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Sinbad watches Gunnar on the upper deck. Everyone else is smiling at him sympathetically or patting his back. Anwar brings him some soup and sits with him, trying to cheer him up, and Sinbad appreciates it, he really does.
But what he really wants is for Gunnar to tell him everything will be okay.
And Gunnar is guiding the Providence, and duty comes first. That is one reason he admires and wants Gunnar so much, he reasons.
Sinbad sups his soup and lets his heart break a little more.
When everyone sees that he is eating and talking with Anwar, they all laugh and the chatter rises again.
He finds it easy to slip away and stand in the darkness below deck, resting his forehead on a beam and closing his eyes to the pain.
He freezes as he feels the arms slide around him. He knows it's Gunnar – the height, bulk, scent of the man. As the arms enfold and hold him, he bows his head further, letting himself be comforted.
“I am sorry,” Gunnar murmurs in his ear. Sinbad hears more than words, feels more than sympathy for his loss.
Sinbad turns into his embrace and holds on tight. Gunnar has always been his anchor in a storm, and now he is his shelter too.
He turns his face up and Gunnar's large palm cradles his jaw. The taller man smiles before he kisses him softly, and Sinbad knows everything will be all right.
~