Prompt: Jude visits Ivar's grave. Requested by Valiant-Overachiever on Tumblr 33
"Hey, Ivar. It's been a while, hasn't it?" He wondered what kind of reaction the former handmaid might have had. He was nothing if not unpredictable, that was for certain, and though at first it had been overwhelming, Jude couldn't deny that he'd come to like his quirks.
Eccentric, sensitive, pushy, determined. Jude would have given anything to see him again. Maybe it was their mutual adoration for Milla which had originally brought them together on what he dared to say were good terms. Maybe it was the unspoken respect for each others' resolve. Whether they'd liked it or not, they understood each other in a way no one else could, and…
"It's still hard to believe you're not around." Ivar would've hated him getting so sentimental like this over him, he thought with a chuckle as he pictured his self-declared rival getting up-in-arms over it. "I wish we could have spent more time as friends, you know." They'd shared a unique bond, to say the least. Perhaps he could have changed things—but it was best, in the end, not to think too hard on that. He couldn't blame himself; he couldn't blame anyone for what had happened.
He ran a hand over the smooth stone with a nostalgic smile. "I miss you."