He settles into a wide grin as she dips her head like royalty, her dramatics enough to soothe the last of his fluster. That she plays along and leans into the joke loosens his shoulders with quiet relief. As for the consent, he huffs a faint laugh, shaking his head, "noted." He'll be sure to ask next time if someone wants an accidental nip touch.
The wink, though? That stalls him out a bit. He blinks, unsure what to do with that—A joke? A secret message, implying consent is in fact... not attractive? Something else entirely? He isn’t sure, but he offers back a half-smile and a glance over towards Goose, who has fallen asleep on top of his stick.
When she swims over and settles in beside him, he offers a nervous little laugh at her question. “Isn’t everyone still figuring that out?” he hedges, eyes finding her's, still light with the ease of being with her, but there's an edge of worry now. If she says no, it just might hit deeper than he'd like, another notch of his failure to keep track of.
He exhales slowly, the heat of the water and the soft intensity of her gaze both working to loosen something in his chest, to give her an actual answer. “I think…” He frowns a little with the effort of honesty. “I think I spent a long time digging this pit. Grief, guilt, fear... and I kept digging, thinking I’d hit some bottom where I could put it all.”
He shrugs, eyes scanning the rising steam. “But there’s no bottom." A pause, then he adds a bit quieter, head tilting against the edge. "Might still be digging if an old friend and some new ones didn't yell down the pit and finally make me look up again. So now I'm trying to climb out, but it's a long way to go still, and I think who I am is at the top.” At least he hopes so, hopes that the happiness he once knew is still up there, waiting.
The wink, though? That stalls him out a bit. He blinks, unsure what to do with that—A joke? A secret message, implying consent is in fact... not attractive? Something else entirely? He isn’t sure, but he offers back a half-smile and a glance over towards Goose, who has fallen asleep on top of his stick.
When she swims over and settles in beside him, he offers a nervous little laugh at her question. “Isn’t everyone still figuring that out?” he hedges, eyes finding her's, still light with the ease of being with her, but there's an edge of worry now. If she says no, it just might hit deeper than he'd like, another notch of his failure to keep track of.
He exhales slowly, the heat of the water and the soft intensity of her gaze both working to loosen something in his chest, to give her an actual answer. “I think…” He frowns a little with the effort of honesty. “I think I spent a long time digging this pit. Grief, guilt, fear... and I kept digging, thinking I’d hit some bottom where I could put it all.”
He shrugs, eyes scanning the rising steam. “But there’s no bottom." A pause, then he adds a bit quieter, head tilting against the edge. "Might still be digging if an old friend and some new ones didn't yell down the pit and finally make me look up again. So now I'm trying to climb out, but it's a long way to go still, and I think who I am is at the top.” At least he hopes so, hopes that the happiness he once knew is still up there, waiting.
Iskra
