"Be my counsellor, huh?" John teased, but there was warmth in his voice, and lines around his eyes from the grin in them. He leaned forward and embraced the other mutant, patting Bobby's back with his hand like Bobby was the one who needed support right now. And he let himself hang there again for a few moments, just quiet and Bobby and the kitchen. "Thank you," he breathed against skin: "Just with my mom and school, it all just feels like it hit me all at once, and I dunno how to deal. But you're wonderful, you really are. A great boyfriend."

And just admitting it made things feel lighter. He'd wondered how Bobby would take things - wasn't he sort of crapping all over his teenage hopes and dreams? But then Bobby was here, here with him, not at Westchester and before that, he'd been at a variety of distinctly non-Westchester places. This wasn't some kind of minor estrangement, this was some serious shit. Probably more serious than John had realised when 'Drake Roberts' had shown up on his door, although even that day he'd realised shit was fairly real.

And despite his own issues, he was willing to listen, to talk, to hold. Even though the helplessness it made him feel was clear. "You're good," John said, and kissed him gently on the lips before finally making himself let go of his boyfriend. "I'll have a better day tomorrow. And the one after that." And so on.