“Well that’s because everyone else is dumb,” he replies in his usual automatic banter, like he’s not even thinking about it. But it hadn’t been what he wanted to say, so he curses himself inwardly and tries again.

“I just — he was being an asshole, and he shouldn’t have brought up my parents, but—“ he frowned. “I couldn’t help thinking about it, you know? And I thought- Andy- you get me. You really get me. You’re my favourite person in the universe, and I- they’re wrong, about me, about any of it, because I’d give up all the fooling around and whatever in an instant, I’d you asked me to.”

Well, here went nothing.

“If you wanted it to me just us - if you wanted there to be an us... I want that too.”