Summer sticks a hand out of the space and grabs at him ineffectually. “Please. I need you.” It’s barely audible over the sound of falling water, and despite the heat of it, she still feels cold inside. It hurts so /much/. He’s the only bright spot she can find, right now.In some ways, so much of their relationship has been about sex. About lust, and desire, and wanting. Just now she’s not interested in any of that. He’s the stable centre to a world that holds too many terrifying unknowns, and no safety. Of all the folk she loves, with all the fiery passion she had, he’s the one she can always find.
Wordlessly, Tony strips off his t-shirt, jeans, and socks, and steps into the shower behind her, briefly ducking his head under the spray before he turns to pull the shower door shut.
He doesn’t know what to say to fix this, or if he even can fix it. So he stays quiet, instead opting to wrap his arms around her from behind and pull her back against him.
Having him at her back helps. “Why?” she mutters. It doesn’t even matter if he can actually hear her. The word burns in her throat, hammers with her pulse. “It’s never enough. Why can’t I protect them?” She clenches her fists under the water, holding them up like they’ve failed her. “I can hear them hurting. Always, always. I can /hear/ it.” Her voice breaks in the middle. “Why can’t I make it better?”