"I think she wouldn't immediately jump to the idea that I hired a warlord and destroyer of worlds," she teased. "You wouldn't stay for long, if you didn't want to."
She looked up at him, her eyes soft with affection. “I’d be glad to have you on board,” she said softly.
She laughed, flushing at him, the tips of her ears flickering down. Her hair grew even more messy by his tousling. “I really think I could persuade her.”
“‘Mama, this is my friend Z, and he thinks I could be pretty, so we gotta keep him around.’ Trust me, that’ll work.”
She looked up at him, beaming at him, although that rosy flush was still prominent. “Trust me. I know my mama. She’s desperate to get someone to say I have potential.”
Her flush deepened and she looked up at him with wide eyes. “You’re being so... affectionate,” she said, laughing a little. “You never take my hand first, you always just tolerate it when I take yours. I thought it made you uncomfortable.”
He laughed a little, raising his eyebrow with an amused expression. "You still took it even if you thought it made me uncomfortable?"
She looked downright mortified, her brow furrowing. “Well... I thought you would tell me if it made you uncomfortable, and I thought you were just being polite, like you do when we wake up next to each other. I know you don’t like being touched by me...”
She looked up at him, her eyes softening. “But... you didn’t like it when I hugged you. And when we woke up the other day, you panicked.” She gave a small little laugh, shaking her head. “Maybe it’s just me...”
“Well, maybe you’ve just gotten used to me glomming onto you at any moment,” she replied self-consciously. “That doesn’t mean you like it.”
She looked up at him, slowly going to let go of his hand. “Fine with it means you don’t like it,” she said, frowning.
He raised an eyebrow, seeming mildly annoyed at this. "If I didn't like it I would say that I don't like it."
