When Joe pulled back, Conlan tensed - hard. He narrowed his gaze in the darkness with both concern and apprehension. By Joe's first words, he was rather confused, and found himself stuttering a contradiction. Of course he meant it! But Recon was already moving on.
What? Is that how Joe thought he saw the world? Like some dumb kid? He knew full well they weren't in a bloody cartoon. He knew all about real life - too well. Before he realized what was happening, the doctor was excusing himself and Conlan didn't protest. He blinked with hurt and confusion as the other man retreated down the ladder. Subconsciously, his limbs pulled themselves inward and he held his legs to him with his slender arms, temporarily forgoing his duties to the school and concentrating on holding himself together. Against everything he thought he should've been feeling or doing, he began to cry.
His head craned down to rest atop his knees and he attempted to figure out what had just happened between himself and his long-time crush. Joe had kissed him, right? Yes, of course. Then why had he rejected him that way? The harsh words the doctor had spoken to him still echoed through his brain. "Cartoon," "real life," "people say,"... So he hadn't been raised in a proper home... so he hadn't ever fucked around...
Why did Joe think that meant he was some childish orphan who didn't know what love was? Apparently, the older man was the person who needed things explained to him. And it wasn't going to be Conlan. He didn't even know if he could look Joe in the face again...