“Sometimes it feels like I’m broken.” It’s a quiet admission and it slips out of his mouth before he can stop it. There’s no getting it back once it’s spoken and in the interest of not elaborating on it – if he even needs to do that, he thinks it’s kind of self-explanatory – he reaches out to touch Bruce’s arm.

“Ten years ago, I wouldn’t care. I admit it. Three years ago, I wouldn’t care. But this isn’t three years ago. It’s now. And I’m not going to do anything to jeopardize the one thing that actually makes me happy.” He gives Bruce a pointed look, hoping that it’s obvious that he’s talking about him.

Now or never, he thinks, and since they’ve already come this far down the road, he takes a deep breath and takes the plunge. “And I gave him my word that I’d do it. Use the serum to make sure you never have to be alone again, no matter how long you live.”