[ The more she leans in, the more affectionate his petting is. She's too precious, and he can't resist. A rare moment where he is completely forgetting about some of his worries and some of the past...

A brighter smile even appears. ]

Heh... yeah... [ smile fading just a bit into something more solemn... serious ] But, I think it was another example of why simply trying to bury the past only creates bigger monsters.

[ One corner of his lips lifts a little higher as he looks back up to Robin. There's something more driven, more determined in his eyes, even with how tired he still very clearly is. ]

It's not easy fighting those monsters, but I'm definitely not running from it... [ averting his gaze a little, for just a moment, and then looking back to Robin ] ...anymore.