[ He shifts the hand that's close to Bruce's head, stroking the older man's hair gently as he talks, keeping his eyes on his face.

He knows what it's like to have dreams like that. His haven't quite stopped. (And it's a constant fear, because once you've felt the weight of a life ending - its blood on your hands, its light killed by your shadow - it never leaves your shoulders.) ]

I'm not going to say that one day, you won't end up doing any of that. But I will say that that if or when it happens, it's going to suck, and it's going to break you. But eventually it will be all right.

[ Tilting his head, smiling and trying to catch the other man's eyes. ]

Baby steps, yeah? Because there's nothing else to be done but move forward and try each time.

[ One "monster" to another. ]