[There's a moment of transparent surprise, those red eyes shifting in Sasuke's direction for just a second as though checking for sincerity. Finding it, meanwhile, is another strange experience altogether. He hadn't ... expected Sasuke to be the type, honestly. Maybe not a fair judgment--Beacon always did take all kinds, after all--but he hears an echo of Ruby in those words...of Summer.

The wall thrown up to prevent Sasuke's encroachment lowers an inch. He sighs, frustration leeched out of his tone and replaced with a deep exhaustion.]

My problems, [he gestures with the glass, symptom and self-medication both for many of them] have been around a long time. Not much anybody can do about most of them. Kept myself alive this long, though, and I gotta get back to the other ones.

[He's quiet a minute. Weighing in his head whether he's ready to let someone new in close enough to care about his well-being like this. He doesn't want to. But he never really had a choice, with Tai and Summer. They cared about him against his will until he loved them back, until their team was everything to him--and then it all fell apart.

He drinks, and then he looks at Sasuke again, holding his gaze this time. Might as well make the choice before it stops being one he has to make.]

I'll answer. Just ... give it time.