[He met his companion's sour gaze with a fresh-faced and pleasant one of his own, the sort Vincent usually wound up wanting to punch for all of its smugness.]
If you're not bothered by such comments, then it shouldn't matter whether or not people make them. For example, if I said...
[No.
Kit, no.]
...you have a short fuse. You wouldn't be offended by the play on words. But you are, aren't you? It's terrible that anyone would stoop so low! And you'd be completely within your rights to punch me in the ankle for that.
no subject
[He met his companion's sour gaze with a fresh-faced and pleasant one of his own, the sort Vincent usually wound up wanting to punch for all of its smugness.]
If you're not bothered by such comments, then it shouldn't matter whether or not people make them. For example, if I said...
[No.
Kit, no.]
...you have a short fuse. You wouldn't be offended by the play on words. But you are, aren't you? It's terrible that anyone would stoop so low! And you'd be completely within your rights to punch me in the ankle for that.