...well, he could, if he used his powers, which he's—currently not? Even though he said he was going to? Not that Jaeha would be able to tell, obviously, but...

He sits down.

"So. ...you've really been through it, huh?"

He scoffs then sighs. "Tell me about it."

"I'm so, so sorry."

Another scoff. "Yeah, I'm fucking sorry too that all it takes for me not to abuse a kid and stalk him for five years and try to get his partner killed is having the right fucking Canadian dropped on my lap at the right fucking time."

"Yeah. I... gotta say that's scary to look at. And I can see how it happened, too, how all of those tendencies in me would end up like that in those circumstances."

"It was fine! It was just fine! He loved me, I loved him, he wasn't about to leave me, wasn't, wasn't—"

"Jaeha."

He stops.

"It wasn't your fault."

"Oh that's bullshit and you know it. It certainly wasn't Lee Tae-gun's fault. Or Nightmare's." He made the choices he made. He did. While clear of backlash.

"Fine, it was proximally your fault. You did make the choices you made, and you were clear of backlash when you made them—"

(How does he know exactly what Jaeha's thinking? Is he using his powers? Or is Jaeha's more well-adjusted self just a lot more able to understand him than vice-versa? He supposes he just cannot imagine being this—together—whereas it's not like his current state of mind was unimaginable seven years ago.)

"—but you still slid down the backlash slippery slope because of a much smaller mistake, and you—Jaeha, we're fucked up."

"No shit we're fucked up."

"Not like that. We were raised by a neglectful, overbearing, controlling, homophobic sociopath who was incapable of love, into a toxic environment where we had to be constantly on the lookout for people trying to hurt us, use us, or both, where no one was ever truly genuine, where we had no possibility of real human connection and no opportunity to learn to recognise it even if we saw it.

"Yes we were filthy rich, so we didn't lack for material comfort, but it turns out humans are social animals and we needed more than that. Hell, maybe we needed more of that than other people to, but that doesn't make us weak. People are different. If we'd been raised in a more normal environment we might still need some therapy but we wouldn't be the control freaks we are, we'd have had more ability to deal with all of the shit we've had thrown at us without completely breaking down the way we're wont to do."

"Wow, did you write that speech in advance or did you erase my memory until you got it perfect?"

"Not telling! If I erased your memory I assure you I got your consent for it."

Smarmy asshole.

"But the more important component of that speech was the therapy, both external and internal. My first therapist was alright if a bit homophobic, but I eventually found someone I vibe with a lot more. Plus, I'll need to tell you about the joys of notebooking, which I assume your Haru hasn't told you about yet."

"He's not my anything," you simp.

"...Jaeha. Look at me."

Fine. What.

"I forgive you."

oh