"Reasonable, yes. A reasonable man attempting to wrangle his unreasonable friend." He smiles faintly as he says it, lifting his head briefly to kiss Hythlodaeus. "The Bureau would fall down around our ears without me to keep things in order."

The smile fades as he gently cups his lover's cheek. "Everything we achieved we achieved together as a people," he says softly. "Why did I ever think I could save them on my own...?"

He swallows past the sudden lump in his throat and drops his head to Hythlodaeus' chest, eyes hot with unshed tears.