Broken Boulder thursday, i don't care 'bout you

Oof. That was a question and a half. He gave a nervous chuckle, shaking his head. "I'll, uh, leave it up to him, as far as what he wants to tell you," Zamael responded, his face apologetic. "I know he's very guarded. We had a really fucked up childhood, to put it simply. I have trust issues because of it; it wouldn't be a stretch to say that he does, too.

"But it's not my place, to speak for him," he concluded. "He'll tell you about it, with time. Just give it some time." He was confident that Alarian would eventually let Delight into the deepest chambers of his heart. He wasn't about to do the bloody, messy work himself. Beyond looking after Alarian's welfare, he wanted to stay as detached from this relationship as he possibly could.

If it ended in flames, his brother could always come running back to him. Zamael hoped fervently--for all of their sakes--that this tale had a better denouement than had all the others.