[ When Mary hugs him back, it dawns on him belatedly that this might have not been the right thing to do, first of all, but it's accepted well. It reminds him of something similar to what she's thinking, actually. It reminds him of Sook, at least when they were closer. They had drifted apart once he'd moved out, which was to be expected, but things had gotten really bad once Gran died, and it was his fault, honestly. They had only just been starting to fix things up, though he won't get the chance now. That thought makes him give her a tighter squeeze in the hug, which may come off as encouraging, but that's not quite why he does it. It's a little more selfish than that, but he doesn't exactly recognize it himself.

Not wanting to linger with this hug to the point that it would become weird, he pulls back, then reaches up to rub at his face. He really hates crying, especially in front of people he likes, but it's a little hard to hide it now. ]

Yeah... Yeah, I know what you mean.

[ He sighs heavily to compose himself a bit more, then rubs at his nose too. ]

I mean, I don't got a clue how to explain it neither, but that's not sayin' much. Nagyoa seemed to have a better idea, but that's 'cus he's smart. He might be able to explain stuff better.