Gus could tell that Winnie was emotionally drained by the entire situation Dory had dragged her into; just another reason why he didn’t like the man, although he wasn’t daft enough to voice it. Not here, at least. He wasn’t going to force her to tell her the details – she would when she was ready, although if that turned out to be never, Gus was okay with it. Marrying her would be easy though, with her free to do as she pleased and him finally out of the limelight while people wondered when he’d settle down. (Never. The answer was never.) “You don't have to do anything you don’t want to, Win.” He murmured quietly, sinking down to curl closer to her once she did.

Shifting on the bed to put his cocoa down, he reached out to gently brush his fingers through her hair. “It’ll unravel itself. And screw him for using you as a safety net.” Gus grumbled softly, his fingers pausing as she groaned, waiting to see if she was going to roll away from him before he continued. “Don’t settle. We both know you won’t be if you do and you deserve the world. It’s easy to fall into old habits, but don’t make yourself unhappy for someone else.” Sure it’d be easy for them to fall back into old habits but he wasn’t trying to make Winnie uproot her entire life to mold into his. Gus couldn’t imagine Winnie living happily with a white picket fence life, although he’d grin and bear it if that’s what she decided.

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