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Henry fully expected Nolan to have a breakdown and that he had hit a chord with the younger man, but Nolan served to surprise him further.  Nolan considered this to himself for a moment before answering. "I guess I identify with both. I think if I had a certain look the other guys would consider me to be gay or too much of a meathead to contribute to scientific discussion. I just want to fit in with my colleagues.  When you're a scientist you just want people to focus on your work, not on you. To wear something that people would regard me as anything more than neutral would be annoying I guess."

"That's a fair point." Henry said slowly. He hadn't considered that Nolan had such a rationale side to him.  He was happy to find that Nolan could handle his emotions well given adequate reason.

Nolan leaned forwards and scratched Madeline behind her ears while Henry looked at him with a curious expression.  People rarely tried to get to know his dog. His eyes didn't move as Nolan spoke. "You know we lost our parents young, so it has always been in my best interests to dress like I'm a lot older.  I used to dress in just suits for a long time. Ellie started racing when she was twenty so I used to pretend to be her manager in the most grandfather suit I could find. It was hard to make sure people weren't taking advantage of her.  I had to grow up very quickly and see the real world for what it was. Our father was a nice man, don't get me wrong. But, he didn't teach us a lot about life skills. I had to go out and pay bills at the municipal water supply when I was fifteen pretending to him, because he often forgot.  He died when I was sixteen so I started to work. Obviously my first job was in tutoring and test prep. Rich people usually like it if their tutor looks a certain way and talks a certain way. I got hired a lot just because I hung around Ivy kids so much even though I didn't have half of their credentials.  To look like a professor has always been a plus in my field of academia now. Being an old man in all but age is something I have prided myself on until now."

Henry looked at Nolan with a renewed appreciation.  He could understand now why Nolan had been so angry initially when he had found out about their marriage.  His whole job in his youth was to protect his sister from men like him. On the flip side, why Ellie was fine with him raising his voice made sense too.  Henry slowly got up and put Madeline into his arms so she wouldn't be disturbed from her sleep. A drop of drool slipped down and made a streak on his checker monogram pajama pants. "That is good that you're in a better place now.  Your ready for a good change to reflect this new phase of your life. Where we can start is probably my wardrobe in the other side of the house unfortunately."