate at you.
Your hand grabbed his ankle gently, taking surprise in how... Surprisingly thin and supple it was, followed by you noticing the lack of the tell-tale hum of motors as you pushed inwards and made his knee bend - He was letting you fully manipulate his body despite the way he was staring you down. The metal was cool in your hands but not unpleasantly so as you began to make a loop around his ankle, pressing it against the seat of his rear to get an idea of placement. What would have been the back of his thigh and bottom of his butt was, in all truth, a lot more angular underneath the shell-like plating that kept him modest from around the back of his waist. It wasn't what you were used to, but it wasn't the least bit off-putting.
Perhaps it was to him, however, considering the light of his eyes flickering once more as you found yourself staring curiously, never having seen beneath it. "Do you not want me to stare so much? I'm sorry," you said plainly as you tied off the knot of the loop, beginning to slide your hands up the inner and outer sides of his thigh with the rope still in them to begin to connect his ankle to the bottom of his thigh. You knew that he was not one to beat around the bush with.
"I've never had anybody aside from the Professor... Take note of my more hidden areas, and our relationship was purely that of a creator and his creation. Strictly." He laid his head on its side, looking off into the distance at your dirty laundry basket, the clothing sopping up the evening sunlight that streamed through the open window. It was nothing in particular... But it was something to look at that wasn't the situation at hand, he figured, not quite sure what to say or do. Not like this. "I know that there's nothing particular there, but I'm not immune to the concept of modesty."
"So you don't want me to look?" you repeated, tilting your head slightly at his vagueness as you pulled the leg truss taut, leaving a steady, decorative finishing knot between the loops that held his ankle and thigh together, facing the outside world and directly between the binding point before beginning another loop further up his leg and closer to his knee with a new, smaller length of rope. At least the rope seemed to stay in place even against metal. Thank goodness.
"I didn't say that, I said I had never had anybody else take note of it." he said matter-of-factly, taking a moment to figure out exactly what he did mean by that. It wasn't a bad feeling. But it surely was embarrassing to the near-point of humiliation, especially considering his current state of increasing vulnerability.
"I really won't if you don't want me to, and I won't touch there either if you'd rather not," you reassured in an overly-casual manner, beginning the same procedure on his other thigh and ankle by this point. This was the easiest part, and the sooner you got a small amount done, the sooner he could begin mulling the concept and its sensations over in his head while you spoke. That was what you had figured, anyways, aside from moving on autopilot somewhat as your mind began to wander slightly while it processed.
He didn't exactly hate the way your gaze had burned uncomfortably, or the fact that human hands were oddly warm. It reminded him a lot of the way the sunbeam was ever so slowly turning with the sunset, dipping just the tips of his pincers in warmth as it slowly began to make its way towards him.
That's right.
It's very natural for emotions to be present during intimate situations like this, isn't it?
It's very warm, like a human naturally is, and the life-giving Sun is, even if it's an itchy sort of warmth.
"You can look and touch where you must--... Wherever you feel you want to," he stumbled over himself as he spoke, making an extremely quick correction with no hesitation. "I don't hate this even if I do seem hesitant. I'm just not used to it, it's been a long while since I was close to anybody, let alone a human."
"Okay," you said with a renewed smile, chest tight from holding back a small giggle of relief and endearment towards his inherent shyness and absolute trust in you. He was a lot like a growing, emotionally frail young boy at times regardless of how mature he may always seem, or how tastefully his vocabulary may dress it up. "I'm glad, to be honest..." you admitted, peering off to the side. "It's not like I'm not curious about how your kind feels and thinks and reacts on these subjects too, but I would feel awful if I forced anything. I wouldn't want anybody to obey me just because I was a human, y'know...? Also, the trusses on your legs are done now, so feel free to try moving them if you'd like."
Despite feeling the need to completely turn his whole body over and away much like he would walk away from a discomforting situation, refusing to look back... He didn't feel the need to leave the premises at those words. It was strange to him, yet again, he found himself not minding it as he turned his head forward again, eyes shutting in little red lines as he let out a sigh under his breath. "I can understand that. I do suppose that's why we're here, to learn about one another." He re-opened his eyes after that, peering down at the thin, silken red rope having been tied around his legs - A larger tie at the thigh as the brunt of the binding, and the smaller near the knee for decoration and as reinforcement. It certainly didn't look bad against him, in his opinion, at the very least. He took to its sight much better than any other sort of binding, that was for sure.
