Work Text:
Edgar was very observant. He noticed slight changes of weather as naturally as one might notice a friend in a crowd. It might be just his brain always working overtime or it might be a habit picked up from his now past life as an assassin. It was because of the latter now widely known fact that some seemed wary of him. He’d casually point out things that he thought were obvious only to see the drawn, uncomfortable expressions of those not used to his scrutiny and wonder if it was better to keep his mouth shut...
While he hadn’t changed much from his normal gentle snark, he was slowly taking into account how people reacted to him. Maybe he felt he owed it to the people he was supposed to protect now as their Jack of Hearts. The people who had trusted him and still did still trust him even after the truth reared it’s ugly head. The people he used to hunt like sheep with a single command.
But, above all, he owed it to her...
She was his anchor of sorts, His weakness, his strength. Hard to believe someone so gentle could have tamed the gentle demon but somehow she had done so. It wasn’t easy. He had used her and broke her heart and betrayed her trust. He wouldn’t blame her if she had cast him aside after the hell he had put her through. Someone that far from his world, in every sense of the of the word, someone who could never purposely harm anyone should never dance with a devil like him.
But, here she was now, walking beside him without a care in the world.
Of all the things that drew his attention, she did so without even meaning to. He noticed everything about her. How her lips parted when she was about say something. The slight crinkle of the corner of her eyes when she laughed. How adorably stubborn she could be when she insisted she was right. How she smiled and rolled her eyes any time the Queen of Hearts made his prideful remarks. (That last one bothered him quite a bit if he was honest... but it never bothered him for long... he knew ways of how to ensure he once again consumed her thoughts in a way Jonah could never dream of...)
Either way, she knew better than anyone how much he payed attention, and how she was a common center of said attention. While some found it suffocating being visually dissected so easily, and others (barely) tolerated it, she seemed to take comfort in his habit. She smiled fondly when he presented her gifts she had never mentioned wanting... She practically jumped into his arms when he was already wait for room with tea and shoulder to lean on on bad days and chocolates on worse days. The relief on her face when he is already ushering her into her jacket when she’s ready to escape a red army ball.
Even with his thoughts currently swimming with rationalizing her reaction to his obsessive ticks, he still absent minded-ly drew his coat around her shoulders noticing her slight shiver. She smiled up at him grateful for the gesture.
“You’re pretty odd...”
“Hmm?”
“You of all people should be more wary of me... after everything... I’m afraid I don’t really understand...”
He’s blushing now, another oddity brought about by her presence in his life which only gets worse when she response simply with “Because I love you, Edgar.”
“O-oh...” how else could he respond so such a bold declaration. She had said these simple words to him so many times... He should anticipate them by now and react accordingly. But every time he’s still is caught off guard. He always loved surprises, it was such a rarity for him. It staved off his boredom and kept him sharp. It was the foolish stammer that gave away his surprise that was the problem.
The flush of his cheeks could easily be passed off as the fall chill hitting his face. But the stammer was a dead give away... Being thrown off to such a degree would be a fatal to an assassin, even if his caliber.
He would’ve been ashamed if not for the woman next to him who was beaming at his latest blunder. She brazenly hooked an arm around his, pulling his forward, eager to get them both out of the cold.
And for once, he gladly let himself make this mistake.