“It is.” I exhaled sharply through my nose. “It’s deep enough that you’ve been carrying it for years without saying a word. Deep enough that the first time it slipped, it came out like a wound tearing open.”
“Look, I don’t want to have this conversation.” Ko’s jaw clenched.
“Tough,” Z said. “Becausewedo.”
Ko let go of the bag and turned to face us fully, arms crossed. He looked tired, like he’d already fought this battle with himself a hundred times before we ever saw it.
“What do you want me to say?”
“How about the truth?” I took a step closer, holding his gaze. “When did you start believing you had to compensate for not having magic?”
“Whendidn’tI?” He let out a dry, humorless laugh. “You two grew up knowing you’d be powerful, knowing you had something special in your blood. I grew up knowing that if I wanted to keep up, I’d have to work twice as hard for half as much.”
Zane frowned. “We’ve never treated you like—”
“You didn’t have to.” Ko’s voice was quiet, but firm. “It was always justthere. Like a gap between us that no one talked about. I made peace with it a long time ago.”
“No.” I shook my head. “You buried it.”
He flinched. Just a little.
“You’re one of the smartest people I know,” I continued. “And yet you believe thisnonsense? That magic is the only thing that matters?”
Ko looked away, and I sighed, dragging a hand through my hair.
“You think magic is what makes us valuable, but do you know what I think about when I think of you? I think about the fact that you never stop learning. That when something is broken, you fix it. That when someone is hurting, you see it, even when they don’t say a word.”
“You’re the one who figured out how to integrate modern tech with ancient magic,” Z added. “You’re the one who built the interface we use for every mission. You’re the one who keeps our gear running. Cruor, you figured out how to programa ward. Who else is doing that? You’re a fucking techno-mage without being a magic user!”
Ko’s throat bobbed as he swallowed.
“If you really think you don’t bring anything to the table, you’re an idiot,” Zane huffed.
Ko let out a breath, staring at the ground for a long moment. Then he looked up, gaze flicking between us, something raw and uncertain in his eyes.
“I don’t know how to stop feeling like I have to earn my place.” His voice was quieter now, the anger drained, leaving only weariness in its wake.
“You don’t have to earn what was what you always had. Your worth to us was never in question.” I reached out and clasped his shoulder, and Zane smacked him on the back, grinning, as he added, “Yeah, dumbass. You’re stuck with us.”
Koa exhaled sharply, then, to my surprise, gave a small, almost self-conscious smile.
“I really punched you hard last night, huh?”
Zane rubbed his jaw with a smirk.
“Yeah, you did.” Then he grinned wider and threw an arm around Koa’s shoulders. “You still feel bad about it? Because I accept apologies in the form of a rematch.”
“Bring it, swan boy.” Ko grinned back and shoved him off.
“Glove up first,” I told them. “Seri might walk in. Even if you can heal them fast, she won’t like seeing black eyes and split lips.”
“As if she’ll be able to walkat alltoday,” Z smirked, wagging his red eyebrows.
And I had to admit that a tiny satisfied smile curled up my own lips.
#
Zane
