( Ian doesn't always get to know when he's made the right choice in a relationship or a dynamic. That's one of the reasons he struggles with them so much. With machinery, with math, there are rigid rules and logic. There are clearly defined solutions with unmistakable outputs that tell you whether or not you were successful in the work you've done. Relationships are a wide and turbulent ocean, they're abstract and things ripple out in ways he can't preemptively quantify. He rarely gets an immediate payoff that makes him feel confident.

But he's pretty sure he just nailed it. It isn't that it hits his ego, it's not that it makes him feel smug or anything. It just feels satisfying, like taking a deep breath after holding it for a while. Amazing what can happen when you actually let yourself connect with somebody instead of taking the less frightening dodge action.

He gives Lance's shoulder one last soft squeeze, and then his hand drops away. )

You're welcome, man. Of course.

( It's genuinely his pleasure, he's got a lifetime of fucking up to balance out. )

I think this is the part where I deflect with humor to gloss over the emotional vulnerability of the moment, but I can't really think of anything witty and off the cuff, so... You know. Fill it in with your imagination.