Having tucked Joshua in bed for the night, Hardin flipped the lightswitch off, leaving the Pikachu nightlight as the only illumination in the boy's room. "Good night," he said softly, and Joshua gave him a nod and a smile in response before his eyes closed.

Stepping outside Joshua's room, Hardin took a quick mental glance at the room he shared with Sydney. Empty, as it had been for much of the day. He was beginning to appreciate just how badly his own disappearance a few days earlier must have worried people, even if Andrea had told him that Sydney had gone over to the castle for some type of meeting... still, he should have been back by now - it was past dusk, and quickly approaching midnight. What kind of business could keep him so long? He had a strange feeling something was wrong...

Hardin returned to the living room, settling down on the sofa before the flickering light of the television still tuned to the Discovery Channel, which he and Joshua had been watching. Something about comets. He might have been more interested had been not been so preoccupied.

One by one, the others in the shack went through their nightly routines and headed off to bed, but Hardin remained on the sofa, absently watching television until he was the only one who remained. The program about comets ended, and the one about volcanoes that followed, and he was halfway into an exploration of life on the ocean floor when the door finally opened to reveal Sydney, completely drenched from the rain.

"Gods, where have you been?" Hardin asked in relieved concern, rising to go to Sydney as he closed the door. "You're soaked...why didn't you simply teleport back here?"

Sydney gave him a slight shrug. "I felt like walking."

Hardin eyed him curiously, for Sydney rarely did anything so mundane as actually walking somewhere. "Is everything all right?" he inquired, noticing the way Sydney averted his eyes. "Here--" Turning back to the sofa, he picked up one of the blankets draped over the back and wrapped it around Sydney. "It's not exactly a warm night to go walking in the rain..."

"You know perfectly well that it can't harm me," Sydney muttered, even as he pulled the blanket closer around himself. "There was no need to wait up for me, either. What did you think might have happened?"

"...I'm not sure." Hardin relaxed a little, realizing his ominous feelings must have been unfounded. "I suppose there isn't much to worry about when it comes to the immortal. Even so," he added, urging the mage to sit down upon the sofa, where he could put an arm around his blanket-shrouded shoulders, "I... I admit that I don't like not knowing where you are."

Hardin felt Sydney's shoulders stiffen a little beneath his arm at the remark. "With your talent, it would be easy enough to look, I imagine."

"Yes, but I don't rely so much on that as I once did..." Running fingers through damp hair, he smiled at Sydney. "I have no need to check up on you... I trust you."

Lowering his eyes, Sydney nodded slightly, hesitating before he spoke again. "...I see."

There was something odd in his voice, as well as in the way he would not meet Hardin's eyes, and Hardin's mild concern returned. "What is it, Sydney?"

"What is what?"

"Something is wrong, isn't it?"

Still not turning to look at him, Sydney smirked down at the floor. "You're being overprotective, Hardin."

Hardin. That was odd - usually when the two of them were alone, and more often lately even when they were not, Sydney called him John. Hardin sighed. "You're still angry with me."

"Of course not. I told you we would put it aside, and I have. Besides, it's not as if I own you, is it now?"

Hardin hesitated. In all ways that matter, he does.

Sydney picked up the thought before Hardin could say anything out loud. "We both remain our own persons, Hardin - we belong to no one, save the gods. I will serve no man."

Chuckling lightly under his breath, Hardin knew how pathetically romantic the thought was, but he said it regardless. "I will."

This time, Sydney did turn to look at him, and there was a glint of anger in the dark eyes. "As kind a sentiment as that is, Hardin, you are a fool."

Slightly taken aback, Hardin said nothing, and so Sydney continued. "Why should you be bound to me, Hardin? Why should you not be your own person? What is it that binds us together more than any other two men?"

His voice was harsh, and Hardin carefully considered his words before answering, biting back the immediate reply that came to his lips. Regardless, he could not think of a more neutral way to put it, and so he gave up. "What binds us together is a word you will not allow me to utter in your presence."

Sydney sniffed. "...A fool."

That hurt - Hardin couldn't deny it - but there was an uncertain look in Sydney's eyes that allowed him to push it aside for the time being in favor of concern. "Sydney, won't you tell me what's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong," Sydney stated, rising from his seat on the sofa and dropping the blanket to the floor. A strange smile crossed his lips as he looked down at Hardin. "On the contrary, I believe everything is quite satisfactory."

Hardin watched, puzzled, as Sydney strode off towards their bedroom. What was that supposed to mean?

Only moments passed before he rose to follow, and when he did, he found the door closed and locked. Sighing, he knocked softly on the door; he had his own key in his pocket, but if Sydney was angry, forcing his way in would not help matters. "Sydney, I'm sorry... please let me in?" There was no answer. "I told you before, I'll do anything you deem appropriate to make it up to you... You know how serious I am about that. Anything at all, Sydney."

There was still no answer, not even the sharp "go away" that he'd half-expected, and Hardin began to grow more concerned. "Sydney...?" The silence remained, and Hardin frowned. Though he'd told Sydney that he trusted him, this was not spying out of suspicion , but out of concern, and so Hardin focused his Sight inside the room once again. To his dismay, Sydney was seated upon the bed, head in hands and shoulders heaving with his quick, shallow breaths.

