[He felt the reassurance along with the words...and understood them. Acceptance of that kind of support was much harder.
Lupin took a deep breath and tried to relax in the water, to let a part of him savor the water and drift for a little while, but Spock's words clung to the silence.
He had too much time to think.]
...I tried that. It didn't work.
[Because they tried to protect him, and he reached a point where he couldn't accept their brand of protection anymore. There was a distinct difference between shielding and supporting in his mind. To shield someone was to prevent their action. To support them was to allow them to continue acting, but it also meant staying by their side as they did.
His friends and himself all supported each other, even as they worked different sides and exchanged bullets. That was work. They always came together before the job was over because their goals were the same.]
no subject
Lupin took a deep breath and tried to relax in the water, to let a part of him savor the water and drift for a little while, but Spock's words clung to the silence.
He had too much time to think.]
...I tried that. It didn't work.
[Because they tried to protect him, and he reached a point where he couldn't accept their brand of protection anymore. There was a distinct difference between shielding and supporting in his mind. To shield someone was to prevent their action. To support them was to allow them to continue acting, but it also meant staying by their side as they did.
His friends and himself all supported each other, even as they worked different sides and exchanged bullets. That was work. They always came together before the job was over because their goals were the same.]