Steve was hoping maybe for a smile, or at least a soft little nuzzle against his shoulder after he'd spoken; he was not expecting the passionate kiss he received. It was deep and fierce, and he thought he knew where it was coming from. All the same, he reached up to cup her cheek, slowing down the urgency, but not the passion.

"Not going anywhere," he murmured, between brushes of lips and tongues, and even a couple nips of teeth. "You're stuck with me." It felt like a code phrase, now; what he said when he knew hearing I love you or I'm never leaving you might be too overwhelming for her.

He shifted, turning her in his arms even as he moved, until Rogue was lying on the couch, his body pressed over hers, sheltering her. Moving from her mouth along her jaw, he pressed sucking kisses down her neck, using just the faintest hint of teeth along her collarbone, trying to draw her out of her head. One arm was still along her side, under her shoulder, but the other started moving up the outside of her leg, under her skirt. He didn't make it overtly intimate, letting her choose how far she wanted to let this go, but also letting her know that he had no problem going however far she wanted. If she wanted out of her own head for a while, he could certainly manage that.

Outside, he heard the faintest boom of thunder, and knew the fireworks display had started in earnest.