Dax did not flinch, did not look chastised, and did not even look surprised. He looked, instead, like someone deciding which part of a chessboard now mattered.
"Yes," he said simply. "I do."
Chris blinked. He had been fully prepared for denial, or principle, or a lecture. The admission threw him for a moment.
"But I still don't like when you do it," Dax continued. "Especially at the table."
Chris stared at him. "You don't like it because it's me saying it, not because of the word itself."
"That's correct," Dax answered, tone even.
"And that's…" Chris stopped, exhaled, shoulders deflating slightly under the day. "...unreasonable."
"Yes," Dax said again, easily, without apology. "It is."
