"I don't-- want you to feel insecure or like I don't like you because I am sad about Chen."

"I still don't get why I would think that but okay." 

Weak little smile. "Because you're insecure like me?"

"I guess." Is he hugging Kaleva tight enough? The answer is no. 

"And now I'm worrying that I'm too sad and too clingy and you won't like me, and now I'm worrying that saying that just makes it worse--"

"I still don't really know how to answer. I like you." 

"Okay. You don't have to say anything."

Kaleva hugs him.

He doesn't say anything. Being hugged is nice. 

He pets Sasha very gently and tries not to say anything upsetting, which works out as not saying anything at all.

Not saying anything is totally fine. 

Eventually he falls asleep.

(He looks less stressed when he's asleep.)

Sasha waits for him to fall asleep, and then slips out of bed and goes outside. 

In the morning he wakes up and reaches out for Sasha.

He's still outside. 

(Louisiana sunrises are beautiful.) 

That's... fine.

He can do math about it.

(He got used to waking up with Sasha in his arms.)

At some point that morning he'll come back in and promptly fall asleep. 

It was good to have the space, though. 

Sasha looks so pretty when he's asleep.

Kaleva tucks him in and kisses his forehead and goes back to math.

He feels some sort of way about that. Probably. 

When he wakes up he finds a book and reads and doesn't poke Kaleva. 

(There are exactly two people who have ever liked him and he has driven away both of them by being an clingy jealous overemotional disaster.)

But hey math exists and has no feelings about whether he is jealous of it or not.

He kisses Kaleva goodbye before he leaves for the bookstore. 

He... maybe fails to actually notice this.

That's fine. 

Just having the space and time alone makes it easier to breathe; he hadn't realized how tense he was yesterday. 

Instead of feelings, math!

He's back by the evening. 

"Hey. How was math?"