Nudging my nose in by Redford's ear, I gave him a few more moments to calm down. To adjust to the new surroundings. Luckily, I had some experience in compartmentalizing - it was only how I kept sane. So I just shoved all of the wait, why am I doing this? emotions away to deal with later. Or, you know, never. Whichever came last.
"Hey," I murmured, just for us, mentally giving Evelyn's little army the bird as I slid my arm tighter around Redford's waist, settling it in on the small of his back. "You're doing great. Okay?"
Fuck it. My lips lingered there, at the soft spot just in front of Red's ear, and I let my eyes half close as I pulled him in closer. "You know how you feel about your collar?" I asked softly. "Well, that's how I feel about guns. And I want you to be safe. I need you to be safe, okay? So I'm going to get you a nice gun, one that's perfect for you, and I'm going to teach you how to use it. That way if there's ever anything that happens, I know you'll be okay. Can you do that for me?"