Eddy started talking, and he didn't stop: it was like a river, the words just pouring out of him because he had to say them, couldn't hold them back anymore.  Luke listened, sat quietly and let the words rush over him.  He could nearly taste the bitterness, the unhappiness Eddy felt; it hurt to hear it in his voice, but the boy kept listening, all he could do.<br/><br/>He couldn't deny any of it, couldn't minimize or disregard...  Eddy was sharing so much, it was obvious it was hard for him, and Luke was so thankful to be given that trust.  But it was funny, in a not-very-funny way, how Eddy kept listing off all these things he thought were so bad, but were nothing compared to what they could be.  Better, huh...?<br/><br/>'Better' wasn't always better.  Luke had learned that, a singular bit of wisdom he'd picked up in his limited years; he hadn't always listened to it, but he remembered it all the same.  Maybe he could do better, but he didn't want 'better'.  He didn't say anything, watching Eddy take a deep drink of his water, and let the room go silent.<br/><br/>"... So?"  Luke knew he was being a bit of a brat, but it came out anyways-- a petulant little sound, a question of indifference to the many reasons Eddy had listed off.  He was grateful Eddy had shared so much with him, but it didn't change the way he felt.  Even if it was reckless and impulsive, he wanted to try...<br/><br/>A little smile quirked his lips, and he leaned back into the couch cushions, settling himself in.  "If that's the worst you've got, that's not enough.  You'll have to do better if you want to scare me off."  Luke had weathered through worse people, people who thought they were good but were rotten to the core, and Eddy... Eddy wasn't like that.<br/><br/>And of course, Luke wasn't perfect either.  He was a damn mess; sometimes he got so frozen with anxiety he could barely move, barely breathe, sometimes things just overwhelmed him so much he felt like the world was crashing down around him.  Sometimes he woke up and lay in bed and wished he could just start over, just stop existing and be someone else.  Sometimes he felt so guilty, all the time, for nothing at all.  He could be clingy and whiny and desperate and worse, but Luke tried so hard to change, and he wouldn't judge Eddy for his faults while knowing he had plenty of his own.