He puts a hand above his head like he's about to pretend to faint. Despite that, he leans back into his touch.

"I'm doomed! I'm going to be an experiment, a test subject! I can feel it!"

They walk inside.

[END]

When they're finally back outside their apartment, after dinner is over, he pauses at the door. He turns to him.

"Thanks for taking me out today. I had a great time.

Also, go easy on me when we get in there, okay? I need to make it to Clark's place in one piece."

Despite his enthusiasm, he's keeping his voice down.

"And that's why I said virtual because you can do whatever you want to be doing in a fake place.

But not here, we're still limited by real place rules.

Real place shoe rules!"

He takes a drink. He's still red.

"Esme, I usually don't react that way because I don't have a reason to be embarrassed about anything.

Look at you, listen to yourself."

He taps the table repeatedly to underline every word.

"I want you really badly all the time."

+

"...So?

Never mind, I don't know what I wanted to say. I'm still fighting for the ability to put sentences together.

We might need to plan more virtual reality dates."

"Normally, I am wonderful at keeping my composure!"

No, he's not.

"So..."

He takes the time to gently use his shoe to lower Esme's. He nudges his leg twice before settling down.

+

He feels Esme's shoe on his leg.

It doesn't take long for him to turn red again.

"I don't blush easily. It only happens when I feel a little embarrassed."

+

"Also (I just said also) it's been a long time since I've been asked out like this, it's a little different from what we've been doing already, so I'm uh..."

A laugh slips out of him.

"Gosh, you're handsome."

He's going through a lot internally, and all of it is positive.

"Also, nobody has ever been nearly that entertained or enamored by me talking about bug trivia for that long. I'm not even sure if I've ever done it, nobody else asked me to do it."

He shakes his hand.

+

"We should talk like this more often. I like hearing you when you're at your best, I totally understand why you had me talking about beetles for so long."

He leans in slightly and straightens himself out.

+

He opens his eyes again.

"I don't want you to feel like you're alone, or that you're the only one that needs to make changes.

We're working hard together."

"And it's completely out of control sometimes, but it's out of control in a way that doesn't feel like it's anything at all, and because it's read as nothing..."

He closes his eyes.

"I promise this has a point, I'm not trying to ruin the moment."

+

"It's not that I feel like I've been unheard, I just feel a strong urge to warn others about certain things."

He lowers his hand and taps the table.

+

"...I explain things too much."

For example, Ted leaping over a table and sliding across the floor at a Justice League meeting to be the first to explain something.

+

"You look so good today. And you're getting more confident with me, it's really nice to see you so happy."

When they're seated, Ted immediately takes Esme's hand. He only releases it to lift his drink. That does not stop him from racing his hand across the table when Esme isn't drinking either.

He's making up for splitting his attention between Esme and the bugs.

+

He waves the idea off.

"Eat what you want. If you don't feel like you could eat it today, I'll get it for you tomorrow. It's no trouble."

He deactivates the forcefield.