[He can't help it - he flinches and almost tries to pull away when she says that, that she'll stay for Erik and for herself, but not for him, or Alex, that this opportunity is good, when all it's done is wear him down and leave him broken in ways he's not sure if he'll ever really want to confront. There's a part of him that wants to scream at her, because this isn't a place where he's been free from running or hiding or fighting, and there's a part of him that resents that she doesn't seem to care. That again, she was walking away from him when he needed support.

Yes, he can walk again, and yes, his relationship with Erik had been repaired, was probably even stronger than it had been before, and he wouldn't trade that, but the price he'd paid for it had changed him, and he wasn't sure it was for the better.

So it feels less like a fence, and more like a trench - something muddy and barbed and painful that he wasn't eager to cross again. He's already been hurt too many times, and if she doesn't care, he has to stay back. He loves her, but the people he loves are often the ones who can't (won't, don't want to) stay.]

I'm happy for you Raven, honestly. I want you to feel good about yourself. And I meant what I said before: if you don't want me in your life anymore, I'll respect that. I won't bother you again. [He gives her hand a final gentle squeeze, trying to say it was okay (even though there's a part of him almost shrieking that it's not, it's really, really not) before pulling away.

He can't force a smile this time, though.]