Checkered Hearts
The save that was brilliant and dangerous, the skill that was his gift and his damage.
He returned to the garage, the adrenaline that was still metabolizing, the hands that were shaking slightly. Cyrus was there, official capacity, professional distance — the constraints that were permeable.
"Your heart rate," Cyrus said, the observation that was medical and intimate. "Peaked at 185. Sustained tachycardia. The correction in 12 —"
"I know," Theo interrupted, not defensive, aware. "Too aggressive. The chaos that is not channeled. The —" He paused, finding the word they had taught him. "The velocity without presence."