[He frowns slightly, kisses her cheek and tightens his hug gently.]

You are the second person this week to suggest that I have too much weight on my shoulders to look after people outside of my immediate family.

Tell me Robin, do you think I'm that frail? Or that I would be in a good mood and come here for the express purpose of letting you lean on me if I couldn't handle it?

[He switches back to phoenix again, and rests his head on the top of hers. Easier to have an excuse to breathe in her scent and simply feel calm.] My greatest strength is protecting my family. Just as that is what made my father the strongest man in the world. He extended that protection to millions, and people seem to think I can't handle more than two or three? I must be more guarded than I realized. Or look much weaker than I am.

Robin, if I was on my deathbed, sick and had only one last breath in me, I'd still want you to always know that you can always lean on me. Hell, the minute you do, I'll probably just burst back into life knowing that someone needs me, trusts me, and that I can even help them, however minimally. Understood?

I'm only this happy because I have you, but I can't be happy knowing that I only receive but can't give you anything back.