Duke nodded again, a little larger this time. Closed his eyes.

Tried to find space inside himself past everything else to properly process what she was saying.

“I don’t know how to do this,” he said again. “I don’t know how to — be this way. Be dangerous and still care about people. People I love.”

He wasn’t entirely sure how to be around people he loved, period. He felt like he’d been faking it for ages and just got caught.