[ Will is always worried about others learning what he is and fearing him. To reassure someone who seems as overwhelmed as he himself often feels, to tell them he's not afraid of them — it's projection, perhaps, but it's the most intimate promise Will can give when so little else exists between them. And as Peter stops curling away from him, remains in place as if all Will had to do all this time was reach out to keep something fragile and important near himself—
Will is rapidly overwhelmed, but it's the type of overwhelmed you can get from a hot bath. Comfort, too much of it all at once, unsure how to let yourself relax into it.
The words are enough to stun him. Will's silent, caught by his own sudden riptide of emotions. Peter wants...to stay. To stay close by, closer than their rooms, booked at the same time in first class, already are. It's a signal of trust returned that Will would never have anticipated. He feels like he's holding something too fragile, that he might break it.
Will swallows and realizes it's because his eyes are watering. He hopes the lone tear that he feels spill over onto his left cheek goes unnoticed in the half-light. ] —Yeah. Yes, you can. You can, you can have the bed, I'll— [ It's only now, as he readily and instinctively goes to excuse some distance — 'I'll take the sofa' — that Will recognizes what he's doing. And recognizes the fact that he first thought of a much younger child, sharing a parent's bed. Will hasn't ever provided that for someone else.
He's shifting to stand, is still hanging onto Peter, offering support in getting to their collective feet. He's also instinctively stripping off his outer winter jacket, leaving just a blazer on underneath. He thinks of the man he'd met the other night who'd helped him — Benedict — doing that same thing, as Will presses his coat in around Peter's shoulders. ] —I'll just, uh. Stay as close by as you want me.
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Will is rapidly overwhelmed, but it's the type of overwhelmed you can get from a hot bath. Comfort, too much of it all at once, unsure how to let yourself relax into it.
The words are enough to stun him. Will's silent, caught by his own sudden riptide of emotions. Peter wants...to stay. To stay close by, closer than their rooms, booked at the same time in first class, already are. It's a signal of trust returned that Will would never have anticipated. He feels like he's holding something too fragile, that he might break it.
Will swallows and realizes it's because his eyes are watering. He hopes the lone tear that he feels spill over onto his left cheek goes unnoticed in the half-light. ] —Yeah. Yes, you can. You can, you can have the bed, I'll— [ It's only now, as he readily and instinctively goes to excuse some distance — 'I'll take the sofa' — that Will recognizes what he's doing. And recognizes the fact that he first thought of a much younger child, sharing a parent's bed. Will hasn't ever provided that for someone else.
He's shifting to stand, is still hanging onto Peter, offering support in getting to their collective feet. He's also instinctively stripping off his outer winter jacket, leaving just a blazer on underneath. He thinks of the man he'd met the other night who'd helped him — Benedict — doing that same thing, as Will presses his coat in around Peter's shoulders. ] —I'll just, uh. Stay as close by as you want me.