[ It doesn't surprise him that Shiro starts steeling himself back up, shutting down. Honestly, Sam kind of figures that the only reason he got him to open up that much was the sheer shock of not being alone, of hearing there might be a reason for what he was dealing with.

But that doesn't mean Sam's gonna drop it. ]

Brother, I can promise you right now that you being able to break down a little every now and then, when you need it, isn't gonna hurt anybody. Whatever you got going on up here- [ He taps the side of Shiro's temple, lightly. ] It's gonna come out. That's part of what the flashbacks and nightmares are, your brain trying to deal with it all.

[ He steps back a little so he can look at Shiro, hold gone loose. ]

If you want, if you'll let me, I can teach you how to cope with it. How to put yourself back together, how to recognize the signs and stop it before it gets bad. I can show you what works for me, what’s worked for others, and help you find what works for you.