Honestly, after the last month, he'd been so genuinely ready to believe he'd done nothing right. He'd lost too much to be of any worth - and the pulse in his blood hadn't helped, if anything, it had reinforced it all.

It's hard to believe he won't wake up tomorrow and find this all slipped through his grasp.

But he'll take it, right now. Take that familiar smile and the threads they built back up into something whole. Maybe... there's finally a real chance.

"Hey, I've got time. Don't I?"