Last Days of Summer

He did give him a minute. Because Broen was... well, this was the reason he hadn't wanted to push too fast. Because Broen was unstable. Even at a distance it was obvious, the violent moodswings from one side to another. No emotional regulation, which made sense considering the circumstances he'd been in.

So Jude waited, letting the minutes tick by until Broen looked like he was together. Only then did he stick his left hand out, wiggling the metal fingers to demonstrate.

"If I say I know what it's like you're probably not going to believe me, but do you even know what's going on with my arm? Like, you know it's Giltenn, and you know it's all over--" Hard to miss, considering Broen had seen him shirtless. "--But do you know what's going on with it?"

He had thought the answer was yes, but now he was starting to realize the answer was no. He'd never talked about it. The Defiant already knew, and it wasn't like he went around explaining it. For most people it simply didn't matter.

It didn't take a genius, and Jude sighed and glanced away.

He had things he wanted to say. Things he wanted to clarified. But it still felt raw and frustrating, and Broen was...

Well, Broen was even worse than he was.

"I just wanted to check in," Jude finally said. "We should probably... I don't know. Have a longer talk. A serious talk later. But now's probably not a good time for it anyway."

Maybe later.

"But if you need anything, just... let me know."