"Can you move them?" you asked, to which the audible whir of motors kicked up, his leg moving far less than even a 4th of an inch within its restraints. He then tried to move the other to no avail, huffing under his breath with both surprise and frustration that didn't actually seem to exist.
"I can't." he said plainly, the sound of his motors becoming louder and louder of a buzz until he simply gave up on the concept, looking from one leg to the other and feebly wriggling ever so slightly on his back to get back into a comfortable position.
You felt your heartbeat begin to pick up slowly the more his motors did, realizing what you had just done: Succeeded. You had succeeded, for one, and for two, you were, to say the least, enamored with the sight. It simply just made you feel warm inside to see him this way. Your smile must have been something he didn't expect, his eyes catching yours and widening slightly. "And how do you feel?"
"I feel..." He pauses. How did he feel? He felt somewhat weak, considering it was just simple rope. And not very thick rope, at that. He felt... Vulnerable, secondly, which made motors in other places begin to start up and force an adrenaline-like response to flood through him. But he didn't feel unsafe - Not with you. It was somewhat cathartic to know that somebody else was, for the first time in years, above him and in control again. He was being seen as an equal despite being guided into what to do. And then there was the pressure, sinking into his outer frame and pushing his parts even more snuggly into each other and against his Tinpet. Perhaps this was the same sort of sensation humans got from hugs, he thought. Being pressed into place as if in a mold, and not having to worry so much about moving out of it. Being able to just sit still for once with inherently firm but gentle force even if your brain was nagging at you to move again and get back to life. "...It doesn't feel bad at all. I feel... Relaxed. Very relaxed," he finished after some time, eyes widening further and blinking with almost slight confusion.
"Do you want me to do more? I know a really cool one," you chuckled, running a single finger over one of the lines of rope on his upper thigh. "It's really decorative... I think red is your color, you look really good so far." You watched as his eyes trailed back up his stomach and chest slowly, then looked back to you with the surprise refusing to fade despite a slight attempt to mask it. "I can go slower, I kind of really rushed through your legs so you could think on it as we went. I got really excited."
"...It's fine," he said after the slightest of pauses. "You can continue, I'm very curious. I didn't expect to feel anything but dread if I'm being honest."
"You have no clue how happy I am to hear that. I'm way better at this than legs," you laughed out sheepishly, hand coming up to scratch the back of your neck as you gave him a lopsided, joyous smile of relief. "I'm really glad you're enjoying yourself in one way or another. Here..." You trailed off, padding over to his side on your knees and the balls of your feet and scooping your hand under him. "Help me get you up, sitting on your trussed up legs - Can you?"
He nodded, pushing himself up the rest of the way with his hands until he sat on his rear and shins as if on a floor cushion. He seemed rather at home in that position and didn't seem at all prone to falling over in it, which made you glad. It would make things a lot easier. "I want to try a diamond tie on your main bodily area. You know, torso and stuff. Is that okay?"
"I'm not sure what that is," he said in a lighthearted manner that sounded an awful lot like a deadpan joke, which made you snort under your breath, "But go ahead." He was obviously beginning to become more comfortable, at least that much was apparent.
"Alright," you whispered aloud to yourself, getting back in front of him and reaching for another, longer length of rope. "Okay!" you chirped without a hush this time, "Duck your head for me, please. Your pincers are really tall," you continued, looking thoroughly amused, and he was finding that he may not be... Feeling quite the same thing, but he was beginning to genuinely enjoy himself, submissively ducking his head as requested without a word as he peered up at you while doing so.
You draped the rope over the back of his neck like an undone tie. "Please put your head back up and sit up a bit straighter," you asked politely, to which he obeyed politely. "It would be best if you didn't look down, so that it doesn't pull your neck down later. It will keep you in the position you're in when I do it." you warned, to which he gave the first flicker behind his visual visor in a while.
"I understand. Go on," he said, sounding aloof once more. But it had a more timid and welcoming air than anything, somehow, rather than trying to rush you. You knew he was simply nervous, especially considering how subtly stiff he was becoming again.
