[ A life of repression makes her reaction seem novel to him, a burst of affection from someone who is not a lover, or a sister, or his mother. Tim’s always been so careful about it, not just for the sake of propriety, but so that he doesn’t reveal too much about himself, lingering a second too long embracing a man, or not long enough with some poor girl he’ll have to find an excuse to let down. It’s easier to keep to himself, lock his affection in a box that can’t possibly contain the magnitude of it. To be able to open it now in front of Alicent is a new frontier. He feels no fear as he holds her tight, and not because she, like so many others in this place, have insisted that there’s nothing to fear, but because she’s the only one who understands that there is.
Tim lifts her off her feet just a little so that the effort to bridge the height difference is his, not hers. A thank you, an opening up just a little more, all in the flex of his arms. When he finally lets go, there’s still red around his eyes and wetness in the corners that his glasses can’t obscure, but there’s a smile, too. It’s always been dangerous to let himself be known too well, but despite the ache in both of them, it feels like a gulp of air after nearly drowning. Relief, community, and faith. ]
Thank you. Let’s get inside.
[ Tim is dressed casually, instead of in his nightclothes, but a warm embrace in the doorway might still give someone the wrong idea. ]
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2024-09-02 05:00 pm (UTC)Tim lifts her off her feet just a little so that the effort to bridge the height difference is his, not hers. A thank you, an opening up just a little more, all in the flex of his arms. When he finally lets go, there’s still red around his eyes and wetness in the corners that his glasses can’t obscure, but there’s a smile, too. It’s always been dangerous to let himself be known too well, but despite the ache in both of them, it feels like a gulp of air after nearly drowning. Relief, community, and faith. ]
Thank you. Let’s get inside.
[ Tim is dressed casually, instead of in his nightclothes, but a warm embrace in the doorway might still give someone the wrong idea. ]