A small squeeze of Cillian Quinn's hand. To center himself. Find strength. Temp found he wanted to talk about it with the other. How much trauma had Gavin shared with him? It was only fair that he shared some of his own... of what made him who he was now.

"There was a hurricane." That much Gavin probably already knew. A dangerous thing on it's own- but when your whole town floated in the water as his did? Ruinous. "Me and Aurora were trying to get inside. I held onto her as tight as I could, but she fell in the water."

A pause. Temp has to look away and his expression is tense. Shoulders tight.

"Mom yelled for us, told me to come to her... but I couldn't leave Aurora. So I jumped in the water to get her. I don't remember anything after that." He relaxed. Forcefully. "Dad said some broken wood scratched me up and knocked me out. Mom jumped in, got me out, then went back for Aurora... but..."

There is a wetness under his eyes, red rimmed. He doesn't cry but Temp does wipe some of the moisture away. He gives Gavin a sad, broken smile.

"If I hadn't have jumped in the water they would still be alive."

Gavin squeezes Temp's hand, an answering pressure. Even as Temp has to gather himself to find the words, he does not speak up. He'd sit here for hours if he had to, however long it took.

When Temp looks away, Gavin squeezes his hand again. A reminder. I'm still here.

Survivor's guilt. It was a horrible thing. There's nothing he can do to take away that pain, but he does lift his other hand to gently cup his lover's cheek. His thumb brushes the outline of Temp's jaw in a gentle caress.

"You don't know that for certain," he says softly. "You were only trying to save your sister. You can't be blamed for that."

Tempest Quinn

A small sniff, then Temp blinks away the nightmares. The churning, angry water. The screams and crying. He leans his cheek into Cillian Quinn's touch and offers a sad smile.

"Dad says that, too." If they were right or Temp was- it's a mystery that would never be solved. The only two who could have answered it fell asleep in the water and never woke back up. Now, they slept under the warm sands of a small island under the shadow of his mother's ship.

Either way, the scar on his back remained a painful reminder of what he had lost. What he blamed himself for. It was no wonder he did what he could to avoid thinking of it.

He's right, Gavin thinks, but doesn't restate what Temp doubtless knows he's already thinking. There's no point to put continued pressure on him to accept something he hasn't been able to come to terms with his entire life. That would only be asking the impossible, and what Temp needs now is simply for Gavin to be there.

So he squeezes Temp's hand, brushes a strand of hair from his face, and simply exists as the rock upon which Temp could anchor himself to the present.

"Means a lot that you'd tell me," he says at last. "Does it still bother you if I touch? You know I'd kiss every inch of you if you didn't stop me." There's a brief hint of a smirk, but he doesn't rise to the bait of his own unintentional innuendo.

Tempest Quinn

"I don't think it would... anymore." The people they were in the shower were different than the people they were now. Before, it was two friends looking to let off steam. One was in denial of feelings while the other was hurting. They weren't like the two people sitting at the table today.

So full of trust and love for each other. Promises of marriage between them.

Yes, now that he thought it over, Temp was sure; he would be perfectly fine if Cillian Quinn touched the scar on his back. Gavin knew what it meant now. All the emotional pain it still held. It wouldn't be some blind fumbling from someone who didn't understand.

"I love you, Cillian." Another small, more genuine, smile. Some of the previous hurt smoothed away.