[He stills when she speaks. Honestly, he's wanted to hear that for a really long time. Not that he's not enough, or that he needs to change in a specific way to fit what other people want from him. It was always on someone else's terms. Never his. But then Ruby just comes in and sweeps it all off the table. Leaves it for him to decide, and that means more than he can put into words. He clings to her a little tighter.]

Thank you.

[He says it again, but he needs to. Because it's one of the most precious things anyone has given him. The chance to figure out who he wants to be without pushing him one way or the other.]

I know where he's coming from. I think that's the problem. I've been there. Where everything is so dark and you're just lashing out to make it stop hurting, but that only makes it worse. I wish I could help him get past that... but you're right. He has to do some of it himself.