[Saved by the kettle. He almost removes his hand to let Gold go so one of them could get the kettle. Almost. He saw it start to move on it's own as he turns his head just slightly to watch.

There's a little hint of amusement in his eyes as Gold pulls away to serve them. The little squeeze makes his heart flutter a little.]

Honestly? I was sort of afraid of the same thing by speaking up. I wasn't really prepared for well, both of us liking each other.

[Again he looks a little sheepish. He was half expecting to be brushed off or told he was an idiot or something. While he doesn't expect violence from Gold, he was expecting...maybe a cold rebuke and potentially loosing a dear friend.

Not this, and Stolas is definitely relieved by this turn of events. And Stolas will admit for most of his stay here, he hasn't been in the best headspace. Blitzo tended to make him...

Crazy. Anxious, worried...depressed. All things that left Stolas feeling utterly helpless until things slowly started to turn for the better.]

A bad way might be putting it mildly and having Blitz here didn't help.

[He sighs and runs a hand over his plumage.]

And whether you meant to or not, I'm rather happy to have been 'stolen' in this respect. You at least don't spark my anxiety to be through the roof or send me into a depressive spiral. Quite the opposite really. Spending time with you is comforting and relaxing. Even when we barely talk and just spend time near each other, it sparks happiness that I've grown rather fond of cherishing.

I'm happy you had faith that things would turn out because, well. Here we are. So I suppose, we should figure out where to go from here?

[He looks over to him, curious and maybe a little hopeful.]

Whatever we decide to do, I'd like to take it slow. After the chaotic whirlwind of my last relationship, I think slow would be the best way to go.