"Yeah, I guess that's true. Well, with people that it wouldn't offend, or closeted dirty minded people, the trouble is usually fun." And of course the obviously dirty minded wouldn't mind. It was the ones that were offended that would be where the trouble started. "Five years, the whole time we've been on the station. He was killed in our battle against The Man with a few others." If she hadn't had Clint, Tony and AJ... she would still be a mess. As they sat there, she was kinda proud of herself that she didn't tear up, and her voice didn't crack when she mentioned how he'd passed.
A warm smile spread over her face, as he gushed. That was one thing that would warm her to her core. A man gushing about his child. "I was going to say, you may have to deal with a rebellious phase, but he's such a sweet young man that I don't think you will. With a voice that would make the Angels weep." She honestly looked forward to teaching him anything he wanted to know.
As the scent of fear faded, and he squeezed her fingers, Maryanne felt herself relax. He wasn't going to run for the hills, and mark her down for a lost cause. Maybe. But when he bit his lip, her gaze visibly dropping watching his teeth scrape over it. She might have gone a little too far, and maybe counted her chickens before they'd hatched too when she'd silently celebrated his friend box shuffle.
Her first instinct wasn't to step back, that was for sure, when he stepped forward. Part of her wondered if he'd let her, seeing as he now held on to her hand as much as she held on to his, even as he called her out. Fortunately the coat hid most of her automatic response to his invasion, but it couldn't hide the color that crept up her pale skin. And she allowed herself an indulgence that she'd denied since they'd all returned from France, she took a deep breath and let her senses drown in the smell of him, her eyes closed as she did. "I've always been honest with you Alexander... No, I wasn't talking about her. I wouldn't know how she responded to you, jealousy might have kept me from inspecting it when I had the chance." She dared to open her eyes again. Was the lusty tone in her voice something she imagined? She dared a half a step toward him.