Tarin knew that it would have been ignorant and immature to think that he and Lee would never have an argument. They’d come close one time before, after the building collapse when he’d been hung up on his feelings around the realization that the second kind of merge was a possibility. Now they’d actually had an argument, tangentially on the same topic, and Tarin wondered if it was going to keep coming up as a point of contention. It was something they were going to have to hash out.

None of that really mattered at the moment though, because Lee was right there, and she was smiling at him, and she seemed more than happy to kiss him back as he leaned down. A few moments, or an eternity, later Tarin pulled back and shifted a bit so he could wrap his arms around Lee in a hug. ”I really am sorry.” he said, echoing Lee’s sentiment from before the call.

Lee was a little disappointed when Tarin broke the kiss, but that was made at least a bit better when he shifted on the couch and wrapped both arms around her. Smiling up at him as she turned more as well, Lee wrapped her arms around Tarin’s neck. This was far more like it. Like them. Obviously, it wasn't realistic that they would never fight, especially when their thoughts and opinions differed as vastly as they had on this topic, but it was reassuring to know they were able to work through things.

”Me too,” Lee replied softly, forgetting at the moment that she had already said that. A lot had happened since those words had come out of her mouth. ”Are you ok?”

Lee wrapped her arms around his neck and Tarin sighed, dropping his head down onto her shoulder as they sat there on the couch.

This was what he should have done in the first place. Lee still would have been mad at him, but he really needed to stop trying to run off and sort things out on his own that were easier to sort together. Even if there wasn’t a good answer or a solution, this had to be better.

Lee reiterated that she was sorry too and asked if he was okay and Tarin shook his head against her shoulder. No, he really wasn’t okay. He was better than he had been when he’d gotten home, much better than when they’d been arguing. The unexpected phone call from Kevin had worked wonders…

But no, he really wasn’t okay.

”I will be though.” he said, voice muffled against her shoulder.

Lee smiled slightly when she felt Tarin’s head leaning against her shoulder and she shifted closer. Lee leaned her head against Tarin’s slightly as they sat there.

Then he shook his head when she asked if he was ok. He wasn’t ok. Lee took a breath as she placed a hand gently on the back of Tarin’s head and just sat there like that with him until he spoke.

But he would be ok.

Lee nodded, otherwise not moving as they sat there on the couch hugging. ”Anything I can do to help?”

Was there anything Lee could do?

”You could keep telling me how awesome I am.” Tarin said, ”Or how good I am at dating advice. That felt pretty good…”

Sighing a little and lifting his head, Tarin smiled a bit at Lee and leaned his forehead against hers, ”I’m honestly just worn out.” he said, thinking that it was more mental than physical, but the sentiment still stood. ”But I’m feeling better by the minute.”

He really was, and Tarin wondered just how long Lee would be okay with staying like this because it felt really nice.

Lee laughed when Tarin made some suggestions about what she could do to help. ”I’m not sure I would use the word ‘awesome’,” Lee replied to Tarin as she looked at him when he lifted his head off of her shoulder. Then shook her head slightly. ”No, not awesome. You’re incredible, great, loving, sexy…”

She trailed off as she smiled at him, then closed the now very small distance between them to give him another kiss.

But then Tarin got a little more serious again and Lee nodded. ”I get that,” Lee said, her voice soft. ”I barely moved from the couch after seeing the doctor today until you got home.”

Lee smiled at Tarin again as she let her fingers play with his hair slightly at the nape of his neck. ”I’m glad you’re starting to feel better, though.”

Oh God, Lee was actually listing things off…Tarin could feel the flush creeping up his neck and into his face as she spoke. He’d been joking, not fishing for compliments. Still, it was nice to hear that Lee thought all of those things, even if some of them were vast exaggerations.

Lee also understood what he meant, and Tarin had to think that she was probably one of the few people who really could. Her day had been difficult too, and Tarin couldn’t help but feel another pang of guilt at the fact that he had come in and made things worse for her.

”Anything I can do to help?” he reciprocated, trying not to squirm at the goosebumps Lee was causing as she messed with his hair.

Was Tarin actually blushing? It was really hard to tell with how close they were, his forehead resting against hers, but the idea made Lee smile wider than she already had been. She hadn’t been trying to get Tarin to blush, but it was a very nice effect of what she had said.

And Lee just continued to sit there with Tarin, foreheads together in silence as her fingers slowly moved through his hair until Tarin spoke. Even then, Lee was quiet for a few more moments.

”You already have helped,” Lee told him. ”But continuing this will help more.”

He had already helped? That felt more than a little generous considering how things had gone so far. Still, if Lee wanted to give him that kind of credit after everything, Tarin wasn’t going to argue. Especially when what Lee wanted was to continue what they were doing.

Tarin could absolutely handle that idea.

Sitting like this wasn’t particularly sustainable though, so Tarin turned back to lean against the couch, pulling Lee into his lap so they weren’t twisted all weird. It made sense, of course.

Once that was accomplished, Tarin snuggled back into Lee’s shoulder and smiled, ”More of this sounds good.” he said, content to stay that way as long as Lee wanted.

Tarin being there, him holding her, him agreeing to try speaking with Dr Rossi and trying to get comfortable in elevators before trying what he’d done with Shin again had gone a long way to making Lee feel better that evening.

But then Tarin was shifting, moving away from her, leaning back against the couch more normally. And Lee was disappointed. It wasn't the most comfortable position to stay in for a long time, but Lee was wanting to stay that close to Tarin.

A moment later, Tarin was pulling her onto his lap. Feeling Tarin snuggling his head into her shoulder again, Lee smiled, wrapping one arm around his neck as her other hand rested on his arm. ”More of this sounds very good,” Lee agreed, turning her head to kiss his temple.