Just - tell me, if it's too much. [A lot of this is for himself, he can't deny that. Touching her steadies him, proves she is real and solid and alive. But it's for her too. He wants to be a comfort, but he doesn't really know how else to do it.]
[Gently, he takes her face in both hands. He doesn't move after that, giving her what he hopes is enough time to adjust. Something like this would have been an overwhelming gesture for him years ago, so he channels that slowness towards her, knowing he'd appreciate it in reverse.]
[And then even more slowly, fighting back against how terrified he is, how hurt he is, he leans in. If it's too much, he hopes he'll notice it, but she doesn't stop him, so at last he closes that distance and quietly presses his forehead to hers. His vision blurs over again, but it's the most steady he's felt since she told him to come home.]
[Clarke is alive. He needs to remember that as the most important thing right now, because otherwise he's not going to be able to handle any of it. She lived. As far as he's been able to tell, she's still herself inside, and that has to be the biggest part that matters. Holding her here and close, despite how potentially dangerous it is, enforces all that.]
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[Gently, he takes her face in both hands. He doesn't move after that, giving her what he hopes is enough time to adjust. Something like this would have been an overwhelming gesture for him years ago, so he channels that slowness towards her, knowing he'd appreciate it in reverse.]
[And then even more slowly, fighting back against how terrified he is, how hurt he is, he leans in. If it's too much, he hopes he'll notice it, but she doesn't stop him, so at last he closes that distance and quietly presses his forehead to hers. His vision blurs over again, but it's the most steady he's felt since she told him to come home.]
[Clarke is alive. He needs to remember that as the most important thing right now, because otherwise he's not going to be able to handle any of it. She lived. As far as he's been able to tell, she's still herself inside, and that has to be the biggest part that matters. Holding her here and close, despite how potentially dangerous it is, enforces all that.]