[Honestly, Fitz hadn't ever really expected to hear Skye say it. It was something he just kind of felt, kind of knew whenever he was around her. She had a history and was wary of letting people in and he knew that. Even with his skewed memories he know how hard it was for her to just let someone close. So he'd happily taken what she'd given and kept her close alongside Bucky.
Because for Fitz it was perfect. It was safe. It was home.
But to hear her say it made a shiver course through him, his eyes widening slightly as he stared down at her, hands resting on her waist still. His fingers twitched, one after the other, before he was able to actually get his hands moving and both lifted to gently cup her cheeks.
There was a softness in his gaze that rarely showed himself, not like this, and a ghost of a smile touched his lips.]
A thing, yeah. A good thing.
[A perfect thing.
Such a perfect thing that he leaned in to bump their noses together before his forehead pressed to hers and he took in a breath as his thumbs stroked her cheeks.]
[There's a moment where she probably looks as scared as she feels, and then something in her relaxes as he speaks and he pulls her closer, and she's struck again by how true it is. She loves him, she does and that kind of feeling isn't one that she's known all too much in her life, and it's probably going to hurt her, but she can't help it, and she doesn't think she wants to either. Maybe that's supposed to be the point? That loving someone is supposed to be the easier answer because not doing it's unthinkable. Love's something that she's always fought kicking and screaming, for it or away from it or to hide from it or run to it, she really doesn't know.
Skye lets out a breath and closes her eyes, trying to tamp down on that sort of blind terror that builds when she admits to this sort of thing. She hadn't had the chance to be scared about that when she'd admitted it to Bucky. She didn't have much time at all.
She breathes once, and then again, curling her arms up around his neck so that she can hold on to him, feathers flat against her head and shuddering along her wings. If she just held them out in front of her, she's sure her hands would be shaking. She's exhausted, and still aches, and this sort of thing is harder for her than she wants to admit to.
After a moment she pauses, and then sort of breathes out a laugh, in that sort of laugh so you don't cry way, and looks up at him with that same sort of hopeless half smile she keeps making.]
Hey, I that went better than last time I said it. No one died.
[Skye, queen of bad timing, terrible jokes, and an inability to get through emotional conversations. Also it's the only way to explain really exactly how messy the situation was with Bucky when she'd died. Her timing was impressively bad sometimes, and she's still not sure how kind her timing was, even if she couldn't let him say it to her without saying it back at the time. She couldn't. ]
[To be fair, Fitz has never really had good luck when it comes to relationships. He's always been far too awkward for most people to give him a second glance and the one person he'd felt drawn to, attracted to, back home...well. That hadn't really gone the way he'd intended it to. Nothing had, actually.
This feels like something so different, though. Something far more precious and more real than any of the feelings he'd ever had before in regards to others. With Skye it was all so natural and it sort of felt like coming home, in a way. When he was with her he felt like he could face the world; face anything the humans--that the Bloody Bones themselves--had to throw at them.
He nuzzles close to her as she relaxes in his arms, pressing a hesitant, almost shy kiss to her temple. It's only when she lets out a breathy laugh that he draws back slightly to give her a questioning look--
One that quickly turns to an amused sort of exasperation.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
[Action]
Because for Fitz it was perfect. It was safe. It was home.
But to hear her say it made a shiver course through him, his eyes widening slightly as he stared down at her, hands resting on her waist still. His fingers twitched, one after the other, before he was able to actually get his hands moving and both lifted to gently cup her cheeks.
There was a softness in his gaze that rarely showed himself, not like this, and a ghost of a smile touched his lips.]
A thing, yeah. A good thing.
[A perfect thing.
Such a perfect thing that he leaned in to bump their noses together before his forehead pressed to hers and he took in a breath as his thumbs stroked her cheeks.]
I love you too.
[Action]
[There's a moment where she probably looks as scared as she feels, and then something in her relaxes as he speaks and he pulls her closer, and she's struck again by how true it is. She loves him, she does and that kind of feeling isn't one that she's known all too much in her life, and it's probably going to hurt her, but she can't help it, and she doesn't think she wants to either. Maybe that's supposed to be the point? That loving someone is supposed to be the easier answer because not doing it's unthinkable. Love's something that she's always fought kicking and screaming, for it or away from it or to hide from it or run to it, she really doesn't know.
Skye lets out a breath and closes her eyes, trying to tamp down on that sort of blind terror that builds when she admits to this sort of thing. She hadn't had the chance to be scared about that when she'd admitted it to Bucky. She didn't have much time at all.
She breathes once, and then again, curling her arms up around his neck so that she can hold on to him, feathers flat against her head and shuddering along her wings. If she just held them out in front of her, she's sure her hands would be shaking. She's exhausted, and still aches, and this sort of thing is harder for her than she wants to admit to.
After a moment she pauses, and then sort of breathes out a laugh, in that sort of laugh so you don't cry way, and looks up at him with that same sort of hopeless half smile she keeps making.]
Hey, I that went better than last time I said it. No one died.
[Skye, queen of bad timing, terrible jokes, and an inability to get through emotional conversations. Also it's the only way to explain really exactly how messy the situation was with Bucky when she'd died. Her timing was impressively bad sometimes, and she's still not sure how kind her timing was, even if she couldn't let him say it to her without saying it back at the time. She couldn't. ]
[Action]
This feels like something so different, though. Something far more precious and more real than any of the feelings he'd ever had before in regards to others. With Skye it was all so natural and it sort of felt like coming home, in a way. When he was with her he felt like he could face the world; face anything the humans--that the Bloody Bones themselves--had to throw at them.
He nuzzles close to her as she relaxes in his arms, pressing a hesitant, almost shy kiss to her temple. It's only when she lets out a breathy laugh that he draws back slightly to give her a questioning look--
One that quickly turns to an amused sort of exasperation.]
Good. That's good. I rather like being alive.