He shudders, fingers clenched weakly in the waistband on her pants, something to anchor himself to her. Something he needs especially when she pulls back and he holds himself as if he's expecting a blow, eyes squeezed shut and head bowed because Creators now he feels like he's rushing it, even if she's been obvious in her feelings for years. Maybe they've changed, maybe she met someone else here and the silence eats at him, consumes him as he holds his breath.

"Is..." he starts when he hears his name, and his throat bobs when he feels calloused fingers against his jaw. He's no coward, but he wishes he could be, as he finally opens his eyes, desperation showing in them and time feels as if it's stopped when her head shakes, feels like it's shattered when she speaks and he recognises the words more by the way her lips move in lieu of hearing because the world is ringing around him.

Ar lath ma.

She says the words back, and before he can even sigh with relief or whoop with joy she kisses him again, steals both words and breath from him. But it's fine, he's never been strong with words, keeping them short and meaning them all, and there is little else he can say. Little she surely doesn't know and he gives in, hands sliding around her waist as he steps forward and urges her back till her back meets the wall and only then does he speaks, eyes closed again as he peppers kisses along her jawline because his tongue feels clumsy in his mouth, words stumbling over it.

"I never... I never got to tell you." A shudder and he swallows, silent for a moment while he just holds her to him. "I thought... I feared I might never get to, when we. When we heard."