[he’s quiet for a long moment, absorbing all of what nida tells him. his own experiences aren’t exactly similar, but he understands the pain of losing someone you love, especially when betrayal’s involved. when jason finally speaks again, his voice is much softer than usual, entirely sincere, no trace of his default sarcasm.]

It’s hard to deal with something like that - loving someone who ends up betraying you. Maybe even hating yourself for not being good enough to prevent it from happening. Can’t say I’ve got any good advice on the subject, but for what it’s worth, I’m glad you didn’t check out, and I know there’s others here who feel the same way.

[he exhales a slow breath, heavy with the weight of the truths passed between them.]

If you think your helicopter parents would let you off the leash for a bit, I’d get a drink with you.

[maybe not the healthiest coping mechanism, but it’s one that works.]