[ nat squeezes her eyes shut for just the second he squeezes her. and for that moment, everything is okay. when she opens them again... she forgets how to breathe, stumbling over an inhale as he somehow manages to apologize for something that isn't his fault yet again. she scrubs a hand over her face and takes a step back. ]

The thing is... it kind of is your place. [ that came out wrong. she swallows, dials it back. there's so much noise in her head she can barely hear herself speak. ] We've been over this before, okay, I know, but... for most of my life, I wasn't a very good person.

[ her voice wavers but her gaze stays trained on his. she's determined to get this out. it's eating her up on the inside. ] Actually, I was kind of a. A bad person. And sometimes I forget, Steve. I honestly forget that I'm a real person now. On the books. I exist, and my actions have real consequences in the real world.