[ His expression relaxes and he closes his eyes again, tail wagging as he lets Josh continue to work the burrs out. He'll find more twigs tangled here or there. Not blooming as they once were and looking scraggly, but still holding one. Only a few of them, however, are attached. Other's come out easily enough with a little tug that shows yeah. They're just twigs. ]

Mmm, few more months? There was kinda no denyin' it, at that point, but it was a slow process. Ain't wanted to rush things.

[ He hesitates, frowning a little the best he can with a muzzle. ]

The reason it happened so fast to begin wid, I think, is like... I joke I wore you down but we went through a lot together. You were human again, you were havin' to deal wid stuff you weren't used to dealin' wid anymore. Added on top of the shit we was bein' forced through... I read 'bout trauma survivors bondin', an' I think it started like that but we both grew into each other, you know? I was there durin' yer worst moments, an' fer a while it was jus' us. I had yer back, an' you had mine, 'cuz we was all we had. Then I fuckin' fell, heh.