[ The way Hunter says "We were something much worse," sticks out to Dylan. It's so... heavy. Guilt, Dylan supposes, but there's... something else there, and he's not sure how much he should pry.

He watches Hunter's demeanor shift as he speaks. It's... easy to pay attention to him, Dylan thinks. Despite the heavy topic at hand, that realization makes his heart flutter. They're standing near a window, and one side of Hunter is bathed in sunlight. The soft, golden glow seems to highlight every shift in posture and every change in expression. Dylan couldn't take his eyes of Hunter if he wanted to.

And when Hunter's distant gaze comes back to reality and focuses on Dylan with that soft expression, that flutter in his gut explodes into a gentle chill up his spine and down his arms.

Later, when he thinks back to this moment, he might understand what he's feeling. For now, though, it's just... strange. And pleasant. He doesn't have any other words for it.

Yet. ]

You haven't brought anything down, I promise.

[ Quite the opposite, really.

Dylan realizes his hand is still on Hunter's shoulder. He steps a little closer, bringing his other hand up to the opposite shoulder. He squeezes softly, then smooths both hands down Hunter's arms, stopping at his wrists and holding them gently. ]

Look. I don't know what exactly you've done, but I've... met people with some pretty awful pasts before. Did some terrible things, and sometimes even enjoyed doing them. But they're good people now. Or at least they're trying to be. And that kind of effort earns a lot of my respect.

[ He smiles, hoping the implied and that includes you, too, comes though. ]