[ That phrasing does strike him as a little odd, and he frowns slightly, pausing for a moment to see if he's going to add anything else. When nothing else comes, though, he continues himself, with some hesitation. ]

...Yeah. [ ... ] I'd already resigned myself to it a long time before that. I didn't think there was any point in trying to stand up to him when I knew I'd just get beaten back down, so I was just going to do what he said and wait it out for the last two years.

[ He absently traces his fingers in a curve beneath his left eye. It's been a long while now since he's had any scrapes or bruises there, but it took him about a month to break the habit of touching his cheek to make sure his previously ever-present bandage was still sticking. ]

At least I got really good at first aid if nothing else... haha...

[ It's a half-hearted laugh that trails off quickly. He could have done without that skill, actually.

Taking another sip, he raises his eyes up from his mug. As much as he often kind of likes being the center of attention, and even though he's the one that took them down this route in the first place... is this really what they're going to stay on? ]