[It takes an immense amount of willpower not to shrink back as Teddy leans in- not out of fear, obviously, not of Teddy, but of shame. He fights it, stubbornly, because he knows that he's come a long way from feeling like he doesn't deserve Teddy, that he's dangerous to be around or to touch. Talking about it makes him feel a little like all of that could so easily come back to him, so he keeps a distance between them to avoid testing his own resolve. The last thing he needs is to give Teddy the wrong impression when he already knows this is going to go badly.]
[action, february 1st]
You... know that I can't do that.
[You know why.]