It was past midnight when Temple had finally succeeded in every task that he had set himself. Every muscle ached and his mind was hollow with the new sensation of loneliness now that his unwelcome mental companion was gone, constantly interspersed with worry for Gilbert. When he learned from the Kaala palisade that Gilbert had been brought home to heal, he hurried there and took over for the old Watcher Fendan who had volunteered to sit with the captain.

When he was finally alone with the sleeping Gilbert, sitting by his bed, fingertips resting against his pulse to assure himself that he breathed, Temple began to shake violently.

He tried to breathe through it, but the lump in his throat was trying to suffocate him. Slowly, he slid down on the floor with his back to the bed. He couldn’t keep the first tear back, and then the rest of them followed in a rush while he bit his hand to stay silent.

An eternity of suppressed misery later, a hand fumbled for him, and he heard Gilbert move. Exactly what he hadn’t wanted! Gilbert needed to rest.

“Not alone. Come here,” Gilbert said blearily. “Come here.” He touched Temple’s hair gently and Temple fought to stop the wild emotions and restore just some kind of semblance of control.

“You nearly died,” he finally managed.

“Come to bed,” Gilbert whispered.

Slowly, shamefully, Temple wiped his eyes and nose and took a deep breath before he climbed into bed, careful not to push Gilbert and hurt him. Gilbert reached for him, and Temple hid his face by his neck, feeling the steady, calm pulse under his lips.

“They were going to kill you. It was all my fault,” Temple finally whispered, feeling like he almost couldn’t stand himself. He hadn’t fought when he should have; he had just stood by and let it all happen.

“That’s funny,” Gilbert said softly. “I remember it like it was the Rakkos priest’s fault. Or the cult members or... Well, the god of darkness and greed’s fault.”

“You can’t make fun of this,” Temple whispered.

“I’m not. I don’t see what you did to put me in danger. …Or maybe we both died, and some generous goddess gave us room in her afterlife?”

“You still can’t make fun of it,” Temple repeated, finding it a little easier to breathe now.

“I’m still not doing that. Even if we did die, you are here and I’m happy. It was the evil god’s fault. Greed’s fault. Not yours or mine. But we lived?”

“Yes. I threw him out.”

Gilbert laughed softly. “I’m not surprised.”

“Really?” Temple asked.

“Yes, really.” With a little sigh of pain, Gilbert turned around and pulled at the blanket until Temple shimmied under it.

“I am surprised,” Temple said. “I lived with it for so long.”

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“I understand. But I have only known you as someone who pushes himself and challenges his beliefs.”

“Beliefs? Like what?”

“Like Watchers are dangerous and cannot be trusted? Cooking is stupid. Like not getting involved. You’ve always been brave.”

Temple withdrew a little, so they could look at each other. “I’m scared all the time.”

“You do things that scare you. That’s brave.”

Temple hid his face again, but this time it wasn’t so much to escape as to just feel Gilbert’s warmth and closeness. “I love you. That was how I escaped. He was lying. I didn’t hire anyone to kill you. I want to be with you. I want to be close to you,” he finally said. It didn’t feel like being brave, though. It wasn’t something that scared him anymore.

“I love you too. And I never thought he was telling the truth. Oh, shit!” Gilbert exclaimed and drew back in the embrace, but then winced in pain. “What about the corpses?”

Temple pressed him gently down again, checking where the spear had hit him. The skin was raw but healed. “I am almost done moving everything important away. Then I’ll collapse everything up there. Cover them all in rubble. They don’t get a proper cremation. Maybe the Burning will finally be haunted for real now.”

“I can report what happened. Tell the courts they attacked me. You don’t have to lose your home. We can find a solution,” Gilbert offered softly.

“It isn’t my home anymore. It was a place where I hid. I’m done with that,” Temple stated quietly.

“Move in here?”

Temple smiled cautiously. “Sure. We can put a door there,” he pointed to the end wall of the bedroom.

“What?” Gilbert grinned.

“I bought the place next door. In case you wanted to slow down. Or, well, in case I manage to scare myself,” he added. “Then I will be really easy to find when I run.”

“I want everything you’ll give me,” Gilbert said and then grinned sheepishly. “How long have I been sleeping?”

“Since morning or there about. It’s past midnight now.”

“And you’ve managed to buy a flat in that time?”

“I managed to move all the corpses, all my possessions, seal off my old home, hire someone to buy the flat for me, tested that I can now go to the temple of Merea without harm, and told my fence I won’t be coming back except for very special occasions.”

Gilbert stared at him, clearly overwhelmed. “You are leaving everything behind for my sake?” he asked. He gently put a hand on Temple’s cheek.

“I love you and I will give you everything,” Temple said, and then laughed. “Honestly, all I’m leaving behind is loneliness and an exiled god. I don’t know how much of a compliment that is.”

Gilbert smiled. “It is. You are an uncatchable master thief, the royalty of theft, who bested an old god. I think I will consider myself complimented.”

With a contented sigh, Temple carefully put his arm around Gilbert and let his warmth seep into his weary body.

Gilbert's arms tightened around him and held him. There was suddenly something desperate to the intensity of the gesture and Temple felt the breath grow heaving and frantic in Gilbert's chest. He didn’t know exactly what was going through Gilbert's mind, but he held him close, trying to be calm, caressing him gently.

After a while, Gilbert's breathing began to calm down and finally, he relaxed the frantic vice grip a little.

Temple still didn’t move. What had happened this morning would haunt them both for a long while, he guessed. But he didn’t know what else to do but just be there. As Gilbert calmed down in his arms, breath becoming calmer, they relaxed into each other, and Temple wasn’t entirely sure where he ended, and Gilbert began. Not that long ago it would have horrified him. Now it felt like a warm privilege.

“I was helpless again,” Gilbert finally whispered. “I watched you die, and I couldn't do anything.”

“You had already helped me. You’d already done it. I was the one who got you into this whole mess.” He let his fingers trail down Gilbert's arm and their hands found each other, fingers interlocking. Very slowly, they parted a little so they could see each other in the flickering light from a lantern on the bedside table. None of them could find any words that were big enough.

Finally, Gilbert gave him a tired smirk. “You know what?” he said, squeezing Temple’s hand. “Apart from having to bait the god of greed into shooting me with a spear, this is a pretty good day...”