#I've been ruminating on this post since I saw that shit start popping up and it made my eyelids twitch

[bigboobshaunt]

I know it's largely a waste of time because the people I've seen peddling this idea don't really care and are just doing it to add pointless discourse, but I am bored at work so at least I'm getting paid!

The idea that, although Kabru cares about Laios, Laios doesn't care about Kabru is wrong, even before he becomes his royal advisor and the new interactions they got post-canon, and insisting otherwise shows a lack of understanding of the dynamic.

I think it's clear to everyone that the confession scene mattered to Kabru, so the camp pushing this lately isn't even arguing that, but I don't think they're thinking from Laios' side.

The entire scene is meant to be a parallel to Laios and Shuro's fight way earlier in the manga. Laios hasn't known Kabru for nearly as long, but he was still someone who was ultimately lying to him (a façade in Kabru's case, wrapped up in his own trauma) and someone that Laios built up an ideal version of in his head... so why is his reaction to Kabru coming clean so starkly different? Simply put, it's his character development.

Instead of angry and betrayed, he doesn't even initially believe anyone would go through the trouble of braving the Dungeon to be his friend. Such a ridiculous idea!

But Kabru IS sincere. He is sincere in his desire to get to truly know Laios. He has his own wrong ideas about what makes Laios tick, but differently from many, many people in his life (especially with his childhood and his complex feelings towards his village and his parents who ostracized him and Falin) Kabru is willing to make an effort to understand him. That's huge.