The shopping squad leaves and Scott sees that he and Liam have been left with the duty of cleaning up. The table's a mess, but he decides they'll take care of it later. Something in the air between them shifts again when they steal a glance at one another; both aware of the conversation they're about to have, but neither of them knowing how to start it.

A little to Scott's surprise, Liam breaks the ice this time.

"I'm sorry about what you saw," he mutters, examining the table, drawing small circles on it with his finger.

"It's okay," Scott lies, because it's not okay, yet he still finds that he can't really blame him. "When did you do it?" he therefore asks.

Liam sighs. "Tuesday night."

Scott's mind throws him back. "When we were in your garden?" he asks.

"Yeah." The drawing motion has turned to a scratching one.

"I thought…" Scott swallows, licking his lips. "I thought that was nice."

"Me too."

Scott's disappointment grows. "Then why did you do it?"

More and more lines become visible in Liam's face, showing his discomfort. "I felt guilty."

"Guilty?"

"Hmhm."

Scott scoots a little closer to the boy, moving some of the rubbish so that he can rest his arms on the table. "Why did you feel guilty?" he asks, trying to sound sympathetic. "Because of our…you know…." He pokes Liam's pinky finger.

The awkward gesture makes the boy's lips curl a little and Scott's glad he has managed to lighten the mood, even just for a moment.

"No, not because of that," Liam says, giving him a small poke back. "I liked that."

Scott exhales a relieved breath through his nose. "Me too," he mumbles softly.

Liam nods.

"So then what did you feel guilty about?"

The boy's face scrunches apologetically. "About quite a lot, actually…" He catches his bottom lip with his front teeth. "Are you sure you want to hear it?"

"Of course," Scott says with a slightly odd tone in his voice, for he figured Liam knew that by now.

"I felt guilty about…" Liam pauses. "…telling you I sometimes want to kill myself."

Scott nods, stomach clenching as he remembers that moment in the bathroom. He thought he had known heartache by now, but when Liam had said those words, Scott had been faced with a whole new level of it. That had also been the reason he hadn't known what to say. How do you respond to your friend telling you they want to step out of their life? Forever?

"I felt guilty about making Lydia feel uncomfortable…" Liam further explains, "and about forcing her to open up about her dad…I really didn't mean to do that, you know?"

Scott shakes his head. "That's not why she told you."

"Well, that's what I felt like," Liam explains. "If I hadn't run off like some baby, she wouldn't have told me."

Scott shrugs a little, because maybe Liam has a point. Still, he doesn't think Liam should feel guilty about it, but before Scott can tell him that, Liam's already continuing, "And I felt guilty about our talk. You must've thought I was weird, comparing myself to the universe and all. It was embarrassing."

Finally, Scott frowns. "What? Are you kidding? I thought it was great," he responds. "I mean…I really feel like I understand you more now."

Those words make Liam look up. "You do?"

"Yeah!" Scott answers. "When you said all that…it actually sounded a little comforting. Remember a week ago when you told me you don't even understand what's going on with you yourself? It seems like, now, you're starting to. And if looking at the stars makes you feel small…and safe, then that's okay."

Liam's eyes fall again, but this time from shyness. Scott recognizes the faint blush on his cheeks. "Well, that's only because of you," he mutters in all honesty. "Because I can talk to you about it."

"And talking always helps," Scott verbally quotes something he has read on the internet.

Liam nods. "Apparently it does. I hadn't expected it to, but it does…"

"See? We're fine," Scott cheers him up.

A small smile forms around Liam's lips and Scott grins, wrapping a quick arm around his shoulders. He pulls him close for a second and Liam's head falls against his collarbone. The atmosphere around them lightens and both boys feel like they can breathe again. Scott shifts in his seat, causing the muscles in his neck to relax. He hadn't even noticed how tense they were before.

"But that doesn't take away the fact that I sometimes still feel guilty," Liam mutters.

Scott thinks for a bit, because Liam's right. He can always assure the boy he doesn't have to feel guilty, but he also can't be there all the time. They need a solution.

"I've done some research," he suddenly prompts.

Liam looks up, a strange look on his face. "Research?"

"Yeah, on depression," Scott answers bluntly.

"You…researched me…?"

Finally, Scott hears how that sounds and his eyes widen. "Sorry, I don't mean it like you're some sort of chemical experiment," he tries to make a joke out of it. "I mean I looked up some stuff on depression."

Liam nods silently and Scott wants to punch himself for being so tactless. He can tell Liam's mood is falling again, so he quickly continues. "It explained how cutting yourself works."

Liam's eyebrows knit together. "What do you mean: 'how it works'?"

"Well, apparently, when your head gets too busy and you cut yourself, it's nothing more than a distraction. Only, because it hurts, your brain produces hormones, called endorphins, to cover up that pain, which is why, in the moment, it makes you feel good."

"Okay…"

Scott purses his lips, because Liam doesn't get it and he's awful at explaining it. "What I'm trying to say is that it's all about distracting yourself. So…" he thinks, starting to get a little frustrated. He tries to think of the right words but his stupid brain just won't come up with them. His toes curl, the muscles in his calves contracting.

But then he remembers Liam's own explanation; an imaginable lightbulb popping above his head. "So instead of using your ability to stop time to cross the road, you press the traffic lights that allow you to cross. They take a while longer, but the end result is the same."

Liam blinks up at Scott, visibly processing his words.

"So…you're saying that….when I'm having a moment and I want to cut myself, I should play a videogame or something?"

"Yeah!" Scott perks up. "Exactly! Just distract yourself!"

"But I never feel like doing anything like that in that moment," Liam explains.

"Well…maybe now that you know how it works, you can be more self-aware and just try it anyway…" Scott offers, a little unsure.

Liam thinks for a while, but then starts nodding slowly. "I'm gonna try and remember it."

Scott beams down at him. "Good! Good, that's good," he says. "And…and, you know, when it doesn't work, you can always text me and I can distract you…"

The blush on Liam's face deepens and he covers his mouth as he chuckles. "You aren't hearing yourself again, are you?"

Scott's jaw drops ever so slightly and he facepalms, making Liam laugh louder.