He swallows, feeling the warmth of the hand on him. What he says sounds like something Shotaro might have said, but for better or worse it doesn't trigger anything. "Yeah. Okay. I'm... I'm here for you, too." He just wants to sit here, feeling Steven's hand on his head, for the rest of the night.

But of course that can't happen. Steven's hands are his own. He looks over. "I... I guess. I'm not really helping with that, either, am I?" He swallows. "You can tell me about it, if you want. I promise I won't cry again."

He nods, taking that in, meeting Steven's gaze. "Okay. I mean... Forgive me if I... act fake, okay? Sometimes it's hard to tell when I'm being real and when I'm not." He's been putting on acts for so long in his life that he's kind of lost contact with his true self.