You nodded with a hum, taking what was now two lines of rope from the way it was draped over his neck into your fingers. Slowly, you traced the tip of one finger down from the top of his chest, where a human's collarbones may be, making him only further stiffen where he sat. "It won't hurt," you said softly in a near-whisper almost as if you were afraid he would hear and feel stupid suddenly, "And surprisingly won't bind your movement any further. It's decorative." And then, more quietly even yet, "It's okay."
He seemed to relax ever so slightly as you began to tie a knot where your finger had decided itself on, saying nothing as it became a two-tailed loop around his neck much like a collar with two leashes. "Another," you said in that soft tone, your heart pounding slowly yet roughly against your ribcage as this time you trailed more than just the tip of one finger over his chest, stopping just under where the breastbone would be. He seemed to be soothed indefinitely by your voice and narration of what you were doing, very slowly beginning to resettle as he felt warm, tender hands working against his body much in the ways he was used to.
He was very, very familiar with soft, warm human hands opening him up for repairs all those years ago, and to a degree, he felt like this was similar. He had never had anybody speak to him in such a soft, cottony way that enveloped his processing unit in what seemed to be fresh, fluffy white clouds rather than ratty, dusty cobwebs and dust bunnies. It was very much the same yet entirely different as the sensation of your hands seeped even yet lower as you found a place for a third knot to add to the twin tails of rope, making him shift his weight unnecessarily much like an antsy child who had been sitting for too long. It was strange, he figured, what this was doing to him. But he also found that he was hoping it would go on for far, far longer than he expected it to, eyes narrowing as he felt your fingers twiddling closely to him at mid-stomach level. The silence didn't even feel awkward for him - It wasn't as if he disliked silence. He loved it, in fact, and could simply, gladly just sit with somebody to pass the hours. But he had expected for this to subvert from his usual, and while it did, he couldn't find anything to complain about much to his relief and chagrin alike.
"Here goes your modesty, I'm warning you," you said with sympathy in your voice. "Can you spread your legs? I'm going to go behind you," you gently explained, holding up the ongoing rope and peering to it.
"Yes," he said plainly as he processed his emotions, not being the best with words right at the current moment. He then began to shimmy his knees wider apart from each other, feeling a hot, sharp pang of embarrassment surging through his wires and buzzing inside of his head. He wasn't sure what to expect at this point, especially from that warning. "I told you you can do as you please, I don't trust you in vain." Despite how sharp those words could have been, they held not even the slightest hint of hostility or condescension within them. He simply just felt the need to remind you. He trusted you, and that was why he was here with you in the first place. He knew you wouldn't hurt him.
"Thank you," you said with somewhat of a genuine fluster, huffing it out as you blinked off the giddy feeling. "Alright," you said aloud to yourself under your breath as you tottered on your knees to his back, "We're going... Under," you then narrated, letting your right hand gently find the rope from the front and sloooowwwly slide down, taking more care this time to guide your hand down the front of his body from the top of his chest. You allowed for your hand to be splayed out as your face came to rest next to his, nearly resting atop his shoulder as you looked down the front of his body with excitement. You were fully aware of what came next. So you let your hand linger as it felt it must, ghosting itself down painfully slowly as your eyes made contact with the smooth, jutted-out piece of silvery-gray metal that was the closest representation to a crotch he had. It was smooth, and surprisingly prominent, being the most subtle yet proud rendition you had seen in a while. It reminded you an awful lot of the delicate, natural bulge of a flaccid penis inside of briefs.
His torso tensed as you got lower - It seemed he had figured out the premise of what was on your mind, polluted with the heady idea of human genitalia and how they functioned. It wasn't that he felt offended, Heavens no - If anything, it was... Flattering, in its own, new way. It was flattering and warming to his insides to be considered so human to an actual human, the soft hum of a cooling fan starting up somewhere inside of him to vent out his innermost parts that were beginning to accumulate heat from the taxing emotional surge coming on.
That was right - Humans associate those sorts of areas with mating and reproductive organs. He simply only knew modesty of those areas due to societal standards, yet had never even thought about it in such a way. He never had to.
He never in his life had to consider mating even if he was well aware of how nature worked, in its most basic form. He had never considered his body to be a part of ones' sexuality. Not even his own, which he didn't have. He had never considered having one before, and that was the only thing stopping him, now that he thought about it.
