[ there's more to be said about convincing him to stay, and it almost brings back the wash of guilt for having ever left her in the first place. but he knows that's not what she means. she only wants to have him around more, and the expression of that in itself, so freely from her lips has him nodding without another word.
a quiet huff of a laugh is all he responds with. he can stay more often. if it makes her happy, he'll delegate. there's room in his life to adjust for her. he has to, after all, after the last time he refused to do so resulted her in almost losing her life. there's no way he's letting that happen again.
the thought comes and goes in the space between two beats of music, and he allows her touch to his side to ground him in the moment. they can have the moments in between words like this, where he pulls her a little closer to lessen the chill and guide their linked hands to his neck so he can encircle her waist and sway a little closer together.
he often feels her gaze rather than sees it, knowing it by now to be the thoughtful way she holds such clarity in her eyes, a way of observing the world that escapes him sometimes, her thoughts a mystery sometimes that he can't help but be drawn to. his eyes lift to hers. it's not entirely surprising that she must feel a sense of distance with her own team. he's seen the way she brushes aside the notifications and knows that her relationship to the Avengers is different than his with his own teams.
no subject
a quiet huff of a laugh is all he responds with. he can stay more often. if it makes her happy, he'll delegate. there's room in his life to adjust for her. he has to, after all, after the last time he refused to do so resulted her in almost losing her life. there's no way he's letting that happen again.
the thought comes and goes in the space between two beats of music, and he allows her touch to his side to ground him in the moment. they can have the moments in between words like this, where he pulls her a little closer to lessen the chill and guide their linked hands to his neck so he can encircle her waist and sway a little closer together.
he often feels her gaze rather than sees it, knowing it by now to be the thoughtful way she holds such clarity in her eyes, a way of observing the world that escapes him sometimes, her thoughts a mystery sometimes that he can't help but be drawn to. his eyes lift to hers. it's not entirely surprising that she must feel a sense of distance with her own team. he's seen the way she brushes aside the notifications and knows that her relationship to the Avengers is different than his with his own teams.
his gaze holds a question before he voices it. ]
Do they know about me? About us?