[ Matt was poised to keep retreating into himself, trying simultaneously to soothe himself and let insight scour him like salt. But the touch of Sebastian's hand, light though it is, is enough to pull him back to the surface. His emotions scatter, fragmenting and dissipating in its wake. Physical contact has always had its own gravity to Matt, an unutterable, inescapable truth. How can sadness stand up to that?

He exhales. ]

Oh ...

[ A slight smile--a real one, this time, as his shoulders straighten. ]

I don't know. I think desire is part of love. It's not everything there is, and it can definitely be acquisitive or--unevolved--but so can romantic love. People killing their partners, or even just being terrible when they get dumped or turned down. [ Did V love him? Matt's never been sure. He shrugs gently, as if to ward off the line of thought. ] But uh, maybe sometime, if you ever want to do the thing again, [ wiggling his fingers, ] I'll try to surface that for you. What love feels like to me.