[ credence gives too much of himself and that's part of the problem. it's why if everything graves did had been utterly predatory, eating away at him, he'd just have nothing left. but this is... different, and he knows that.

the fingers in his hair are nice, but his attention is taken by their foreheads being pressed together. he closes his eyes with a hum since trying to look from this close a proximity is just a blurry mess. he's in this moment of comfort when graves speaks and credence startles visibly and tangibly, pulling his head back enough to stare at him wide-eyed. somehow, he'd never thought anything would actually transpire outside these walls. ]

I--you're not well enough to leave yet, what if we get caught? She'll kill you, I know it, I don't want anything to happen to you, if it's that or suffer here I'd rather suffer--

[ he pauses, trying to calm himself, taking a couple of slow breaths and looking at him properly again, searching.

then: ] Yes. Yes, of course.