So Atton wasn't used to Sparkle 1) punching stuff and 2) ... whatever that diatribe about caring had been, that thing, he wasn't used to that. It was starting to dawn on him that maybe they were having, like, two completely different arguments here, existing in the same space and meshing all weird.

He kind of remembered this sensation from that weird weekend a few months back, but not the circumstances. That confusion, and the not-being-used-to parts, that was enough to stop him from at least running his mouth with yet another reactionary - sorry, totally valid - argument regarding Sparkle's general squishiness.

"Not really what I was going for," he said, after a beat, because 'uh' would be stupid.