"Don't think I'm ever gonna stop callin' you that," he whispered back before heaving a deep breath. He wanted to keep and protect Tim, from all the dark corners. Of Mathis, of his own mind, of the job they shared. All of it.

But Tim was right. He would be annoyed. Mainly because that protection didn't seem to include a lot of conversation with him about it. Something in his chest unclenched as Tim started talking and his eyes drifted closed again as he listened.

Tim trusted him enough to say anyway. God that made him happy. His hands lifted and ran over Tim's forearms, squeezing them gently.

"Understandin' why doesn't mean we can't hope for a little change," he finally answered after a long second. "Objectively, he might have been right. That's no slight against you. It's not your fault, what they did. Or what Arlo did... We were kids, Tim." His heart broke for them both. "What else were we supposed to do."