[ There’s still a bit of color on his cheeks, a holdover from a few moments earlier that he can’t seem to will away no matter how much he wants to. There’s probably no getting rid of it so long as he and Connor are holding hands, or even talking about holding hands and what that might mean. ]

I know.

[ Oh boy does he know. He clears his throat a bit. ]

I don’t mind, really. [ He really likes holding hands with Connor, and he doesn’t really care if other people get the wrong idea anyway. ] It’s uh, it’s got a lot to do with the way this world works, right? I’d rather figure it out with you than someone else.