Hushed Willows that's nice, that's a nice sentiment

no need to match the length; i got carried away again. ^-^

As new as the gestures and touches of affection were to the assassin he was comfortable, which was kind of, but not really mildly surprising to the dark wraith. What was surprising was that he did tense nor move away for he associated physical touches with pain because that was all The Officer had ever given him: pain and suffering. Physical and psychological. He didn't necessarily fear being touched but he, as Banner likely remembered from their very first meeting, liked to maintain a comfortable level of distance between him and other wolves. Yet, at the same time, it didn't fully surprise him that he both allowed and enjoyed Banner's touch: simply because it was Banner and Buchanan knew that if it were anyone else he would have backed away the second he noticed them moving closer.

She made a noise that sounded content enough for Buchanan, who was glad that she didn't pull back, nor did she insist on apologizing for it. He emitted his own throaty noise when he felt her rub against his shoulder, reminiscent of the contented noise he'd released a short while ago. Buchanan felt a smile tug effortless across his muzzle as her eyes rolled up and met her gaze. Still the prettiest green he'd ever seen. Buchanan returned her playful “hello” with a grin and a soft “Hey,” leaving his lips in a tone that was huskier than he would have liked. It wasn't surprising that Buchanan wasn't sure what to say now, either, but as a man of many words this wasn't unusual for him. He'd spent his life leashed and muzzled and found now that even though he was free he still had little to say. Except when it came to Banner (who seemed to be the exception to a lot of things) who was the only creature besides maybe Phiipa that Buchanan had been “talkative” around; but Banner was an entirely different situation than the woman Buchanan had tried to replace The Officer with.

Despite that it could hardly be classified as intimate in any way other than innocence, it was the most intimate Buchanan had ever done before. Yet, Banner was special to him, even if he wasn't sure in what ways; perhaps it was because in a world that the assassin knew he was an anomaly she made him feel normal, even if this “normal” and “new life” was taking some adjusting to. He kept looking over his back for The Officer, found himself worrying that this — all of this, this happiness — was a beautiful dream that would soon shatter and he would wake up to the nightmare that The Officer had made of his life. It wasn't something that Buchanan could help. The Officer might have lost his corporeal body when Buchanan ended his life but the monster lived on inside Buchanan's memories, in the flashbacks.

“Ty takaya krasivaya” Buchanan murmured in Russian, at first, as it was the first time, realizing that once again he'd spoken his thoughts aloud. Though there was a slight flush to his cheeks, there was the deeper resolve that she deserved to hear it in a language that she understood. “You're so beautiful.” The assassin repeated to her, in the common tongue. Even if it brought a deeper flood of heat to his cheeks, though he was embarrassed only for the sake of not being able to anticipate her reaction, it was the truth as he saw it: and she deserved to hear it.