"Guilt," Declan replied quickly and easily, the corner of his mouth twitching in a weary, mirthless smile.

"Who really wants to wait behind while Guardians are out there risking themselves? What Guardian can juggle the responsibilities? I know some Guardians have put families together, adopted children, things like that. But on the whole, most Guardians don't believe it's right of them to put the weight of their lives on someone else's shoulders, so they stick to others in the same situation. But there are millions of born humans, and only a handful of Guardians in comparison," he nodded, leaning back and supporting his weight on his hands.

"There's a lot of polyamory," he remarked after a moment, frowning slightly. It wasn't that he disapproved, but it wasn't for him. Aoba's multiple personalities were as close as he was willing to get.

"And Guardians form family groups, in a sense. Like the Iron Lords. But it's still different. We tend to shy away from forming strong connections with the normal humans because they want normal lives and...we're anything but."