He does remember how angry Abel had been back then - how could he not - and he wouldn't say that at least a small part of his hesitance in bringing it all up again had been that. It wasn't all of it, though, and nor was it an excuse for how long it had taken him to mention anything. Maybe, on some level, he had been hoping that it would all just blow over despite knowing damn well that it wasn't fair on either of them.

The question isn't one he expects to hear. Had Abel really held on to that moment for this long? Cain remembers it clearly. The elation as they'd exited their ship, the way he'd suddenly hugged the other man, knowing that it had worked and that everything was finally starting to come together.

And he remembers... wanting him, genuinely, for what might have been the first time. How damned attractive it was to watch him at the helm, to see how he made it all work, and how seamlessly they operated as a team.

His expression flickers.

"... Yeah." He replies quietly. "I remember."

He reaches out to clasp his hands over the other man's, squeezing them gently.

"And I meant it. I don't think I realised at the time, but..." Cain huffs out a soft breath, worries at his lower lip for a moment, then continues. "I did mean it. I think... that was probably the first time you saw the real me."