"Really?" Grimhilde asks, hope flickering in his eyes. "Even with that... thing on your face? Even though it makes you look hideous?" His voice breaks, and he swallows thickly before continuing, "You don't find me repulsive?"

He reaches out a trembling hand, tentatively touching Satoshi's cheek. "Please," he whispers. "Don't leave me."

"Thank you," Grimhilde whispers, his voice barely audible over the sound of his heart racing in relief. "You have no idea how much it means to me." He places a shaking hand against Satoshi's chest, feeling the other's steady heartbeat beneath his fingertips. It's reassuring, calming...

"I can be selfish," he admits with a small laugh that sounds more like a cough, "but I do have my reasons for keeping you here.