Balthier feels that shudder, and pulls David close once more. “I promise I will exhaust any other option first — fighting demons is not an experience I’m eager to repeat. But I would without any qualms or hesitations if I thought the alternative was losing you.”

If he is still underestimating how much David loves him, it is only his own wounds, and it is balanced out by how deep his convictions are that he would do anything for this man.