[Vil was absolutely pleased with the way Lyney was slowly starting to unwind. He kept up the gestures of comfort, and let Lyney hide away in the hug.]

You know, in my world that was a common mindset as well. That boys shouldn’t cry, that they had to be strong and never show “weakness”.

But people started realizing that forcing boys into that role was hurting them and causing more damage rather than making them “stronger”. Your father simply might not know better yet.

[He hoped by phrasing it gently it would be easier to Lyney to accept it. Vil knew nothing of his father, so he wasn’t in a place to judge what he was assuming was a “him”. Vil absolutely was judging him regardless, but he wasn’t about to make that known. Lyney clearly held his father in high regard, so framing it like a regular human mistake might make it easier to accept.]

It’s like acting. I get paid quite a bit to act, because it requires a lot of skill, focus, and energy to do well. In short, it’s exhausting, and that’s only doing it for short bursts of time.

Pretending to be “strong” and in control is using the same set of skills and effort, but there’s not even any payout. There’s no break either. Is it really so surprising that you’ve worn yourself out?

So come now, there’s no need act if no one’s paying you for it. Save that for the stage, not your house.