He wasn't sure if he was simply just nervous or not, but these ideas were beginning to make him dizzy, especially considering he had no time to mull it over as your smooth, delicate fingers rested just above it. He felt like he was going to be ill all of a sudden despite not having a stomach, frozen in place as he felt an oddly charged sense of anticipation. But you continued after a small pause and a soft "S'alright," murmured right next to him, allowing your hand to sink lower and for your hot, open palm to cup over that prominent hunk of metal as you went, nearly stopping over it as your fingers spread into a V-shape, spreading the two lines of rope apart as your free hand reached below him. There was a solid pause in which you huffed softly and squirmed from where you were behind him, your chest brushing against his back.
You could've sworn you heard him huff back. You were well aware he was able to pant when tired, but it still surprised you somehow as the low, airy mumble escaped him. You felt around for your other hand beneath him, admittedly wanting to feel what was hidden there as well. You weren't going to linger, but you did remember what he said - You could touch what you wanted because it was you, and because he was curious of human sexuality. So you did, pressing your unfurled hand directly underneath him, making him jump ever so slightly.
"I'm sorry," he said, sounding as if he just barely didn't stammer, "I didn't expect that."
"Should I not do that, then? Did you decide otherwise?" you ask, attempting to hold back your heavy breathing in an attempt to not make him feel too guilty if that were the case.
"I've told you the verdict twice," he says in an almost-chide, though still gently reassuring, not wishing to repeat himself when so flustered. He meant what he meant and it was that simple, regardless of how he was reacting on instinct.
"Understood," you whispered back, "That's the last time I'll ask. I just didn't expect you to jump either, but it's okay and normal," you explained, running gentle fingertips over smooth but angular little bits beneath him, just on the other side of his crotch. He was so... Detailed down there. You could feel every single little hidden screw made for taking him apart down to the Tinpet, and the little areas of space that kept his thighs apart when he walked. Little inverted ridges that allowed his legs to move like a ball-jointed doll, puffing warm air out onto your hand and wrist in a feeble attempt to cool his inner mechanisms. "I just feel bad that I'm so curious," you murmured, purposely keeping your chest against him as you wondered how many of his parts down there moved.
"I was too, I asked," he said almost... Pitifully, which was new and nearly strange, sounding almost as if he were holding back on something as his leg tried to ticklishly pinch your finger in its socket, but stopped itself just short in a twitchy manner. "It's my burden for enabling this," he thought aloud, mostly towards himself and what he was feeling at the moment, making a noise like he was sucking air in through the nose he didn't really have. He wasn't so sure if this is what humans would refer to as physical arousal... But the inner parts of his legholes were rather sensitive as a defense for him to know when foreign objects were entering his more open joint areas and threatening to fall inside of him or jam them. And on top of that, seeing your reaction, and even further on top of that, knowing exactly why you were having it... Brought him some altered form of excitement that still made his insides whir and hum in the same way your heart was racing against him as you finally took the rope in your free hand and pulled it gently taut.
No mercy came to him as you continued to adjust the area around his crotch, making sure one of the lines of rope was on each side of it as your left hand kept it taut against that and his underside, your warmth spreading against his back with every contraction of your heart. It was oddly calming, even if he wasn't a creature that based comfort on bodily phenomina. Every single pant through your nose seemed to unravel that though, sending pangs of panic-ish, hurried emotions surging through his entire person. He didn't quite understand it yet, but hazily chalked it up to being able to feel at least some form of human-like arousal, as lazy of an explanation as that felt to him. Perhaps it just was that way, as convincing as everything was slowly becoming. It was not calming when he felt the ropes slither up against the openings to his leg joints as you pulled the rope's lengths up from behind and around the outer edges of the shell-like adornment around the back of his waist, ushering a soft, airy gasp of a noise from him. You pulled it a bit tighter at this, smiling and leaning your head against the side of his as he let out a small, almost groaning hum under his breath and tried his best to hold himself back from accelerating his 'Breathing'. He wasn't intaking air, no - But it was still an emotive feature for him.
