( He's getting to know Kyle better, that's probably why he does a decent job actually picking up on the panic rolling through him right now. That, or Kyle's just being super obvious about it. Whatever combination of the two it is, it manages to break through Jack's otherwise emotionally oblivious default state.

Well, this is weird and surprising, and also... weird. )

Okay.

( Dubiously, carefully. Kyle starts walking, and he falls back into step again, too.

Did he mention this is weird? Should he say something? He should say something, right? Just so Kyle knows it doesn't have to be this... You know. )

I'm from a really, really small town full of hyper-conservative ignorant Y'all Qaeda assholes. One time, when I was seven, my dad caught me reading a book that had a picture of a cowboy on the front. His shirt was unbuttoned a little or something, I think? Anyway, he called me a "reach-around fairy", broke my wrist, and used it for target practice for his new AK47. I didn't even get to finish reading it. ( Which is the worst part, frankly, for him. ) But it's not... like that here, you know that right? I mean, it's not like that most places outside of the deep south, but it's even less like that here. So.

( You don't have to worry about people judging you.

He definitely doesn't have to worry about Jack judging him. )