Oh. So he had admitted it outright. Of course he had, if he thought it was his last chance -
If there was one skill he’d mastered, one competency learned during that overland walk, is how to say goodbye. Which words will matter most when time is waning - more important than how to navigate or rig the sails. Whatever he’d said to Raju he’d meant with his whole heart.
“Words are some of the hardest things to get right, Raju,” he tells him, moving his head as asked.
Words were his weakness for a very long time. No charisma, no charm, no words to convince Sophia once and for all, no words for his men. He didn’t feel heard anyway.
“I assumed I’d overwhelmed you. And…keep overwhelming you, if I’m honest, judging by everything you just told me.” He pauses, grimacing slightly as Raju works through a particularly stubborn tangle in his hair. It still feels so lovely, having himself tended to in this way, Raju attentive fingers against his scalp, his chest feeling so full it’s overflowing.
He still wants to kiss him properly, take that dear face into his hand and bring them together in the way they both crave. But if he’s correct then Raju is overwhelmed, and anything more could push him over the edge. Hand holds and sweet conversations, he reminds himself.
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Oh. So he had admitted it outright. Of course he had, if he thought it was his last chance -
If there was one skill he’d mastered, one competency learned during that overland walk, is how to say goodbye. Which words will matter most when time is waning - more important than how to navigate or rig the sails. Whatever he’d said to Raju he’d meant with his whole heart.
“Words are some of the hardest things to get right, Raju,” he tells him, moving his head as asked.
Words were his weakness for a very long time. No charisma, no charm, no words to convince Sophia once and for all, no words for his men. He didn’t feel heard anyway.
“I assumed I’d overwhelmed you. And…keep overwhelming you, if I’m honest, judging by everything you just told me.” He pauses, grimacing slightly as Raju works through a particularly stubborn tangle in his hair. It still feels so lovely, having himself tended to in this way, Raju attentive fingers against his scalp, his chest feeling so full it’s overflowing.
He still wants to kiss him properly, take that dear face into his hand and bring them together in the way they both crave. But if he’s correct then Raju is overwhelmed, and anything more could push him over the edge. Hand holds and sweet conversations, he reminds himself.
“What were the three words?”