"I don't think it's so bad that I like having a dom and want to keep him."

"I like having a dom and want to keep her. That's not the potentially bad part of this deal."

"That's what it sounded like you were saying..."

"No, the bad part of this deal is if you like it so much that you actually harm yourself and risk your health because of it. Your life's worth more than your relationship."

"Yeah, because my life was great before," snorts Jackson.

"See also: depression."

"But I'm okay now," says Jackson earnestly.

"No, you're in a relationship now, if you still don't like your life very much that's still depression."

"My life is better, now," clarifies Jackson.

He sighs.

"It is. And I'm not kneeling at people, I honestly thought you'd be happier about me not kneeling at people, you thought it was a huge awful thing."

"I am happy about you not kneeling at people. I'm happy you don't feel the need to do it, I'm just not sure this was the very best way for that to happen."

"How else was it supposed to happen?"

"With you at least telling your dom about the things you don't want so that you're both getting as much out of it as you possibly can."

"Well. I suck at that. So."

He shrugs. "You asked me to get off your back, so. Getting off."

...Jackson emits a juvenile snort.

"What?"

"...You said 'getting off', it wasn't like a masterpiece of humor, just."

...snort. "I had not meant it that way, it was entirely unintentional."

"I know."

He shakes his head and continues eating.

Jackson finishes his food and departs.

And Sadde finishes his and goes to work, as usual.

And when Easter break rolls around Isabella brings her pet to the train station and they go to Phoenix.