Jane is reeling both from his confession and her throbbing toe. When he sweeps her into his arms she does nothing at first but drape her arm across his shoulders and try to catch his eyes, the ones he is trying to hide as if he has a reason to be embarrassed.

"You really did that?" she asked softly as she used her free hand to move a strand of hair from his eyes. Could he have done all of that just for her? She felt overwhelmed with appreciation and hope that indeed he did feel for her what she felt for him.

It felt good to be in his arms again, even if she'd had to hurt herself to get there. She tended to be shy at first, but when opportunity came she wasn't afraid to take it. The longer they spent together she felt sure that she'd become more comfortable with him, and be able to reach out and touch him without needing an excuse.

"I've been reading too. On Norse myth and history. I even went to Norway and looked at some ancient sites first-hand." She left out the fact that she'd been sent to Norway by SHIELD to protect her from the Battle of New York. How she got there didn't matter, it was what she had done with her time while there.

"It sounds like we've both been trying to understand the other better."