#shanekit

“Thank you so much. All I did was tutor you. Without you I wouldn't have made it. I must thank you too. For what? All this time, I've lived my life with one eye on the goal, thinking I deserved to be happy only after I reached it.”

I really like Kit. I think he understands Shane pretty well now. He tried to stay with him and when things got steamy and Shane "panicked", he didn't get mad or started to avoid him. He gave him the time and space Shane needed because he understands that's what he needs.

Shane. Tell me. What are you feeling right now? What are you thinking? Can you please tell me? What are you scared of or worried about? You don't have to act tough. You can tell me anything. You can talk to me.

These are big changes! At the end of that sentence there should be a parenthetical (to him), but Shane doesn’t automatically realize that as easily as others. But even more importantly, he’s avoiding a lot of these romantic interactions because he also assumes others have as hard of a time with change as he does. Sure, there’s the subtext of homophobia and his lacking models for romance at home that can (and should) be read into it, but he’s also just trying to treat people the way he wants to be treated—to have change introduced gradually and carefully. It’s the sweetest double empathy problem.

It’s so lovely for him to have Kit listen to him and explain how others are actually perceiving them, and Kit’s able to do that not because he’s some neurotypical savior (I don’t think any of us think Kit’s neurotypical either) but because Shane taught him how to be patient and return to problems at a later time. Through that, Shane taught Kit how to respect how he processes his feelings.

When I say I sobbed seeing this all depicted so tenderly without any preachiness and then watched them lay down together feeling understood and free of the anxious burden of others’ expectations!!! 🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