[ when her eyes fill with tears again, at least it's for a different reason. it had taken carolina so long to see him fully as her equal and then he turns around and... he's her best friend, knows her better than anyone else ever has. and still says shit like that to her. still wants to stay with her.
she's missed him being himself and she loves him so much and she doesn't mind that she has to duck her head to wipe her face off another time, sniffling a little behind her hands as she pulls herself back together. she'll sort words out in a minute, once she's stopped crying again, because this is embarrassing as hell. it's a long, painful few seconds, but eventually she manages and sits upright to take a deep breath, pushing the sleeves of her sweater up to her elbows, baring her forearms and the mess that is the back of her hands.
reaching out to brush her fingertips across the back of one of his hands is her way of accepting help from him now and serves the bonus purpose of sharing just how much she appreciates him. she's so bad at words but for all the grief and pain and exhaustion simmering beneath the surface, the most obvious thing she shares with him is affection: warm, protective love. ]
I'm not leaving you, either.
[ because she has to keep looking out for him, yes, but also because she needs him far more than she'll ever be capable of admitting. ]
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she's missed him being himself and she loves him so much and she doesn't mind that she has to duck her head to wipe her face off another time, sniffling a little behind her hands as she pulls herself back together. she'll sort words out in a minute, once she's stopped crying again, because this is embarrassing as hell. it's a long, painful few seconds, but eventually she manages and sits upright to take a deep breath, pushing the sleeves of her sweater up to her elbows, baring her forearms and the mess that is the back of her hands.
reaching out to brush her fingertips across the back of one of his hands is her way of accepting help from him now and serves the bonus purpose of sharing just how much she appreciates him. she's so bad at words but for all the grief and pain and exhaustion simmering beneath the surface, the most obvious thing she shares with him is affection: warm, protective love. ]
I'm not leaving you, either.
[ because she has to keep looking out for him, yes, but also because she needs him far more than she'll ever be capable of admitting. ]