A little of the pleasure on Raju’s face turns into surprise. Not at the description itself, exactly. No one’s needed the kind of large-scale, impressive feats that used to earn him those descriptions sometimes in the uniform, and out of it at home those sentiments had usually been more about what Raju will accomplish rather than anything he actually has. That isn’t the way that Francis thinks of him at all, and outside that, he can’t think of anything else that would fit.

“You think so?” Raju asks and then he realises how he sounds, and his smile deepens. His hand rubs its way down Francis’ ear and settles over the back of Francis’ neck, thumb moving back and forth. “I’m not fishing for compliments. I just haven’t done anything. There was that business with the wolves, I suppose, when you broke your ribs the first time—“

Raju gives him a wry look here, he isn’t going to pull the topic off track to say it, but twice is dangerously close to making it a habit.

“—but it wasn’t that impressive. I spent most of that making you run with me. Anyone can do that, if he’s healthy enough.”