TJ, who did believe in defeat, just sighed and nodded his head. "Yeah, okay, Mom."
What else was he going to do? There was no point in saying any of the things he wanted to say now. It would only upset Doug and make TJ himself look churlish now that, as usual, there was an answer for everything that made him look foolish and childish. Of course he was wrong and jumping to conclusions. Hell, it would be just his luck that they were actually being sincere and he was the only one still bothered by anything.
Except Doug, who apparently was bothered by TJ.
So, since everyone wanted normal, TJ gave it to them. As he walked back to his seat, he used what minimal control he had over his power to force himself to stop feeling, to bring that same enforced calm that had appeared when he tried to calm down for Doug's sake the day this power first manifested. It was the least he could do to give his brother the peace and quiet he wanted.