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Like I mentioned in the ask about the man in the bathroom stall, BB’s words there seem like advice he’s repeating from someone else, probably his sergeant or RB. They likely noticed BB’s own self-destructive patterns and tried to help him in the same way. BB mentioned that his sergeant understood his situation very well, scolded him for a while before signing his discharge papers, and even helped him find a job afterward. So I think BB took that advice to heart, and because it worked for him, he’d naturally repeat the same advice when he sees someone struggling in a similar way. You can read more about that in the link I attached below.

And based on what Laly vaguely said about what BB would do for MC in the bad ending, she mentioned that he’d try to help, but would probably eventually stop. I don’t interpret that as him simply giving up on her. I think it’s more that BB’s way of comforting people tends to come from a practical point of view rather than knowing how to provide the kind of mental or emotional support someone needs. So he’d be very aware that his words might not be able to reach MC if she’s in that state of mind.

Because unlike the customer in the bathroom, who shared a similar struggle with BB, the root of MC’s behavior could be completely different from his. And if the trauma behind her behavior is something BB has never experienced himself, then it’d be really difficult for him to know how to help her because he simply wouldn’t know how.

For example, if MC had been SAed, I don’t think BB would ever say that he understands her pain or try to comfort her as if he knows exactly what she’s going through. He wouldn’t want to come across as arrogant like that. He can understand what it’s like to struggle with wanting to live, but that doesn’t mean he understands every kind of trauma that could lead someone to feel that way.

So I’d say whether MC has suicidal tendencies or not doesn’t really change how he’d treat her. He’d still be there for her. But if he realizes that she doesn’t want help or doesn’t want to listen to anyone, I think he’d respect that too.

And honestly, if MC genuinely wanted to die, I don’t think BB would simply try to force her to keep living and tell her that she has to endure the suffering because he understands what it’s like to struggle to stay alive while your own mind keeps telling you otherwise. I could see him going with her instead. Not because he doesn’t care about her, but because he understands that sometimes wanting to live can feel unbearable, and he wouldn’t want to force his own way of coping onto her.

That doesn’t necessarily mean he’d understand every part of her experience though. Everyone has different reasons for ending up in that state, and everyone deals with it differently. If BB realizes that the method that helped him isn’t working for MC, I don’t think he’d keep forcing it on her. He’d respect her decision, even if it hurts him.

Til death do us part. 

Laly actually confirmed that we can make out with BB against a wall! So I like to think it happens in the back of some dark, empty alley, no lights, nobody around, just you and him. You'd be able to feel his hands on you, his warm breath against your skin, and his low voice echoing in the pitch black. You wouldn't be able to see him at all, so you'd have to rely on every other sense.

You wouldn't even see him coming. You'd just feel the sudden, overwhelming warmth of his massive frame stepping into your space, boxing you against the cold brick wall. Before you can even adjust to the darkness, his calloused hand cups over your eyes, plunging you into complete blackness. His thumb gently strokes your temple, anchoring your head while his other arm wraps around your waist, hauling your hips flush against his.

But haha... I don't think Lane actually guards his heart that well.

He thinks he does. That's the important part :)

"Because for someone who acts like you do, I'm surprised someone hasn't already stolen your heart."

Lane's whole defense is basically verbal. He keeps insisting that he's in control, that he's not going to fall, that he's not going to give himself away. But meanwhile, his actual feelings keep betraying him. His heart is basically jumping straight out of his chest, through his mouth, and flopping around on the floor.

He doesn't consciously hand it to us. His heart just keeps escaping on its own.

And BB, who does almost the complete opposite.

BB straightup asks us not to be his heartbreaker. He acknowledges that he has a heart that can be hurt and practically makes us feel like he's placing it right into our hands.

"I only ask for one thing."

"Don't be my heart breaker."

But I actually think BB might guard his heart much more carefully than Lane does.

Because BB knows it's there.

I hope I never hurt you... but whether that happens depends on the choices you make too.

He knows he's vulnerable. He knows there's something to lose. So when he shows vulnerability, I don't necessarily think that means he's giving us all of himself. He might be letting us hold the part of his heart that he's decided is safe to give away, while the deepest part of it is still surrounded by these really high walls.

"You don't talk about it... but it shows." I can see how deeply you'd be hurt, even if you never talk about it.

"You get to decide the kind of man you are, too." YOU matter in how this story unfolds.

So Lane looks like the one who's protecting his heart, but he's actually the one whose heart is constantly betraying him.

BB looks like he's handing his heart over, but he's actually much more deliberate about what he lets us have.

Lane: “You'll never have my heart.”

Meanwhile his heart has already climbed over the fence and is halfway down the street looking for you 🏃‍♂️💨 “TAKE ME TO HER”

BB: “Please don't break my heart.”

Meanwhile his heart: 🔒🔒🔒 “You may admire it from the designated viewing area.”

And I think this could extend to how they handle intimacy in general.

Lane's vulnerability feels more accidental. You have to catch him caring, catch him remembering things, catch him worrying, catch him being soft when he didn't mean to be. He might not even realize how much he's revealed until it's already too late.

BB's vulnerability feels more intentional. He can openly tell you that he's afraid of being hurt, or that he cares, or that something matters to him, because he's conscious of what he's doing. But that doesn't necessarily mean he's letting you see the deepest parts of himself.

So in a weird way, Lane might be harder to talk to but easier to read, while BB might be easier to talk to but harder to truly know.

Lane's problem is that he doesn't realize how much he's already giving away.