His eyes searched her face for some kind of harbor, or a source of strength. Her hands on his cheeks was comforting enough, she'd never held him like this. But most of it went away like paper notes in a moving, open palm when she told him not to be like Keida. He wasn't listening, not really, because her words sounded exactly like the kind of pity he'd heard from the sidelines of other relationships. He was always competitive at heart, it was what had driven him. He knew when someone had something he didn't. Perhaps that's what his offer had come from. At least, if he could have changed he could have fixed this.<br/><br/>His lip quaked when she cried, and when she lied. A star of hope lit in the thick coat of his eye but lived its life quickly. It didn't mean anything now. He laughed breathlessly and without humor in his gaze. Good. That's what he thought he could peddle. That's what he'd told himself too, and what had set him apart from Keida. But in the end he wasn't. He was a person who would hammer another person that wasn't fighting back, simply for the impulse of revenge. He coughed once and brought the backside of his wrist to his lips. He really did feel sick from all the sympathy in the air.<br/><br/>He took her shoulders and made a distance between them. His arms were greater so her hands left him first. He wiped his cheeks dry with his sleeve and then smiled widely with his battered face. "You too." he said, the set of his cheekbones high enough in the expression that he had to close his lids. Or chose to. He scratched the back of his hair as though he'd done something embarrassing and took a step backward into the hall. "Ah, childhood summers sure are educational, aren't they, Haley?" he said with some humor in his voice. He'd understood sentiments like this before today, but he wondered if this kind of attempt at lifting spirits would ever feel genuine again.<br/><br/>"Welp. I need to get going. I don't feel so good." Heart and body. He turned toward the stairs. His legs faltered once but he recovered with his hand against the wall. Would everything be different if he hadn't gone up? He imagined he still smelled Keida's alcohol in the air. He turned and walked backwards. "S-see you Dunner. And have a good time at Uni."<br/><br/>He was actually longing to leave this house, and hope the memories would stay here. They wouldn't.