[His face turns red, and his mouth shuts tight. The blood rushes to his head and he his grasp on Matt's sleeve tightens.
Without the Numbers, to him, he would never have had the chance. Matt would've been any other tutor, any other person sent his way by a teacher or his father. He would've never spoken to Nadia; he would've never spoken to Basil if he never spoke to Nadia. Even if they didn't care about his Number, it was because he had it that he even had this chance. Even if it came with the memories of being shot at or being crushed by a table, or losing so many people to death. Being a Numbered had given him the chance for all that change, even if he hated it. He even cared about Nemesis, at this point. She was his.
if he lost his Number completely, he might forget something important. Maybe not everything, but something important. That scares him.]
... Are you [a pause] okay with me sticking around? [He doesn't want to lose anything he's gained. But he doesn't want to hurt the things he's come to care about either.]
no subject
Without the Numbers, to him, he would never have had the chance. Matt would've been any other tutor, any other person sent his way by a teacher or his father. He would've never spoken to Nadia; he would've never spoken to Basil if he never spoke to Nadia. Even if they didn't care about his Number, it was because he had it that he even had this chance. Even if it came with the memories of being shot at or being crushed by a table, or losing so many people to death. Being a Numbered had given him the chance for all that change, even if he hated it. He even cared about Nemesis, at this point. She was his.
if he lost his Number completely, he might forget something important. Maybe not everything, but something important. That scares him.]
... Are you [a pause] okay with me sticking around? [He doesn't want to lose anything he's gained. But he doesn't want to hurt the things he's come to care about either.]