Now I'm sure that it's true
Even with a molten tiger shift in play, even if a spirit was channeled... Koa tries not to let the doubt play on his face, biting hard on the inside of his lip. It doesn't make sense, and as much as the Dragoon wants to believe the young man who trembles in the seat before him, his soldier's brain is alight with warnings that there's something he hasn't said.
But there's no use pushing Jude any further - that much is clear as crystal glass. "Hey," Koa breathes as the young man shudders, his voice soft in the small space they share. "Hey, it's okay." He's out of his seat without planning, kneeling at the boy's side. One broad hand rests on Jude's back, firm and reassuring, an anchor to this world. The other produces a small waste basket, half-full of papers and food wrappings. Koa sets it on the desk beside Jude, a silent offer if he needs to be sick.
"You survived, Jude." His voice is firm, his copper eyes seeking, patient as he waits for the boy to re-wravel. "Never feel bad for that." Even if your brother might be a murderer, a tiny voice in the back of his mind whispers, and a smaller, darker, shittier one adds: Even if it means you get to steal the girl I want, again.
But Koa ignores that final voice. It doesn't have any purpose here. This isn't about Soh.
But if she's dating a killer... Koa shakes his head. No. No. Jude may be protecting a criminal, but there's no way he is one. The Dragoon may not know many things, but Jude's innocence is something he believes in, deep inside his heart.
and I'm nothing like you
