It's too confrontational. They should stop, Matt thinks. This was a mistake. He shouldn't pry, shouldn't try to get other people's secrets. He has his, too. Like where the bruises really come from or that he's suspecting Tim's dad is less-than-stellar.

He needs to let it go.

He needs to, but this night, the way Tim reacted when Matt got angry--when Matt wanted to let the devil out. Tim can taste his lie but Matt can hear it, and it's practically shaking the entire room. His hand twitches. He can hear the mice in the walls.

"He hit me, once," Matt says softly. "Just once. I got into a fight at school because kids were making fun of him, saying he always lost. I got angry, and I snapped. The moment he heard I didn't fight in self-defense he smacked me so hard I lost my balance."

He lets it sink in. Lets it mellow in Tim's senses before he grips his arm a little tighter.

"I'm beginning to think your father was less than kind when it came to things like that."