As Francis starts explaining Raju looks up from Francis’ hand on his lap, frowning thoughtfully. It sounds very obvious when Francis says it all that way. Not that Raju could have done anything else any of those times, not and keep any of his honor, his self respect. But that doesn’t mean Francis is wrong. It means that Raju forgot.

“You see more clearly than I do,” he smiles, hand wrapping itself around the back of Francis’. “I’m lucky to have you.”

Then his warm smile curls with amusement, and the hand at the back if Francis’ neck makes a pinching motion at the corner of that smirk. “Or that’s what I would be saying, if you weren’t looking so smug about it. Besides, when I went into the snow in bare feet I didn’t know what a pain healing the damn things would be. Maybe now I’d take the time to put two layers of socks on each foot and lace up my shoes, and everything would be burned up by the time I left.”