"Look this is...this is two parts 'oh god I missed you' and one part 'you kicked me up an elevator and I've had enough time to realize that it was entirely justified but my wrong genre savvy ass got it's manly feeling hurt by your dismissal of my pitched romantic future with you' and about a quarter of 'may or may not be hallucinating because this reunion is going a hellofalot better than I'd anticipated'. Deviations from known patterns are throwing me here, Casey." But honestly?

It's for the better. That he's just a little off center. That they're talking about this, one hand idly combing Emu's fur, the other curled in a loose fist to avoid reaching out to his lighter to start clicking it. Old habits he's trying to break.

Some are harder than others. "I could've spoken up sooner. I could've trusted you. I didn't, that's on me, and I am sorry for....all of that. Everything."