[ That tugged at Thomas' heart enough to bring tears to his eyes. He remembered acting this way, in every romance he'd ever had. With each of his friends (especially with Enola) and then again with Edith, when he'd finally discovered what romantic love could really be. He'd been so clingy. So needy for them to be his world and rescue. Edith had just been this bright sunlight that lit up his world and blinded him to any possibilities of failure. She'd just been so strong, so capable and driven. ]
[ But she was a person too, and not his perfect savior. He was the weaker of them, but that didn't make her strength or understanding endless. He'd had to learn that the hard way. And given how this friendship was forming, Thomas wondered whether Swede could ever learn the same lesson about him. ]
[ He could try to save Swede. Embroil himself in the dangerous affairs of others, to try to alleviate the pain of a fellow victim. But that didn't make him Swede's savior in everything. Edith couldn't fill that role and neither could he. But they had to start somewhere. The first rays of sunlight after so long, were going to be blinding. But Thomas was determined to help Swede's eyes adjust. He squeezes the other man's hand back, even though it was probably dirtier than Thomas was fully prepared to think about. ]
[ The former baronet is considering how to answer Swede's question about other worlds, when the next question is asked atop it. The answer to that is both easier and more important, so Thomas agrees, ] You can.
no subject
[ That tugged at Thomas' heart enough to bring tears to his eyes. He remembered acting this way, in every romance he'd ever had. With each of his friends (especially with Enola) and then again with Edith, when he'd finally discovered what romantic love could really be. He'd been so clingy. So needy for them to be his world and rescue. Edith had just been this bright sunlight that lit up his world and blinded him to any possibilities of failure. She'd just been so strong, so capable and driven. ]
[ But she was a person too, and not his perfect savior. He was the weaker of them, but that didn't make her strength or understanding endless. He'd had to learn that the hard way. And given how this friendship was forming, Thomas wondered whether Swede could ever learn the same lesson about him. ]
[ He could try to save Swede. Embroil himself in the dangerous affairs of others, to try to alleviate the pain of a fellow victim. But that didn't make him Swede's savior in everything. Edith couldn't fill that role and neither could he. But they had to start somewhere. The first rays of sunlight after so long, were going to be blinding. But Thomas was determined to help Swede's eyes adjust. He squeezes the other man's hand back, even though it was probably dirtier than Thomas was fully prepared to think about. ]
[ The former baronet is considering how to answer Swede's question about other worlds, when the next question is asked atop it. The answer to that is both easier and more important, so Thomas agrees, ] You can.