[ out of habit more than anything, daylight presses the heel of his palm against his optics. though he has no need to wipe away tears or sparks that aren't even there, something about the motion is comforting to him.

and it helps that he doesn’t feel exposed for showing this sort of vulnerability to jason. but something about jason — so grounded and sure, confident and calm — also helps dissipate the panicky, tight feeling spinning in his chassis. allows him to catch his breath, to regulate his venting cycle so it didn’t feel like his processors were heating up. ]

They— Um... They— They sound really smart, whoever said that. [ he smiles at jason, having picked up that someone had said it before. and a good saying too. something about it both acknowledges the circumstances but still shows what could be done in the face of it.

it helps him. it helps him a lot.

and, in return, he tries to summarize what jason said to him in his own terms. trying to see if he could come to a real understanding of what jason was trying to tell him. ]

We… We don’t get to choose our parents. We don’t get to choose what we get from them, too, but… we get to make the most of it, no matter what? [ he laughs a bit but it doesn't sound as hurt like one would have expected. ] I can get behind that a lot, I think.