Recognizing what was going on, Hardin had no qualms about digging the key out of his pocket and forcing his way in now. Sydney's back was to him as he entered, and he did not so much as raise his head. "Hardin..." he breathed quietly.

"I know, Sydney, I know..." Smothering the urge to enfold the mage in his arms, Hardin went to open the window, letting in fresh, cool air for Sydney. Despite the chill and the raindrops that found their way in, he left it wide open as he pulled the chair from the desk - brand new, having just replaced the one Sydney had destroyed in the weekend's rampage - to sit across from Sydney, offering support without physical contact, as he knew Sydney needed during these attacks. "You don't intend to tell me what the trouble is, I assume."

Breathless, Sydney shook his head. "All right then..." Hardin muttered, his thoughts racing in a manner that was not apparent in his outward calm. "Let's talk about something else. You went to the castle today, for that meeting... I suppose Marie was there, did you happen to tell her that Joshua loves her cookies?"

Sydney shook his head again. "I... it slipped... my mind," he murmured between labored breaths.

"That's all right - I've been thinking I might take Joshua over there sometime myself. I'd like to visit again... they were very kind to me. Perhaps next time you go, I could accompany you?"

In a sudden flurry of motion, Sydney stood, pacing back and forth across the room. "...Perhaps," he agreed after a time, "but... perhaps not. I... There are things that we do there that... I... private matters..."

He couldn't seem to focus his thoughts at all, he was so wound up, and Hardin slid the chair back to the desk, giving him more room to walk it off if he could. "...Is it one of those things that has you so uptight now, Sydney? Is that why you won't tell me?"

"No."

"All right..." He seemed to be doing a little bit better now that he was upright and moving, despite his quick breaths and the half-wild look in his eyes, and so Hardin continued. "Selphie and Milo told me to tell James to come visit, you know - Selphie wants to learn to play that Dance Dance Revolution thing... though you know how terrible he is at it." That coaxed a slight nervous laugh from Sydney, and Hardin smiled, seeing he was helping after all. "I imagine she'd like to see Laguna again too. It's no wonder the two of them get on so well - they're both so friendly and optimistic... as are most of the girls. I quite enjoyed my time there, it was a nice change from the cynicism that seems so common here. Or, I suppose I would have enjoyed it if I hadn't been so..." The look in Sydney's eye told him that he shouldn't be talking about that matter, not now, and Hardin stopped that train of thought. "At any rate, I wouldn't mind having them drop by some time, either. Except perhaps that Syl woman... she was nothing but unpleasant while I-"

A faint squeaking sound emerged from Sydney's lips, unlike anything Hardin had ever heard from him before, and the mage lifted a shaking hand to his forehead, looking pale. "Oh, gods, Sydney," Hardin murmured, getting to his feet quickly in case he was needed. "Come on, sit down if you can, just concentrate on taking deep breaths... This will pass. Everything will be fine. You just need to calm yourself..."

Nodding beneath the hand covering his face, Sydney managed to sink down onto the bed once more, and Hardin pulled the chair over once more to face him. "Gods," he sighed, "I wish there was something I could do for you right now."

"You... do enough." Sydney's voice was shaking. "Just by... remaining here... by my side..."

"It's not as much as I'd like," Hardin insisted. But this wasn't about his insecurity - Sydney had enough trouble right now without hearing about his personal problems. "Would a drink calm you down?"

Sydney shook his head. "I don't think it would."

Not knowing what else to say, Hardin fell silent, listening to Sydney's shuddering breaths as he tried to bring himself under control again. "...I'm here, Sydney," he said helplessly. "If there's anything I can do..."

Slow minutes passed as the two of them sat together, close enough that it felt intimate even though neither touched the other. When Sydney's breathing finally began to slow, Hardin let out a sigh of relief. "Feeling better?"

"...Some, yes."

"Good, good. You'll feel better after you sleep, I'm sure... if you still don't want to be touched, I can spend the night on the sofa, of course..."

Sydney's face remained buried in his hands. "John?"

"Hmm?"

"...Why must you be so good to me?"

Hardin smiled slightly at the question; it was as close to gratitude as Sydney usually came. "I told you earlier - for the sake of a word which you will not let me say."

Looking him over more closely, Hardin frowned. "You're still soaked from the rain," he noted, standing. "I don't care if you won't catch your death - you can't be comfortable, and you certainly won't be if you sleep like that. I'll get dry clothes for you, then be on my-"

"...No."

Hardin turned, already halfway to the closet. "No? 'No' what?"

"John... just..." Sydney had taken his hands away from his face at last, revealing many tiny wounds where the edges of his shaking claws had pressed against the skin, and haunted, tear-filled eyes. "Just... come here."

It was far from his usual demanding orders, but Hardin nodded obediently nonetheless, coming to stand beside the bed. "Yes..."

Leaning forward, Sydney wrapped his metal arms around Hardin's waist, burying his face in the sweater the taller man wore. "...Hold me..."

Startled at the unusual display of weakness, it was a moment before Hardin pulled himself together enough to respond, falling to his knees before the bed and slipping his arms around Sydney's shoulders, holding the mage's limp body against his own. "Of course, Sydney."

Silent sobs made Sydney shudder as Hardin laid down upon the bed, still holding Sydney close at his side. He still had no idea what the matter was, as was the case far too often, but at least he could help in this small way.