No options are offered, though Maitimo's in an affectionate mood.

Affectionate moods are nice. Taliar loves his beautiful brilliant boyfriend so much. He only freezes up a couple of times, and it doesn't bother him.

Snuggling sleepily afterward, he reaches for the warm cozy feeling of safety, and it's right there, as simple as that. He sighs contentedly and falls asleep a few minutes later.

He goes back to work. Reluctantly.

And Taliar sleeps, and gets up in the morning and goes to work, and so on, and so on.

The freezeups don't seem to be getting any better, this time; they plateau at 'a handful of times a night, sometimes more, sometimes less'. But he's fine with that. It's a pretty minor inconvenience, and he's sure they'll get better eventually. And he has his lovely warm safe feelings back. His love and trust for Maitimo are complete again.

It is - not harder than he expected. Perhaps a little more persistent than he expected. He starts reacting during the freezeups, instead of ignoring them. Moving Taliar around or talking to him.

This seems to be a positive change! Talking to him helps, moving him around often does too, and he appreciates the acknowledgment.

A few weeks go by. His soul is not up to its old strength yet, but it's approaching the point where it might be worth another healing tour anyway.

He dreams of Atialemain. A boring and uncomfortable social event in a vast hall crowded with well-dressed people, and he keeps feeling like he's being watched but he can't tell why, and then he glimpses her red-smoke soul out of the corner of his eye and he's frozen in place in the middle of the crowd and no one can tell that anything is wrong and she steps up behind him and runs her fingers through his hair—

As soon as the war is over he is making that soul get a handle on its nightmares.

He wakes him up.

Taliar breathes. It takes him a few seconds to recognize his surroundings, and then his first thought is relief that he doesn't have a bad day lined up today, and his second thought is that actually -

Maitimo my love, will you please scare away my nightmare for me?

I can do that, he says. If I blind you, does that come back?

He shivers, deliciously afraid, and giggles softly. I love you so much - yes, that's trivially fixable, isn't my healing aura great -

Yes, yes, it is - I think I know how to do this without even making a mess, you're so pretty, it'd be such a shame -

The way he talks about it is just... Taliar sighs with deep affection.

You're glorious, Maitimo, you're terrifying, you're my favourite thing to be scared by, I love you.

I know it, he says. You might not be able to be still for this, even if you're the most cooperative toy in the world, might be wiser to tie you down...

Tempted as I am to take that as a challenge, I will try my very best not to be insulted if you tie me down anyway.

I think I will also enjoy tying you down. Kiss.

He kisses back - he's shaking a little but he's also utterly delighted. Well, then, definitely do that. I wouldn't want scaring off my nightmares to be a chore.

You're adorable, he says, and secures him in place, and whispers I'll notice, you know, whether the ropes were necessary - hold still for me -

Challenge accepted. Love you forever.

Yes, he says, you will, and then he blinds him.

He holds still for it. Doesn't even flinch. He's utterly terrified and deeply triumphant and very, very focused on Maitimo and the present moment, not a thought to spare for nightmares.

And Maitimo runs his hands across his body, very very slowly, inch by inch, meticulous.

He breathes. He holds still. It feels - transcendently beautiful.

Tell me you're mine.

I'm yours, he says, unreservedly, without hesitation.

He kisses him, and runs the knife along his skin, and kisses him elsewhere, and lets him heal himself a few hours later, delightfully battered.