"Thanks." He says, and if his eyes prickle a little bit, well, maybe Jedao will be nice enough to pretend he doesn't notice. "Of course we can still talk."

They've still got a little bit more to get through today.

"I wouldn't break up with him yet. I don't know him well enough to know how you'd do this, but I think you should eventually share your thinking about this with him. You're too sharp edged to ever be one hundred percent safe for him, but you'd sure as hell sacrifice for him, and do a lot to protect him, and he probably deserves to know you'd choose him over me every time. I mean- not me specifically, but like, anyone. It's touching, to feel someone value you that way."

Which, as he says it out loud, as it really starts to sink in, starts to just ache, to hurt, but sometimes doing the right thing isn't supposed to be easy. He picks himself stiffly up off the floor, to try to cover that up a little, and comes to collect his teacup from him.

"Try that, before you say goodbye. Just- be trustworthy, put him first, give him a chance to know it? If nothing else, as a favour to me, do it so I don't have to live knowing that I--"