[ It's funny - though not necessarily in a good way - how these sorts of realisations always hit you a moment too late, huh. Realising that you may have been a little bit too honest, perhaps driven forth by the fact that it's hard to think too deeply about things when you're in a lot of pain at the same time.
It's what happens right now. The moment he sees the boy's expression shift, the moment Daniel hears those words, he knows he shouldn't have said that. Not even when he was spinning it as a light joke.
He can't retreat in the face of it though, even if it hurts to see Robby like this. It means he has to push on a make it better again, lightly trying to squeeze the hand that's holding his, even if there's not much strength in it. ]
I know you're not angry at me anymore. [ For what it's worth, those words sound genuine. Daniel does know. He's heard the words come out of Robby's mouth before, and he's never doubted whether they were true or not for a moment. He knew Robby wouldn't say them unless he meant them.
It makes the words he speaks gentle, because he's grateful for it. ]
I just..
[ It's there that his voice momentarily trails off. Trying to figure out what to say, what to not say. There's an instinct to not say a lot here, out of Daniel's natural desire to be the adult, the parent, the person who bears the brunt of everything and never mentions a thing about them. You shouldn't bother kids with adult stuff.
Especially not your own kids. The ones you're supposed to protect.
On the other hand, keeping everything to himself here feels like the wrong decision too, in the face of the way Robby is looking right now. It's a delicate balance, and Daniel has no idea in hell whether or not he can walk it while his entire body protests with every faintest shift of his body. ]
I did a lot of really bad things to you. And sometimes.. even when someone else forgives you, it can be a little hard to forgive yourself. [ He pauses, and then adds softly, looking at Robby: ] You know..?
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It's what happens right now. The moment he sees the boy's expression shift, the moment Daniel hears those words, he knows he shouldn't have said that. Not even when he was spinning it as a light joke.
He can't retreat in the face of it though, even if it hurts to see Robby like this. It means he has to push on a make it better again, lightly trying to squeeze the hand that's holding his, even if there's not much strength in it. ]
I know you're not angry at me anymore. [ For what it's worth, those words sound genuine. Daniel does know. He's heard the words come out of Robby's mouth before, and he's never doubted whether they were true or not for a moment. He knew Robby wouldn't say them unless he meant them.
It makes the words he speaks gentle, because he's grateful for it. ]
I just..
[ It's there that his voice momentarily trails off. Trying to figure out what to say, what to not say. There's an instinct to not say a lot here, out of Daniel's natural desire to be the adult, the parent, the person who bears the brunt of everything and never mentions a thing about them. You shouldn't bother kids with adult stuff.
Especially not your own kids. The ones you're supposed to protect.
On the other hand, keeping everything to himself here feels like the wrong decision too, in the face of the way Robby is looking right now. It's a delicate balance, and Daniel has no idea in hell whether or not he can walk it while his entire body protests with every faintest shift of his body. ]
I did a lot of really bad things to you. And sometimes.. even when someone else forgives you, it can be a little hard to forgive yourself. [ He pauses, and then adds softly, looking at Robby: ] You know..?