He can't possibly deny anything now. What if he just - the thought seizes him, worked up like tangles of vines around his fragile throat - what if he just fell behind, and let It catch him? Let It do whatever It wanted? Just let it all happen? He wouldn't have to explain a thing! He wouldn't -

He glances behind him, and the sheer emptiness that yawns back at him is enough to send his heart rabbiting against his ribs, and for Tim to decide that awkward questions are infinitely preferable.

"I can't fly," he says, hating the way the words crack like a whimper. "I can't fly."