[The solidity, and warmth, and life of her skinny frame in his arms seems to break something inside of him. The sharp, cutting grief that had nearly consumed him in April is still raw and painful, not yet old enough to have lost any of its edge. It crashes violently against the feeling of absolute joy of holding her again, and he is utterly and completely overwhelmed. Her soft, quiet whisper, her arms around his neck, and the gentle, comforting touch of her hand on his back are all exactly what he needs. That might not be readily apparent to her, however, as he only begins to tremble harder and seems unable, for the moment, to form any words. The only vocalization he can manage is involuntary, and starts off as a shaky sigh that evolves into a long, quiet, keening whine. It's the sound of a man who typically expresses strong emotions with wordless screaming and shouting but does not wish, currently, to scream or shout. He'd rather not be making any noise at all - he doesn't want to upset her, he doesn't want to make her sad or unhappy - but he can't seem to stop it.
He nods his head briefly to acknowledge her words, a few short, small jerking motions while he squeezes his eyes shut tightly. When he finally draws in a shuddering breath, he holds it briefly to stop any more wordless noises. Then he lets it out in a rush, and it's just a loud but voiceless exhalation. He repeats this three or four times, focusing on the act of breathing to try to rein himself in. When he finally manages to speak using actual words, his voice is low and rough, and cracks at the end.]
no subject
He nods his head briefly to acknowledge her words, a few short, small jerking motions while he squeezes his eyes shut tightly. When he finally draws in a shuddering breath, he holds it briefly to stop any more wordless noises. Then he lets it out in a rush, and it's just a loud but voiceless exhalation. He repeats this three or four times, focusing on the act of breathing to try to rein himself in. When he finally manages to speak using actual words, his voice is low and rough, and cracks at the end.]
I thought you were gone forever.