Sebastian thought about the last time they'd seen each other in person, right as winter was shifting into spring. They sat out on the deck together like this each night, but with a fire going, because the air was still brisk. Hanna joined them the first evening, but after that she left them to it. She liked Mick, and liked what Mick brought out in Sebastian, but she could only ever stand so much talk of sport, and the old days, and Michael.
Mick seemed almost to materialise right beside him, warm and tipsy and smiling beneath the stars. To the space where Mick had been sat, Sebastian said, "We decided that we shouldn't. Anymore."
"You decided, you mean."
"Mick," Sebastian blurted. It came out harsh, chastising and-- not, not paternal, surely, but still just a little more adjacent than Sebastian would like to the tone he took with his children after they did something inconsiderate. He cleared his throat and added, gentler: "That's not fair."