He almost puts a hand on Steve's shoulder in some kind of reassuring gesture, but he's too unsure, too slow, and then Steve's up and moving and Bruce pulls his hand back before it can be noticed. For a moment, he thinks he's screwed up again and Steve's going to up and leave - not that Bruce would be able to blame the guy, of course.

...It probably wouldn't help, no. It would probably have him blanching and wondering what was wrong with kids today. Then again, compared to him, Steve still is a kid, and it's a bit of a trip to remember that, technically, Bruce is the older one here.

He replies in a small voice, and feels even more like a failure compared to Steve as he does so. "I don't want to be anybody's hero. I just... All I wanted-" He shakes his head because to put it in past tense is wrong, like he's given up on it. He hasn't, darn it. He won't. "All I want is to be normal. To be left alone. That's it." Compared to Steve, who's still fighting the good fight after all these years, it's cowardly and petty and selfish and Bruce knows it. It's the truth, though; at least he can say that he's honest about it. Not much of a plus, but still.