"No! No, that's not-- it doesn't work like that. It's not a reward for being a good person. It takes a lot to be -- it's not--" Fuck. He exhaled and then lowered his head back, putting his hands over his eyes. This was not a job for him, he couldn't handle that. How did he manage Barty? "We're not dating again, I don't trust you. You ra-- you messed with my head."

And he didn't want to rush back into any of that. Even a couple of years wasn't enough. He just wanted Barty to be a better person. "Maybe... friends." Distant friends.