[ He's not incorrect about them needing to help themselves as much as they help each other, and she had thought that saying she should be better at this was the same... But perhaps not. Perhaps her phrasing is a little too self-deprecating. Perhaps she's only realized that now, when he had pointed it out. ] Easier said than done...

[ But there's some resolve in her voice, tangled with a wry half-smile that fades too quickly.

"I love you."

...It's taken her this long to realize how incredibly deep his wounds go, how much it scares him, how much pressure it puts on him just to think that he may ask (and want) not to be hurt. She wants to encourage him-- and it's not just about hugging him, as now, when he makes a 'retreat' on his own terms. It has to be more than that.


And, he's helped her come this far. She did manage to make somewhat of an attempt to stand up for herself, even if she had been stomped over by the end.

As for him... He's said before, that she's helped him. "We can help each other, but we gotta help ourselves, too."they can't just open up with each other more whenever something negative happens. That's only supporting half-way. It's time to change that. ] I'll still hold you, even if you don't feel ready.  But I want to encourage you... and to celebrate you, when you stand up for yourself, and voice what you feel.

[ The rest, of course, will be up to him. ]