You slowly slid your knuckles up his back with the rope in your hand, pulling your body back from his with a soft, purring groan of your own so that you could see what you were doing and continue properly. For shame. But you had promised him something definite, so of course you understood, beginning to tuck the tails of rope underneath the loop around his neck. Your slightly shaky hands somehow managed as you re-steadied yourself, pulling it to rest over it and drape back down his back - Everything was a little bit awkward with how he was shaped thus far, but to be honest, you were proud of it. It wasn't every day that you got to be the nawashi for a unique new body type, so you forgave yourself for the stranger ways the silken rope rested.
It became a lot easier again as you pulled one overhanging tail of the rope across the side of his torso, feeding it into the hole on his chest you made earlier by tying knots down his front, grabbing the other tail as you began to do the same belatedly. "We're almost done with this part, surprisingly," you said almost sadly, to which the tips of his feet dug into the carpet of your bedroom almost defensively. He wasn't entirely sure if it was him bracing for some sort of climax to the situation, or perhaps... Was he disappointed? He was unsure as of yet as you tugged at the ropes once fed, straining the lines across his chest until the sides pulled out into a diamond shape that laid over his curved chest well enough considering its own shape. You began to resume autopilot akin to when you had began on his legs with a small sigh, wondering to yourself if he would ever come back to this.
There was little note in your head as you carried your red strings of fate with tender fingers that splayed over his chest with feather-light touch, caressing the blunted, angular curves his body had to offer. It was, to be honest, a lot to think about considering that you... Quite liked him, if you really really did have to be entirely truthful with yourself. He had a certain sort of healing property for you that you merely just wished you could share - To make mutual with him even if only slightly, and at best, keep him closer by than the wanderer had a tendency to be. Though before you could really get into it, you were quickly snapped back to reality as you felt him shift, even if slightly, into the touch.
He was glad that you were behind him considering the fact that he had felt his drooping, wearily-slanted visual sensors shut into content slits as he tilted his head slightly up and his chest forward. It... Really did feel nice. It truly did and it was hard to deny even for one such as him.
That's right, this is human nature.
This is what humans crave all the time, for good reason, and he was intertwined and tangled up in that. He had a soul, after all.
And who was he to deny that to anybody, let alone himself, even if it WAS the itchy sort of warmth filling him up?
He really, really didn't want to right now, even if he didn't want others to see how alive he was just quite yet.
So he let out a sigh he didn't know he was holding as he felt your eyes burning into the back of his head while your hands cupped his chest, frozen in place for a few seconds as your mouth dropped slightly open.
Then, a second later, a tiny jolt of embarrassment running through you that near-tickled him with your fingertips, causing your reaction to echo through his own body. He didn't dislike how sensitive it felt. He didn't dislike the sensation of you continuing to ghost that touch even more slowly back across his sides and to his back, crossing the ropes over themselves and the line running up what would be the spine of his Tinpet on the inside before beginning to repeat what you had done to make the first diamond. He liked that.
He didn't feel as weird this time as he rocked a bit of weight back on his rear and heels from the more genuine ticklishness of your touch right around where his chest-piece attached to his waist and bottom half, the small crack between the two tingling as your skin brushed over it. He was beginning to love that, eyes hazily half re-opening and peering around the room. The sunset was beginning to paint the entire room orange and draw thick to thin lines across the floor depending on the angle it stretched the shadows of the opened blinds on the window. They reminded him an awful lot of bars for a jail cell absentmindedly, and with a small huff of stifled laughter, he had realized that they had indeed crossed over the two of you during this only to seep back off of your forms so that only the tender, bone-warming embrace of the Sun saying goodnight was left. He most definitely felt that warmth within his innermost parts, though he still wasn't sold on it being entirely the Sun's fault this time. And he hadn't even noticed that fact fully until now, as naive as he knew he could be when he was overly caught up in things.
He had to admire how dutifully you were working as he accepted his own faults slowly, feeling you beginning to feed the tails into the last hole you'd made along his front - About where his bellybutton might be if he had been birthed into this world in the same way you had... Though he felt an awful lot less stupid at the fact that he hadn't been now, and he felt a lot less panicked as he watched your hands hover relatively close to his crotch. Perhaps you had seen a lover or a mate in him, and that truly warmed his heart to match the rest of him. So he shut his eyes again when you began to fiddle with something at his front when you were done pulling out the last diamond. He had no idea what it was and wondered if he would be surprised yet again this evening.
