"It is. It's a fucking mess, Pietro, always is," he says, easily. "Even when it's going good, it's a mess. Trick is to find someone who's worth the mess. Who makes it so however scared you are of being hurt, or messed about, even when it's happened a hundred times before - you'll still be work 'em. Because they're worth the chance."

He says it, every word, watching Pietro intently. Barely blinking.