Chapter song: Anxiété - Pomme
"…I've spent most of my life figuring things out on my own," Kenneth said after a moment. "You get used to that after a while. You stop accepting things from people and learn that you're better off relying on yourself."
His fingers tightened slightly against the blanket as he recalled his scared fourteen-year-old self in a room full of people his age, some older, but even in that sea of people, he felt so completely alone. Helpless.
"Eventually, you stop reaching for things, too."
The room fell silent again as his words hung in the air.
Lucien studied him carefully, the same way he had earlier, as if committing every shift in his expression to memory.
Then he spoke, voice quieter this time. "Just because you learned to live without something doesn't mean you stopped needing it."
Kenneth let out a small breath. "That's exactly the kind of shit someone who's never had to go without would say."
