Daniel puts his arms around him and Armand imagines it a little like iron, or titanium, or the kind of industrial grade ropes they make for mechanical winching, offshore towing. More or less inescapable, unbreakable, and deeply assuring for it. Doesn't think it, but feels it, that he is being embraced by someone who is not counting on releasing him again. Does not make him feel they are counting down the seconds.

"Yeah," nearly voiceless.

Maybe some time goes by. Armand can't be certain. Tripping the light fantastic as they exist as one organism, in the way a well planned and curated garden is one organism, or the untamed sprawl of woodland is one organism.

"Would you ever do it?" is asked, somewhere in this warm pool of time, before it occurs to him that they are not so enmeshed that he doesn't need to clarify, so he adds, "Make one?"