Which one of them was the one who first broke the silence? They didn't know. The same thing must've been on their minds, though: at some point they found each other in a desolated part of the ship, and it was as if one had been looking for another. It was too convenient of a result for both to have been a coincidence.

Standing in short distance - were they afraid to come up any closer? - they both called out the other's name, and both awkwardly chuckled afterwards. Simon had to admit in front of himself that it didn't take away any of Markus' somewhat regal charm. He decided to give him the first word, just like he always did. It was what he probably expected, too, because he spoke up without any hesitation.

"I'd like to talk to you." So would I, Simon nodded to both to himself and as a response. However anxious the situation made him, it really couldn't have been avoided.

He was already ordering words, phrases in his head. I wanted you to know that I appreciate you. I appreciate you so much, I can hardly think of anything else, but if you're not okay with that, I understand. I won't make it hard for you.

"When we had to leave you behind," Was that a stammer that he heard, or was it only in his head? "I didn't know what to do. I kept blaming myself, I could've made a better decision, I could've come up with... something." His hands tensed and curled into loose fists, but his gaze remained unwavering.
"I was so angry, you know that? I was so angry with myself, with the whole plan, with the guards rushing in and all the humans ever, really, even more than I usually am, than we usually are- I didn't know it was possible, really." Another brief, soft laughter, and Simon thought that he couldn't possibly be in love more than he was at the moment. But he was afraid that whatever would come next could make his heart shatter in pieces, so he didn't allow himself to enjoy the feeling.

"But now- now you're back, and I truly couldn't be happier. I really felt like a piece of me was left behind with you on that roof. Jericho wasn't the same without you here."

Simon folded his hands and started rubbing them together; a calming gesture he didn't even realize how often he did. He couldn't tell where Markus was heading. He was trying not to let it get to him too much, though.

"It was something that I couldn't take control of. I'm not used to that. Until now, I've been fighting my way through to get to whatever I needed, but then? The plan went awfully wrong, everything went wrong, and for that, I'm sorry. It was my fault. I was so worried I'll never get to speak to you again. To say what I meant to say." Markus' voice seemed to waver again as he reached the end, and Simon had never wanted anything as badly as now he wanted to hold him close and comfort him. But he didn't, he couldn't: he tried speaking up instead.

"Markus..." He started. "It wasn't your fault, I never blamed you, I could never..." He paused, bit his lip and took a deeper breath, despite not needing one. "I knew about the risk. We all did. We're all really aware of everything that can go wrong, and we're all... ready to pay that price. It doesn't mean you're the one responsible for the inevitable. If anything, it's my fault for making you worry."

The room fell into silence again, and it seemed like both needed a moment to process all the words that were spoken. But when they did speak, once more they did it simultaneously.

"I'm sorry, Markus."
"Simon, I love you."