[ John doesn't really think about his reaction to the hug. Dave's arms go around him, awkward though it might be, and Dave latches on. He buries his face in Dave's shoulder and just stands there.

He doesn't cry, not really, but he shudders a bit, and feels Dave's heartbeat, and steadies his breathing. He has someone. He has Dave, and he has Jade. Even if they're all a little fucked up, he has them. They're not his dad, but they're someone, they're two someones, that he can rely on to be there for him if he needs them.

He'll probably cry himself to sleep tonight, but this, right now... this is the important part. The part where he can be in denial or he can accept it, and...

Dave wouldn't lie to him. If there was a chance he could really change it, Dave would have his back. And he doesn't want to think about it, but if Dave's telling him that it absolutely isn't going to happen... ]

Thank you.

[ It's muffled by Dave's shoulder, garbled by a mixture of his emotion and his normal garbling, but there you go. He's not quite ready to let go just yet.

He has to remind himself that he still has someone. ]