（ unusually, perhaps, that question makes him look briefly chastised — a furrow to his brow, a self-directed downturn at one corner of his mouth. clearly, he should have given sasuke more credit than that. ）

No. I'm good. It was good. But thank you.

（ he strokes his hair, turning it into a slow and languid trace of his spine, culminating in the adjustment of that ice pack against sasuke's ass. ）

I'm going to say something. I need you to listen all the way through before you respond. You might have a bad reaction at first because there's a chance the first part will feel like a punishment or like I'm withdrawing from you — that's not it, that's why I need you to stay with me until the end. Good so far?