it's 2am and she's whisking tears into brownie batter by oven light, because she's always been a stress baker when there's nothing left to clean and he's not sure what part he plays in this just yet.

He watches as she lets the bowl clatter to the counter, a sob choked off before it can sound and she's crumpling in on herself, sliding to the floor, back against a cabinet, knees to chest, hand to mouth, smothering the heartbreaking little noises she makes when she cries in earnest, presumably to keep from waking him - but he's not asleep.

His heart clenches in his chest and it feels a little hard to breathe standing uncertainly in the entryway to their little kitchen and he calls out softly

"Case?"

And she looks up at him, eyes wide then squeezing shut, sobbing with renewed vigour and he's crouching in front of her, tugging her hand away from her mouth with two fingers encircling her wrist, rocking back on his heels until he lands with a hard thud onto the unforgiving linolium. He's pulling her into him, her face pressed into his neck, her breath coming hot and uncomfortable, mixing with tears and sweat pressing into his skin and he just holds her, eyes stinging, but he's not going to get emotional because he's been girding himself for this moment since the final blow out a week ago, since George had disowned him and her mother had sat quietly,looking determinedly at the floor, hands clenched in her lap and he's waiting for her to break and say i can't do this and pack what she can in the duffle of his that she'd stolen and flee back to her mother's good graces, so he just holds her and ignores the way his lungs seem to have stopped working and he waits.

Eventually the tears stop and her breathing evens, no more shuddering gasps, and she rests, exhausted, breathing in the comforting scent she associates ,privately, with home.

she pulls away and looks at him and he holds his breath as she brushes a thumb over his brow, knuckles ghosting down the side of his face, fingertips trailing along his jaw. her eyes are watery and red-rimmed, and she's looking at him unwaveringly and quietly, she murmurs:

"I love you."

And the air rushes out of him in an audible woosh and he crushes her to him, arms tight around her back, face buried in her hair because god, shes staying, and he mumbles back:

"I love you too."