[Was that what made him change...? Probably not. More like his ability to trust Denji in that moment - but he doesn't want to admit that when he's lifting his hand from the water, bringing it to his lips and pressing the artery right against them. It feels overly intimate, like when he kissed the barrel. Something he doesn't think he can get used to. And then Denji hums like that, asks if he's nervous, and he realizes it's still pounding like he ran a marathon and only just stopped. He just can't get him to relax.]

It's... No. I'm not nervous. [He turns his chin to press against the side of his head, casting his glance elsewhere.] I... swallowed it. [Ugh. It feels embarrassing to admit. Like he should be shamed for it.] The chunk. So it's...

[There's a brief pause. He stares hard at the opposite wall, lit up by the color shifting from the water, reflection shifting each time one of them moves a little bit. He's not still hard, is he? Surely that went down enough.]

...We can still get char siu. [Like Denji, he doesn't bring up the idea of running away. Char siu is one thing; running away is a different story.]