That doesn't feel entirely fair. Neither of them was communicating, and it is, in fact, much better now. Day to day, about the same, but with that one knot of buried anxiety untied, the bad TV and cuddling and washing dishes while flirting outrageously all feel more real and safe.

And that does come down to Chase, however he intended it. "You could have handled it better, but you were..." He struggles to phrase it. "Effective. Call it directness." Being a dick might be a power he can channel.