[ To be foiled by his own enthusiasm and needing to heal is a vexing combination. It's not what he wants, not by a longshot, but with his back still smarting as he ignores it there's nothing else to do but stop. Well - stop with larger, grander gestures beyond keeping his hand going through her hair, anyway, as Claude attempts tamping down need by labeling it want without much success on either front. Likely because in truth it's both in a potent combination he's always been weak to when it comes to her.
But there's time, even if patience in this regard isn't his specialty as Hilda looks back at him. He'll just have to wait. If he'd made it through the better part of a war before they were together again - well. This is nothing in comparison. ]
In the negative? That's harsh. Don't think I'm above trying to get back into your good graces.
[ There's a second where Claude tries to follow this up with a pout - shamelessly borrowing a page out of Hilda's own playbook - though it doesn't last long before he realizes the full (or any) effect of it will be lost with his beard in the way. Instead he closes his eyes for a second when her hand finds his face, then turns to kiss her palm before looking back at her. ]
I think I've lost track of where things hurt at this point. [ It's not a very good joke despite the blithe tone considering the truth never is all that humorous, and too late he realizes that plays into Hilda's second question. When his eyes widen slightly in apprehension a second later in recognition of that it's genuine. ] And please don't. I'm sure someone will be by to prod me in the morning and I'd like to limit it from happening until then.
[ Nothing worse than a battlefield scratch, he almost adds, but that's a line he's offered up one too many times for Hilda to fall for when he'd also used that to hide injuries of a different variety. There's no concealing these this time around much as he wishes that was the case, but he can give her another bit of honesty. ]
Selfishly, I'd rather stay in just your company for now.
no subject
But there's time, even if patience in this regard isn't his specialty as Hilda looks back at him. He'll just have to wait. If he'd made it through the better part of a war before they were together again - well. This is nothing in comparison. ]
In the negative? That's harsh. Don't think I'm above trying to get back into your good graces.
[ There's a second where Claude tries to follow this up with a pout - shamelessly borrowing a page out of Hilda's own playbook - though it doesn't last long before he realizes the full (or any) effect of it will be lost with his beard in the way. Instead he closes his eyes for a second when her hand finds his face, then turns to kiss her palm before looking back at her. ]
I think I've lost track of where things hurt at this point. [ It's not a very good joke despite the blithe tone considering the truth never is all that humorous, and too late he realizes that plays into Hilda's second question. When his eyes widen slightly in apprehension a second later in recognition of that it's genuine. ] And please don't. I'm sure someone will be by to prod me in the morning and I'd like to limit it from happening until then.
[ Nothing worse than a battlefield scratch, he almost adds, but that's a line he's offered up one too many times for Hilda to fall for when he'd also used that to hide injuries of a different variety. There's no concealing these this time around much as he wishes that was the case, but he can give her another bit of honesty. ]
Selfishly, I'd rather stay in just your company for now.