[Even though it catches him by surprise, Kieran relaxes and nearly melts into Ben's hug. He places his forehead against his friend's shoulder and sighs.]
[He's always waffled between how he feels about how much he actually deserved the treatment he received. Some days, an iota of self-esteem would make itself known and remind him that he has worth. Other days, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't convince himself of anything other than that defeatist attitude of 'this is how it is for a reason, and that reason is you'.]
[But Ben's words, as they have in the past, feed into that validation that he needs and has been searching for, albeit from not the healthiest of places. This is different, though. This is a friend telling him what he should be telling himself already, giving him a booster shot to help him out of that dark pit of self-deprecation he all too often falls into.]
no subject
[He's always waffled between how he feels about how much he actually deserved the treatment he received. Some days, an iota of self-esteem would make itself known and remind him that he has worth. Other days, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't convince himself of anything other than that defeatist attitude of 'this is how it is for a reason, and that reason is you'.]
[But Ben's words, as they have in the past, feed into that validation that he needs and has been searching for, albeit from not the healthiest of places. This is different, though. This is a friend telling him what he should be telling himself already, giving him a booster shot to help him out of that dark pit of self-deprecation he all too often falls into.]
Thanks, brother.