[Nephrite Curtiss can count on a single hand the number of times in his life that he's been called 'nice'. All of the others were sarcastic. No one called Jade Curtiss nice, either, even when he very occasionally tried to be kind. He hasn't been nice for most of either of his lives, and he goes out of his way to be a difficult person to know so that people keep their distance from him.
But he can't do that with Luke, not wholeheartedly, and this is the result.]
You have no idea what you're saying.
[He meant that to sound dark and vaguely threatening, but he can hear the softness and melancholy in his own voice when the words pass his lips. He's better at the cheerful deflection if he wants to scare people away.
But Luke isn't wrong about the result of his interactions with Asch, even though Neph is pretty sure they'd end up working through it in a way that was beneficial to both of them. And...much like his brother, he's choosing to pursue this connection.
He remembers the first time, so many years ago now, that Asch's little hand had reached out to grab his for security, as if he was someone safe. The trust these brothers put in him is something he never feels he's earned, and something he would die rather than betray.]
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But he can't do that with Luke, not wholeheartedly, and this is the result.]
You have no idea what you're saying.
[He meant that to sound dark and vaguely threatening, but he can hear the softness and melancholy in his own voice when the words pass his lips. He's better at the cheerful deflection if he wants to scare people away.
But Luke isn't wrong about the result of his interactions with Asch, even though Neph is pretty sure they'd end up working through it in a way that was beneficial to both of them. And...much like his brother, he's choosing to pursue this connection.
He remembers the first time, so many years ago now, that Asch's little hand had reached out to grab his for security, as if he was someone safe. The trust these brothers put in him is something he never feels he's earned, and something he would die rather than betray.]