[A shrug.] Fair point...but I think I prefer something soft and comfortable if I'm feeling shitty. Keeping myself numb to it all never really worked out, in the end.

[He thinks of his mother, how she kept everything inside and told herself to be patient and survive, survive, and distract herself. He thinks of his youth, telling himself that as long as he did was his father told him, he'd get a chance to grab his own happiness.]

Besides, [He rests his cheek on his fist as he turns to smile at Dorian.] I rather like fully embracing all the gross and hard parts of my experiences.