He didn't know how to say it. To tell him. "Run," he would employ if he did, "Run far away and keep yourself safe. Trust yourself and nobody else. I don't care how much you love them."

Maybe if he knew how badly he had messed up, he could stop this from ever happening. He could grow detached from his overprotective nature and just breathe it all in when he went camping, or hiking, or anything else that they had done in the shaded hours of a splintered evening. He could protect everyone and live up to those who had sacrificed so much for him. He could... help.

But he didn't.

Because he couldn't.

Why?

He was choking on the words. He felt so utterly alone, too. His chest, so free, broke away from his gasping and sputtering and thrust itself towards another cause. A better cause.

He went over to the tinted figure, sitting and combing the figure's hair with his weathered hands of some such a tone. He shushed the tears and silenced the inquiries, offering the best peace of mind he could; A hug. The figure hugged back, lip trembling with the weight of fear.

"Tommy... you came." His voice shook, as did the blonde's head as he nodded yes. "I did. And, do you know... I don't feel a single thread of guilt. Not one. I could've stayed. I could've let him tell me exactly how I fucked up. But did I? Well, no, no I fucking didn't. He can go suck a cock if he thinks I'm gonna listen to him. I don't owe him jack shit anyways." He spoke dryly, clearly still angry about the whole situation.

"Plus," he added with a bit more sincerity to his emotional tirade, "Then I would miss the chance to hang out with you." The man chuckled in response and ruffled his hair. "Wow me with your cheesiness later, child. For now... do you want something to eat or is this going to be another teenage angst session." Tommy didn't miss a beat. "The latter, of course."

And so they did. Neither stopped to realize what this may mean in the long run, nor what it meant now. They just wanted to have this, so they would. That was all they ever needed, anyways.