It did take work and sometimes, that work was overwhelmingly hard. It was hard to be open with one person let alone several, hard to let people see who he really was without panicking and closing up again because hiding would mean no one saw his weaknesses, his vulnerabilities, his desires and secrets. It meant he couldn't be hurt by anyone but himself and he'd been hurting himself for years.

He knew how to handle that pain.

"I'm always fine," he said which was as much agreement as it was a statement of fact. If he ever admitted that he wasn't fine, then something was seriously and terribly wrong.

"I guess sometimes I'd say I'm better than fine, lately," he admitted, letting himself smile for a brief moment. "Things have gotten better since I've gotten here. Things have changed."