But Koujaku realizes his mistake—albeit not wholly the one Alec thinks he’s made. Of course it’s pretty fucking insensitive of him to bring up friends in a time when most of their lot has already been vanishing, and here Koujaku’s desperately trying to keep this guy grounded in reality when he’s doing everything possible to just fade away entirely.

He can’t blame him. He can’t really blame him. And for a moment Koujaku has nothing to say in reply. Instead, he’s meekly looking downward at their feet, before his face twists in a frown and he clicks his tongue with some irritation.

“Well, you’ve got one anyhow.”