He was several inches taller than her, but he wasn't exactly in the tall side, and he didn't really give much though to the fact she was considerably shorter than him. He felt like she was perfect just the way she was. Besides, she fit exactly right against his chest.
"Welcome," he said, though he wasn't sure what she was thanking him for. He was the one who needed to thank her, for putting up with him if nothing else. He tried to be easy to live with, at least, since he was the one infringing on her space, and he did his fair share to keep things running smoothly, but still. He knew it was an inconvenience whether she said so or not.
"And you're right. Quiet and boring is way better than over run and fighting for our lives." Because that? Wasn't much fun. But at least now he was learning how to fight, to protect and defend if he had to. Derek had infinite patience with him which was kind of surprising, and Joey was helping him too. He was still struggling, but not as much as he had at first.
He took a step back, and his hands slid down Joey's arms as he moved out of the embrace. "You look like you're about to fall over."