"Am I still allowed to kiss you?" she asked standing outside the door

"Quietly, and with great care." he replied, smiling at her as he took the shirt off it's hanger.

Andy watched her walk over to him with her hands clapped together. She kept looking at him from underneath her lashes, unsure of whether to look at all. He had his undershirt and trousers on, but this was temporarily his space, and she wasn't sure how to navigate it yet.

If this was any other time he would have found her nervousness amusing, but now he saw a certain anxiety in her caution that made him want to do everything possible to alleviate her fears.

Andy reached out an arm to her. She looked at his hand for the longest time before taking it, but as soon as she did her restraint became even harder to maintain. She wanted to pull her other hand to her face and reign in her eyes from glistening and giving her away. Instead she shifted her face to try and loosen her jaw from hardening, but her efforts just exasperated her. The only way she could refocus was to look at the floor and take a breath before looking back at him.

"I…" she started.

He tilted his head to see what her face was saying when her words couldn't, but some how it felt invasive and he looked away again.

"I'm right here," he spoke for her.

She smiled, pulling in her emotions rather than expressing them."Yes you are."

"And I could use some help," he added, handing her his shirt.

He watched her eyes look up at him suddenly focused, allowing every other emotion to fall back while she was given something to do. Her smile now loosened her jaw, and her shoulders fell back as she moved forward and carefully unbuttoned the shirt in her hand.

"No reaching above my head remember?"

She dipped her head and allowed a small smile as she pulled the shirt sleeves up his arms.

"How were you able to get your undershirt on?"

"With great difficulty. Have you seen my hair?" he replied dipping his head slightly so she could see the mass of unruly silver on top of his head.

"Oh," she said, ruffling his locks in a playful manner before smoothing them out again.

She made her way to the last button and kept her hands there clutched on each side of his shirt. The tension that left her jaw was behind her eyes now and she forgot why she thought it was so important to hold it back.

"I ah…I like your shirt," she said.

He wanted to hold her. He wanted to hold her like they were dancing. He didn't want to hug her, but hold her so it wasn't clear where she started and he began. He wanted her to hear the music he heard whenever she entered the room. He wanted her to know that he was alive, breathing and here.

He took one of her hands that held his shirt and turned it over in his hand. He felt her fingers loosen around his own and he brought her two fingers to his lips.

"I like your shirt too," he replied.

He watched her eyes light up and her other hand reach up to wipe away a tear that hadn't fallen yet. She laughed at him, and he laughed with her.

"I'm going to kiss you now," she said as she turned his chin towards her. "Quietly, and with great care," she added.

.

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A/N: So I woke up far too early this morning and wrote this…