They must not know the real you, Ruby said to him just days ago when he told her having so many abilities isn't a good look in his world. The only others who do are either monsters or villains. But his friends didn't think that about him. The people who care about Kaworu are the same, and he needs to know that.

"How could those people know you if they only hurt you or were afraid of you?" he asks, a trace of roughness creeping into his voice on Kaworu's behalf. "They're stupid. They don't know you. Not like people who love you do."

He saw the scars the first day they met. He very lightly strokes his fingers over them on Kaworu's arm. He buries his face in his hair and his voice trembles softly,

"I know why you hate having your choice taken away. I'm sorry Paul-kun hurt you. I'm sorry I couldn't do anything." He did later, but he glosses over that.