[He bites his lip, then feels stupid for doing it. Joseph's right, of course. Even though he tries hard not to act like he's helping, he does like to. Feels a little useless if he doesn't have any helping to do, in fact. But he doesn't ever let anyone else help him, because.]
[Well. No one ever has. He's never had anyone to take care of him like that since his father; ever since then, everyone who's been in that position of power over him has betrayed him. So it's hard. It's so hard to give that power and control away to anyone, to seem anything less than perfectly poised, to admit to needing anything.]
[Except with Joseph, it just . . . doesn't scare him anymore.]
[. . . When did that happen?]
[Something flickers in his eyes, still uncertain but closer to some measure of understanding, now. He wants to understand, feels like there's a piece he's missing that he can't quite reach.]
no subject
[He bites his lip, then feels stupid for doing it. Joseph's right, of course. Even though he tries hard not to act like he's helping, he does like to. Feels a little useless if he doesn't have any helping to do, in fact. But he doesn't ever let anyone else help him, because.]
[Well. No one ever has. He's never had anyone to take care of him like that since his father; ever since then, everyone who's been in that position of power over him has betrayed him. So it's hard. It's so hard to give that power and control away to anyone, to seem anything less than perfectly poised, to admit to needing anything.]
[Except with Joseph, it just . . . doesn't scare him anymore.]
[. . . When did that happen?]
[Something flickers in his eyes, still uncertain but closer to some measure of understanding, now. He wants to understand, feels like there's a piece he's missing that he can't quite reach.]
. . . I like it.
[Mm. He clears his throat.]
Too. I like it too. But . . . only when it's you.