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Well, it's not...surprising, I don't think. I've been there.

[Both with Bart and James! DOUBLE THE FUN.]

I feel like--I have to make up for not being able to save him, but I feel guilty talking to him, too.

[ It... sort of distantly occurs to him that maybe he got off easy, comparatively. He's quiet for several seconds (a remarkable span of time, for him), but finally: ]

Hey, dumb question, but it's not like that with me, right? [ Really dumb question. ] You know what, never mind. Not the same, I know.

It still bothers me but...no, not always in the same way. Because circumstances were different.

[There you go James.]

... yeah. Okay.

[ He fidgets, anxious, wondering if he should press it, but— decides against it. ]

Because he was innocent. [ Which is the difference, at least as far as James is concerned, regarding the two of them. ] I don't know if it would've turned out differently if we'd done something else, or if we'd just ended up with our asses handed to us, too. I don't know, I don't— I mean, it's not your fault, you know, you tried.

[ Except, well, he's a hypocrite, and he absolutely blames himself. ]

That's not...[Well, he doesn't want to get too far into it. Hmm.] I tried, yeah, and didn't make anything better in that whole goddamned mess.

...c'mon. You're too good of a person to beat yourself up like that.

I don't know about that.

[Sigh.]

But thanks. And at least we can try to do better this time, I guess.

No. Do or do not. There is no try.

[ Deep Yoda wisdom right here. ]

Ha. Very funny, James.

Fine, then. Let's do better. Together.

Well, hey, as long as no one dies, we're automatically doing better.

[ That was almost a joke. If he didn't still have nightmares about everything that happened with Bart the first time around, it might be funny. ]

... yeah, sure, together. But actually together. No more of that "I don't like you and you don't like me, but we're stuck with each other" crap.

Hey, you don't need to remind me. You're the one that started that.

[And the past few months since he stopped that shit have been...nice.]

I'm reminding you because I'm— [ sorry? yes, profoundly, but what he actually says is, ] —y'know, tired of you worrying about me starting it up again.

I haven't even brought that up lately.

[He says as if it isn't obvious from his behavior. But hey, he's slowly getting more comfortable with things...it's just that James always goes and pushes the boundaries of their relationship and makes him unsure all over again. But at least he's usually a little less unsure every time.]

Please, give me some credit. You're not that subtle about thinking it.

...Okay, yeah. You're right.

[The stubborn part of him says that James did this to himself and he has to deal with the fallout, but he also feels like saying that after months like this would be a bit unfair.]

Well...it's getting better, isn't it?

[Yeah, that's good and more neutral.]