[It's not an abrupt shift. It rarely is, for Caesar. Grief and anger are deep grooves worn in him, and it's easy for him to fall from one to the other with the barest push. Now, with Joseph allowing him close, pulling him by the front of his shirt, he falls gracelessly into grief again - grief but not regret, because he didn't know how to explain it before and he still doesn't.]
[He isn't shoving Joseph anymore. Just looking at him with hurt written openly across his face and no idea how to conceal it.]
Don't make a joke of me, [he manages eventually, and has to deliberately look away from Joseph for a moment, because it would be easy, so easy, to close the distance between them and just kiss him to prove the point, he's not a joke, this is serious, and it hurts.]
spam;
[He isn't shoving Joseph anymore. Just looking at him with hurt written openly across his face and no idea how to conceal it.]
Don't make a joke of me, [he manages eventually, and has to deliberately look away from Joseph for a moment, because it would be easy, so easy, to close the distance between them and just kiss him to prove the point, he's not a joke, this is serious, and it hurts.]