The worry that rises within Daniel is mostly about where this idea could be coming from. Even though Daniel can be very worried about the way he's coming across, he is - this time - pretty sure that he didn't do anything to give Robby the impression that he was mad at him for anything that happened. Daniel was entirely prepared to put this all behind them, but..
.. it seems like it's a little bit harder for Robby still, huh? Maybe it shouldn't be a surprise. It must have been even harder for Robby when he was the one going through all of it, when he's only barely managed to reform himself again from what this world had reduced him to.
Still, even if it's slightly logical within the rules of this twisted world, it's still worrisome to a father. Who wants to see their kid hurting like this, or thinking like this? Thinking that their own father would want to hurt them, just to get back at them.
The only thing he can do is reach out, wrap an arm around Robby, pulling the boy closer to him. Holding him close, like Daniel would want to do nothing more than to gather the boy into his arms, to protect his son from a world that's too cruel for his heart.
"Never," Daniel says, his voice shaking faintly as he gets out the word, just from the sheer intensity of his conviction about that answer.
Or maybe just because the idea of it feels so disgusting, so terrifying. Him hurting Robby, when all he wants to do is protect the boy. It's not an idea he wants to let live in his son's mind even for a moment. It's not something Robby should have to be thinking about, nothing he should have to consider.
"As long as I have anything to say about it, I'm never going to hurt you. Alright? Never."
Daniel pauses a moment, letting out a breath that felt deeper than expected, like he was holding more breath than he consciously realised he was holding.
".. forget everything that happened," he says, a little more quiet this time. "I'm not hurt. I'm not mad."
He never was mad. Not at Robby. And.. okay, yes, Daniel was hurt, but it's easy to forget all about that when the entire problem is solved, when he didn't lose Robby forever like he feared so much. How is he supposed to still be hurting when he can hold this boy in his arms, knowing that it is his son he's holding?
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.. it seems like it's a little bit harder for Robby still, huh? Maybe it shouldn't be a surprise. It must have been even harder for Robby when he was the one going through all of it, when he's only barely managed to reform himself again from what this world had reduced him to.
Still, even if it's slightly logical within the rules of this twisted world, it's still worrisome to a father. Who wants to see their kid hurting like this, or thinking like this? Thinking that their own father would want to hurt them, just to get back at them.
The only thing he can do is reach out, wrap an arm around Robby, pulling the boy closer to him. Holding him close, like Daniel would want to do nothing more than to gather the boy into his arms, to protect his son from a world that's too cruel for his heart.
"Never," Daniel says, his voice shaking faintly as he gets out the word, just from the sheer intensity of his conviction about that answer.
Or maybe just because the idea of it feels so disgusting, so terrifying. Him hurting Robby, when all he wants to do is protect the boy. It's not an idea he wants to let live in his son's mind even for a moment. It's not something Robby should have to be thinking about, nothing he should have to consider.
"As long as I have anything to say about it, I'm never going to hurt you. Alright? Never."
Daniel pauses a moment, letting out a breath that felt deeper than expected, like he was holding more breath than he consciously realised he was holding.
".. forget everything that happened," he says, a little more quiet this time. "I'm not hurt. I'm not mad."
He never was mad. Not at Robby. And.. okay, yes, Daniel was hurt, but it's easy to forget all about that when the entire problem is solved, when he didn't lose Robby forever like he feared so much. How is he supposed to still be hurting when he can hold this boy in his arms, knowing that it is his son he's holding?
"All I wanted was for you to be okay."