[As Oliver fumbles with his words, Connor sits up so that he can take his cheek in his hand, steadying him. His fingers curl in the hair at the base of his neck, pleading with him to stay with him in the moment.]

Oliver...just relax.

[Much like the man with whom he is entangled, Connor fears that the moment they stop, this thing that they have built between them, that he has craved and sought for so long, will flee again like shadows scared away by the light. It comes as a cold twist in his gut, a sharp stutter in his heart, the fear that Oliver will leave him and he will be alone. It is a fear he had never known in the life he led before.]

I wouldn't have asked you if I didn't have you covered. [A breathy laugh pops at his lips.] Literally too, I guess. Hold on--

[He pushes gently at Oliver's shoulders and so that he can slip away, just enough to reach the edge of the bed. There he slides his underwear down from his thighs to let them fall to the floor, and then he fishes from the drawer what he's looking for. By some strange coincidence or stroke of luck, he had received a comically large box of condoms just the day before.

And with every movement of his body, he is mindful of the show he provides Oliver. He inhabits his body with a confidence that is palpable in the way that a planet is swathed in its own atmosphere. Returning to him, he flashes the small square package like a prize, and flashes a grin to go with it.]

I think these were supposed to be some sort of consolation prize.