[ He takes the hint and eats quietly for a few minutes, expression thoughtful as he watches Kaoru's face. Slowly - so slowly - his usual aggravating smile slides back into place. Unsure of the situation he might be, but unsure of himself? Never. Doubt kept crawling in, he needed to learn to fend it off. He was confident in everything else, why not this? ]

There is no inconvenience where affection is involved. The heart is light and all things are weightless. I will not shower you with gifts or pressure you with handicraft. Only, please allow me, from time to time, to give you something? It satisfies my need to maintain a semblance of normalcy, and truly, it brightens my day when anything I can do that does not require magic can change the color of a man's face.