the gray sky was vast and real cryptic above me
Koa's heel bounces on the carpet as he listens, biting his tongue to keep from snapping the counterpoints that ring like buzzers as Kai's word vomit begins. First of all there's the almost-dying thing, which, yes, a pretty big fuck-up but hardly Kaisel's fault, and doesn't have any bearing on Caly as far as he knows. Second, yes, the whole patriarch of that trio being Jack thing isn't fantastic, but Koa's impression of the pirate (YEAH YOU HEARD ME) has never been that he's the protective father type. Plus Jack can go swim in a sewer full of hungry swamp rats as far as Koa's concerned, a blessing the Dragoon would happily say to the dickwad's face. And thirdly, family dinners? As far as Koa'd been aware this was more of a hook-up deal, but if Kai's already planning so far in the future all the more reason to fight the good fight.
But the crux of the counter he's forming is that of Kaisel's problems seem to center on Torchline, not Stormbreak, which makes his entire argument pretty fucking weak.
Yeah, Koa's feeling pretty good about his ability to talk Kaisel down. Foot still bouncing, he's ready to start.
Then Kaisel takes the other shoe and hurls it into his face.
Koa's knee stills. Fuck, all of him stills, and for a handful of seconds he doesn't even exhale because there's no way he heard what he heard because that would be...
...that would be....
"I'm sorry, what?"
His voice is oddly pinched, lilting at the end, like he's trying real hard to keep a lid on a box of rampaging rhinoceri. "You... and Flora? And Jack knows?" Which really shouldn't be the part he's stuck on, but's a helluva lot easier to think about than his cousin sleeping with his ex-girlfriend who he explicitly told Kai he wasn't over yet, but I guess family means fucking nothing when there's pussy to be had, and--
Nope. Stop it. Take a breath. Keep ignoring your ugly feelings.
Kaisel clearly had.
And with that last thought the box snaps open, and Koa can't keep it in. Like a tsunami he surges to his feet, hands clenched white-knuckled at his side, a tide of hurt and anger leaving flotsam on his his face. "WHAT THE FUCK, MAN?" he roars at Kaisel, and with his heartrate pounding and his emotions heightened it's impossible to say what's more likely to happen: that Koa will take a swing at his cousin, or burst out into tears.
But the crux of the counter he's forming is that of Kaisel's problems seem to center on Torchline, not Stormbreak, which makes his entire argument pretty fucking weak.
Yeah, Koa's feeling pretty good about his ability to talk Kaisel down. Foot still bouncing, he's ready to start.
Then Kaisel takes the other shoe and hurls it into his face.
Koa's knee stills. Fuck, all of him stills, and for a handful of seconds he doesn't even exhale because there's no way he heard what he heard because that would be...
...that would be....
"I'm sorry, what?"
His voice is oddly pinched, lilting at the end, like he's trying real hard to keep a lid on a box of rampaging rhinoceri. "You... and Flora? And Jack knows?" Which really shouldn't be the part he's stuck on, but's a helluva lot easier to think about than his cousin sleeping with his ex-girlfriend who he explicitly told Kai he wasn't over yet, but I guess family means fucking nothing when there's pussy to be had, and--
Nope. Stop it. Take a breath. Keep ignoring your ugly feelings.
Kaisel clearly had.
And with that last thought the box snaps open, and Koa can't keep it in. Like a tsunami he surges to his feet, hands clenched white-knuckled at his side, a tide of hurt and anger leaving flotsam on his his face. "WHAT THE FUCK, MAN?" he roars at Kaisel, and with his heartrate pounding and his emotions heightened it's impossible to say what's more likely to happen: that Koa will take a swing at his cousin, or burst out into tears.
Koa
I wanted you to love me like you used to do
