So this has been a bit of a lesson. He's been teaching Tom, though he doesn't seem to need much in the way of fundamentals, teaching him that he can trust this way, open up to discomfort and pain and still feel safe.

But it's not just a lesson for Tom. This has to flow both ways. He has to realize that at some point it isn't even up to him anymore.

"Shit, I'm close," he grates, still looking down, lips parted and wet. It comes out less as a warning... and more as a promise.