Well, this is going to be awful

"Kaiju's older, in case you forgot," Jude said, knowing very well that Broen likely didn't ever know, even if he no doubt suspected. "He declined. Probably wanted more of the college experience. Dorms and stuff. Privacy."

Jude was already halfway up the stairs, heading into his room as he said it. He didn't think anyone else was home--Roa was probably at school. Rory was probably at her job. Janelle was... doing whatever Janelle did. And Officer Genovese? He was at work. Jude knew at least that much for sure.

Jude's room was pretty much the definition of barebones. There was a bed. There was a desk. There was a bookshelf with a random assortment of books. There was a closet (closed). Everything Jude had amounted to very little, and really just amounted to the glass busts he'd gotten from Erione. A larger one of his dad on the nightstand. One of We The People on the back of the desk. And then three smaller ones - Armorer, Teegan, and Finch - up at the top of the bookshelf.

Jude shut the door once Broen was inside, despite knowing he was definitely not supposed to shut the door.

Couldn't imagine. Well, he was wrong, but it was kind of funny anyway as Jude flopped down on the bed, catching onto Broen's slight shift in demeanor and gesturing to the window.

"Feel free to open it," Jude said. He could definitely go through it instantly if he wanted to as long as the window was open, and there was no issue with popping it open. Jude's room was on the side of the house, and no one was going to overhear.

"And for the record, I was actually decently good friends with Finch, and definitely friends with Armorer. He was the one who got me my suit." Had Broen realized that? Probably not. It wasn't like it was super obvious, and he hadn't worn that suit all that long before it'd been replaced by a shiny new New Sentinels one.

Jude shifted--slightly uncomfortable that Broen would even point out what Jude was absolutely thinking about (Would Angelo be mad? Probably. Probably a stern warning, but only if he was caught, and it wasn't like it was really going to matter. It wasn't like it made a difference with no one home)--but pushed the whole thing off.

"Doesn't matter," Jude said with a wave of his hand.

He was, in fact, just dragging it out. He was trying to talk about Armorer or Finch or Teagan or anyone because it meant not just saying the thing he wanted to say. Or didn't want to say. He couldn't make up his mind.

So he said the absolutely easiest part first. The part that Broen probably already knew. Really, it wasn't hard to figure out - Jude suspected a bunch of people knew. The way he got uncomfortable when Broen flirted. The flush he did his best to keep pointed away when Broen made comments.

"I think you're attractive," Jude said in probably the least-sexy and most-clinical manner he could manage.

And then he couldn't quite make himself say the next part.

Jude cringed really hard at the laughter. Really hard. There was the faintest of red on his cheeks, the embarrassment settling in, but Jude had stuck his foot into the lake, and all he could do was hop in. He couldn't just pull it out and go walking around with a wet foot. Broen would know something was up, and Jude let that line of thought twist himself into actually saying it.

The words just sort of tumbled out. If he stopped to think, he'd just stop, so he didn't - he just let it all come out.

"Yes, I think you're attractive, and you spend all this time flirting, and I can never tell if you're actually serious, only I'm pretty sure you are, if only because you like that sort of thing, but if it's a real offer then I want to take you up on it, but only if we can talk about it first and you aren't going to hold it against me."

The mortification was already starting to settle in.

It was, being realistic? A lot of stuff he already knew. Not all the flirting was serious. But some of it was, and Broen wasn't going to turn it down... basically.

Something about Broen being all business, no smile-and-joking set Jude on edge.

"I knew that," Jude said. "This isn't... this isn't a love confession." God, he'd firmly dissuaded himself from that notion. He was attracted to Broen, not delusional. "This is... I don't know. A contract? A deal? Something like that. But it's not that."

Mentally, Jude was somewhere between embarrassed--he'd still said it--and indignant. He wasn't stupid. Did Broen really think he was that stupid?

Maybe not stupid, but Broen definitely thought he was that idealistic.