Something rumbles in his chest, creaking, somewhere between a scoff and a laugh. “That's generous of you to say.”
Dizzying to have Tim here like this, under the circumstances. Bruce's body is accustomed to long periods without touch, without intimacy, but—they've wrung his body of as much hope as they have blood. And he's never given up, not once in his life, but the days are roiling past him like mist, and in the midst of the fog passing thoughts of his team—of Tim—have begun to carry with them the smell of death and decay.
He drops his hand to Tim's waist and draws him in more fully, twists his shaking fingers into the soft hair at the nape of Tim's neck. His pulse is hammering close to Tim's mouth. The meticulous care he applies in appearing unflappable within the walls of the compound can't win against the devastating relief of Tim being alive.
“I'm.” He's not glad Tim is here, he hates that Tim is here, he does, it's just been a terribly long time. He drags his hand down the side of Tim's face, tips his head up enough so Tim can see his eyes. There's still strength left in them, diamond-hard, but it's accented by the deep circles beneath his eyes, a set of stitches cutting through his eyebrow. “I missed you too.”
no subject
Dizzying to have Tim here like this, under the circumstances. Bruce's body is accustomed to long periods without touch, without intimacy, but—they've wrung his body of as much hope as they have blood. And he's never given up, not once in his life, but the days are roiling past him like mist, and in the midst of the fog passing thoughts of his team—of Tim—have begun to carry with them the smell of death and decay.
He drops his hand to Tim's waist and draws him in more fully, twists his shaking fingers into the soft hair at the nape of Tim's neck. His pulse is hammering close to Tim's mouth. The meticulous care he applies in appearing unflappable within the walls of the compound can't win against the devastating relief of Tim being alive.
“I'm.” He's not glad Tim is here, he hates that Tim is here, he does, it's just been a terribly long time. He drags his hand down the side of Tim's face, tips his head up enough so Tim can see his eyes. There's still strength left in them, diamond-hard, but it's accented by the deep circles beneath his eyes, a set of stitches cutting through his eyebrow. “I missed you too.”