Times Square

Quan settles next to her and grabs a covered plate and starts eating quietly. "Your catfish, if you still want it, is in the black covered plate there," he gestures with his fork. "But feel free to try anything."

"Think I'll stick with my catfish."

He shrugs and keeps eating, finishing off his first plate as he reaches for another and starts on it.

Quan eats in silence, looking at her after a moment, gaze studying, though he looks back at his food a moment later.

"I think I need to rest, my head's starting to throb again."

Quan looks at her again, breaking his long silence as he set aside his fourth plate. "Kas, wait," he says quietly, uncertain of himself for a long moment.

"What?"

Studying again, his mouth opens as he tries to find the right words. It closes again and turquoise eyes grow conflicted, and he mentally curses himself for lacking courage. "You're an awful liar," he murmurs quietly, looking away. "If there's something on your mind, then speak it."

"Fine! You want me to speak my mind? How about the fact that I have feelings for you you don't even acknowledge, that kiss wasn't entirely an accident, and you being here is just making it harder to run from you."

He flinches for the first time, eyes closing against the remarks before they open again. "Wrong." His voice remains quiet, though its evenness falters as he looks at her again, eyes vivid. "They haven't gone unnoticed, and there's nothing more--" he stops, mouth closing as he jaw ticks, and he starts again. "Kas, it's not that I don't want to acknowledge them. I want nothing more than to be able to as I've wanted to for years, but..." Quan gestures to himself, scales peeking out from the collar of his shirt again and he looks down, unable to find the words he needs, and then he curses quietly.

However, Quan extends a hand to her with a small sigh as he fights himself, and he says, gentle and quiet, "Come here."

"You think I care about that? If that mattered to me, I wouldn't have kissed you, you idiot."

He doesn't look up until he sees her shadow, and then gently he takes her hand and pulls her to him. Arms envelope her and pull her to him as he rests his chin atop her head softly, and his eyes open again though wary. "It's not that entirely," he admits after a moment. "It's only that..." Another sigh escapes and his lips quirk in an almost solemn smirk. "Never mind. I've never been good at explaining things."