84 Harry's POV

Tom seemed out of place the entire time at the Natural History Museum, like he didn't know where to put himself, or how to interact. The amount of times I saw him hesitate before he said something, most of the time actually opening his mouth to talk, before snapping it shut again. We had all tried to get him to join in the conversation, but he'd never looked comfortable. Hell, he hadn't even looked confident in what he saying, even when he was reading something to Buzz.

Hell, talking to Buzz made him look fearful, like he honestly did not have a clue on what he was doing, or if he was doing it right. It broke my heart to see, knowing that this was what Tom trying his best looked like. He was doing so well, but he was still so uncertain, like he didn't have a clue on how to deal with the situation. It was us though, he knew us, knew we wouldn't judge, or beat him down for talking. He shouldn't have looked like that.

Natasha had warned us about it though, saying that he would feel scared and be unsure of what he was doing. All we could do was try to act like everything was normal, and treat him like we would back before we knew about his wife. That, and let him take as much charge as he wanted, give him as much responsibility as he wanted to have. We had tried, but it was hard. Sometimes I just wanted to shake Tom out of it, make him see that everything was fine, and that he could do what he wanted, he could talk with us and do what he wanted. That he didn't need to constantly be quiet, to stand in the background.

"It was the best we could hope for." Dougie sighed, crawling into bed, wearing the new dinosaur t-shirt he had bought himself from the gift shop.

"I know, and I know that it's progress, and that he had fun. I just... it's hard, to see him doubt even talking to us." it was so hard to watch, to see him doubting us, of all people. But I guessed, having your wife emotionally manipulate you into believing that you are a completely useless and terrible human being would do that to a person. No matter how unfair it was. Unfair, and cruel.

"He needs practice, that's all." Dougie curled up to my chest, hand curling round my hip bone, "I know I did. I needed practice in being myself again."

"How so?" I hadn't really heard this before, of course, Dougie had said that he had found it difficult to adjust back to his life again after rehab, but I hadn't heard this before.

"Tom's... it's hard to explain, and I don't even know if I'm right." Dougie trailed off for a minute, I let him have as long as he needed, as he sometimes need a while to gather his words.

"It's like... he's been living as somebody else for so long, not realising that he's been different. He's been taught to be quiet, to not argue with anything, to hide from even the slightest hint of fun." Dougie started, "He's got to learn to be himself again, to regain the confidence to be himself too. He hasn't got any confidence in himself at all right now, so he's second guessing every move. In case it brings out the same anger it did in his wife, in us. He's just got to learn that we won't be cruel, and that it's okay being himself again."

"Makes sense, when did you come up with that?" I asked, stroking a hand through his hair.

"From what I can tell, the aftermath of emotional manipulation is a bit like depression. After the captors gone, you're stuck trying to regain yourself, remember who you are, and figure out where you fit in again. The main difference between the two, to me, is that depression can be cured, or at least curbed, with pills and therapy, and the help of friends and family. Recovering from an abusive relationship takes all that, as well as realising that you were in that kind of relationship, and you're having to relearn what a healthy relationship with anyone looks like. It's hell, and takes so much work it's exhausting." Dougie explained, I had no idea whether to be completely heartbroken by his explanation, or to be so glad that a) he had gotten through the other side of this, or b) to be thankful he was here to offer some insight into what was happening.

"Sometimes, I forget you're so insightful." I really shouldn't have, but sometimes, I did. Dougie was just so... sometimes I forgot that he was an adult now, not a child. Not the fifteen year old boy he once was, so young and innocent.

"It's not insight, just experience." Dougie shrugged.