“It’s a really good skill to know, being able to take a punch.”

He smiled.

She leaned a bit closer, like she was telling him a secret, “It’s an even better skill to know how to avoid the punch.”

He smiled more. “Oh. So that’s what I’ve been missing.”

“Apparently.”

“It means a lot that you came,” he said.

“Stop. Stop mentioning it. I’ll come whenever you call, okay? I know you’ll come if I call.”

He nodded.

“It’s not something you’re used to, huh?” she asked.

“Not in the slightest.”

“You’re on the side of good, you’re an actual hero—” she stopped as she saw him immediately start shaking his head. “You are! You are.”

“Nah.”

“You helped stop the Fallen. You’ve helped out. You’re putting your neck on the line. You deserve some backup and support. I’m happy to be that. Now don’t say no or argue with me. Just say ‘thanks’.”

“Thanks,” he said.

She rubbed his arm, encouraging, which made her realize her fingers were getting numb. “Oof, chilly. Want to head inside for a coffee? We can watch out the window and if you need to go with your team you can bail then.”

“Yeah. Coffee sounds good,” he said.

Battered and bruised as he was, he seemed more whole. The Rain of even a few months ago had been like a starved stray, kicked too many times, ranging from wounded to desperate for any hint of affection to the very rare burst of surprising anger. Never directed at her.

Thinking about bursts of emotion and desperation, of where they’d been months ago, she thought of the bedroom, of the proposed marriage.

If there was anything she admired about Rain, it was his ability to deal. She didn’t feel like she had that. When things went to shit, she found herself at a complete loss, not even sure how to feel, because she couldn’t process the situation enough to even summon up initial feelings, or because the feelings overflowed and flowed into one another.

Thinking about that scene, her lowest point, it was one of those no-deals. An incomplete feeling in her chest, that could be the seed of anger, resentment, love, hate, horror, shame, appreciation, or pain. If he’d said yes then they’d be together now, she was pretty sure. It would have been ten times more messed up then but things would be better now. But he’d dealt with it his way, even if it hadn’t felt like dealing at the time, when the outcome had been so in question.

And he’d dealt after. He’d thrown himself into a serious battle, even with threats against his life. He’d killed a man. He and his team and his assembled allies had won.