Telling my boyfriend he's "the captain"

Yesterday was a rough day for my boyfriend. He got home late from work after a meeting that put him in a bad mood, and he quite clearly wanted nothing to do with me or the rest of the world for a while. So I let him be for a few hours, made dinner (it was amazing, by the way -- braised chicken with mustard cream sauce, yum ;) ), and let him decide when any interaction would take place. He came into the kitchen as I was washing some dishes, and the first thing he did was apologise for having been so cold when he got home. I firmly believe that if I had not just let him be, and had instead bothered him to pay attention to me, to help with something or other, he would have never given such a tender and sincere apology.

Anyway -- a bit later, after dinner, we decided to just lay in bed and talk for a while. And it was at that time that I decided to do something I had been thinking of for a while, but that, truthfully, I was a little nervous to actually say out loud.

"You know, I kind of get the feeling that you're the one in charge, between the two of us."

I think that at first he took it as a reproach, because he started trying to explain it away, but I stopped him and said that no, actually, I really appreciated it. That I trust him completely and that I love being able to follow and submit to him when circumstance allows. He laughed a bit and said that I must not be a feminist -- but actually, I am. And this is my choice, not my obligation.

It was really wonderful to see him cheer up considerably, and (very!) reassuring that he told me he wouldn't take advantage of my devotion.

It was a heartwarming moment and felt like a small victory, but not one that I could really share with people outside this sub, so here I am giving a giddy "morning after" field report.