"Bad? I don't ever want you to feel bad," Wash said, his voice having softened exponentially from his rage earlier. "I didn't know you felt bad."
He figured she didn't feel great, not having her parents here, but he didn't realize how very defined the feeling had become and how it was affecting her. It was Tony's lab all over again and it left him feeling helpless.
"Zao gao," he sighed. "He's more than weird!"
He pulled her in for a hug.
"I'm sorry I'm not your real dad, Monster Max. But...I'm trying really hard to do what I'm supposed to do. I...just don't know what exactly I'm supposed to be doing. I love you, monkey toes! And I'm not going anywhere," Wash said.