You don't really get to pick what you're afraid of.

[He flicks a glance down at the otterblob on his chest, fixating on her whiskers for a minute while he seems to mull something over.]

I'm not going to say it's fine, because it's not. But I get that it's easy to get caught in that kind of trap, wrapped up in yourself instead of thinking about other people and where they're coming from.