On the Brooklyn Bridge

[Shade]

Shade returned the smirk, slowly adjusting to her position but still not daring to look down. Instead, she turned her head to look at Gambit, studying his features. She couldn´t tell what it was nor how she could tell, but there was something troubling him.
"You wanna share what´s on your mind?" she asked. She knew that he usually didn´t share his troubles, but there was something nagging him if she was not completely mistaken and it made her want to ease his mood. And besides, if she was wrong or if he didn´t want to talk about it, the way she had formulated her words, offered him to say no to it if he chose to do that.

[Gambit]

"Is it dat obvious?" Gambit asked, knowing quite well it was.

[Shade]

Shade had not expected a ´yes´ from him, but his answer pretty much equalled that her guess had not been a guess into the blue. "I couldn´t tell you what makes it obvious." she said honestly. "I just have the feeling your troubled."

[Gambit]

"Ah," Gambit nodded briefly, but said nothing else and turned away to look out at the river again.

[Shade]

Shade paused for a moment. Gambit had his gloomy moments, after the accident she had witnessed quite a few of those, but there the reason behind it had been obvious. Now it wasn´t. His behaviour in this minute was a mystery to her and it evoked the urge to help. She was sitting close enough to him to be able to touch his hand, carefully balancing herself and keeping a steady position. She looked at him once more. "I missed you." she said. "because I care for you. Why not give it a try? Worries don´t get better worrying." She felt strangely reminded of her conversation with Michael although there were different positions and although she had at least directly admitted there was something on her mind.

[Gambit]

Gambit shot her a disbelieving look. "Are you motherin' me or am I misinterpretin'?" he asked.

[Shade]

Shade held his gaze. "No." she said. "but you don´t expect me to just notice your mood and say ´oh well, whatever´ do you?" Her voice was not reproachful but she was not mincing her words either, wanting to make sure she was serious about what she had said.

[Gambit]

"No," Gambit said in a tone matching hers, "but I also don' expect it to be done in a patronizin' tone like I'm some five-year old."

[Shade]

Shade knew he hated being patronised. Even when he had been immobilised in that hospital bed he had scolded her if she had given in to it. "Okay." she said with a small nod. "No patronising. What is it that´s nagging you?" Her question was more direct now, no indirect edging around.

[Gambit]

Gambit averted his eyes to the river again. Shade didn't hold her grounds and was being completely submissive to his objections, and that irked him, he partly expected a confrontation - some subconscious part of him was even hoping for a confrontation - but it didn't come, like he placed his foot on a stair that was supposed to be there, but it just wasn't there.

On the other hand, he realized she was trying to prepare a more comfortable ground for him to stop being closed and tense, to open up and spill his mind out for her - just by stopping doing exactly what he verbally objected to.

He spent a few long moments thinking about it and trying to bring some order into his thoughts. Shade was right there; she came to him when he asked her; she had missed him and of course there was that partly comforting, partly worrying fact that she loved him; and she actually cared. And pushing her away just because he was feeling crushed down by the world's weight on his shoulders was a bit unfair.

"Lotsa different stuff," he delivered finally, still looking ahead.

[Shade]

Gambit had kept silent for another long moment and the fact that he was not looking at her and not really talking apart from the bits of sentences he was tossing to her was making her somewhat impatient. She was sure it wasn´t small things going through his head right now but she felt she didn´t want to have him just sit there and brood and not really heed her. Narrowing her eyes slighty, she reached to punch his shoulder. Not in a way that would make any of them lose balance, but not too softly either. He would feel it. Maybe that might help to get him somewhere back on track. She was not dead serious nor did she want to hurt him, but she was not exactly joking either. "Hey." she said, her voice firm and somewhat demanding, trying to get his attention.

[Gambit]

Gambit glanced at the place where his shoulder was punched, then back at Shade. "What?" he asked.

[Shade]

Shade looked at him, slight annoyance in her eyes, but no fury. "This sort of brooding and not looking at me is driving me crazy." she said determinently. "Talk to me, snog me or shag me, but stop almost ignoring me." Her enumeration had been in a raised tone and drew a glance from someone passing by but she didn´t really care.

[Gambit]

"I ain't ignorin' ya," Gambit objected, leaning backwards slightly.

[Shade]

"Which is why I said ´almost´" Shade clarified. She could not clearly make out his mood, but guessed he was pretending to be easier about it than he outwardly pretended. Still, as she had told him, his behaviour - as much as part of her was sympathising for whatever he might be going through - was making her somewhat impatient. Talking it seemed, did not show much of an effect, calming and encouraging work not much avail. And if he did not want to talk she was at least determined to get him away from staring into the distance like that all the time.

She shot him another glance and swung a leg back over the railing, faster than she had before, again forcing herself not to look down, then grabbed him by the arm. He was of course much stronger than she was, but her grip was strong enough to indicate she was not willing to have both of them just sitting and staring at the water. "Come on." she said, dragging on his arm.