There were several moments where all he saw was darkness, and all he heard was the quiet, soothing sound of rope brushing against himself and itself. And he was becoming okay with that, and more accustomed to himself being okay with that as he felt your arms gently squeezing his sides in a hug-like manner. He didn't want to freeze up as he felt his fans kick back up this time after having calmed down, nor due to it being due to you having leaned forward against him again. Your heartbeat was a lot easier to feel regardless of what was going on inside of him if he simply just... Relaxed and allowed himself to feel, and it was more soothing than ever as he felt soft flesh give way as you pressed the root of your form against him. Flesh was... Tender, and supple, and fragile. That in and of itself held some form of beauty to him.
He found himself hoping that your fragile flesh would never be marred as he felt you pull your hands away from his front, not daring himself to move even though he could tell the rope wasn't to go anywhere now without you holding it where you had placed it - You must have tied it off, he imagined. Though he also didn't dare to open his eyes and look down as he felt your hand brush against his.
He suddenly became unsure again.
But it was not uneasy unsureness this time, and for that he silently said a prayer of gratitude.
It was something giddy, and torrid in his head, and fluttery in his wires as he felt your fingers lace into his and gently pull them up and behind his back. He noted the way your hand limply paused before it was able to garner up the strength to move again, other hand beginning to bring his right up to the dip of his back as well.
He could feel your heartbeat jump and your breath hitch slightly, wondering what that must feel like for you in the back of his head. He at least could guess what you were about to do, allowing for his hands and wrists to lie in your touch limply until you pulled your hands and body back hesitantly.
He offered you a proud upward tilt of his head and a respectful stiffening of his posture as if presenting himself in response, offering you further into him.
He looked beautiful.
He looked so beautiful, bathed in the deep oranges and yellows that seeped into both of you, a singular ray of light glitterily reflecting off of the tip of one of his pincers and spilling a small puddle of rainbow onto the wall that moved not even a millimeter as he devoted himself to this moment, and this moment alone. This moment in which you'd given him the most gorgeous jewelry he could have donned - Red truly was his color after all.
Blinking the disarming emotions only half way from your thoughts, you picked up the last strand of rope you would need today and folded it in half, then began to wrap it around his wrists. There was aching hesitation in your muscles as you pulled the looped end of where you'd folded it in half between his wrists and began to finish up with a soft huff, having left one wrist atop the other and his elbows splayed out. You really didn't quite want to do this, but you knew this moment couldn't last forever.
Your voice wasn't much more than a defeated mumble masked with the same caring intent you'd had the entire time, but you managed a barely muttered, "Hey, um... Close your eyes-- Please... Just for a second."
"They already are." he responded with a soft, reassuring tone that gave way to a flock of butterflies in your stomach.
"Thank you," you muttered weakly at that, beginning to shuffle to your feet with an ugly, stiff groan that nearly made him open them to make sure you were okay. But he wanted to do as was asked. He trusted you would tell him if you needed something else, as inclined as he felt in this moment to dote upon somebody for the first time in his life, and as curious as he was as he heard footsteps coming up towards his front.
There was a long pause full of silence.
And then a soft, hesitant "You can open them now," that barely made its way out of you as you looked down at his petite yet majestic body set up properly like a little doll you had posed, looking rife with pride and... To your surprise, relaxation as the red slits in the visor on his face began to widen into those wide, curious-but-calm orbs you knew so well.
They stared directly into your own eyes, offering a plethora of things he didn't want to or know how to say in the moment: I'm okay. I'm having fun. I feel alive. I'm giddy and excited. I'm confused. I'm overwhelmed. I'm relaxed. Some form, though you knew not what, of undying affection. And they said all of these things without a singular little twinkle or flicker.
"...Thank you." he said, finally breaking the silence. "I'd like to do this again and learn on many more of these subjects with you, if you would... Let me, even if I'm ill-equipped and not made to pair, let alone with humans."
"I would love to... So long as you come back to me more often." You paused to fiddle with your fingers and glance off to the side as you felt your stomach drop as you wondered to yourself if this was a bad thing to say. "I miss you when you go," you were barely able to murmur hoarsely. "I don't care about anything else with you, that's my one gripe."
"I've said it this entire time. I trust you." His gaze refused to falter, still bright and offering you purchase in your selfish request. Though it did happily squint as he said the most self-aware, truthful thing he had in years:
"I'll always come back to you."