Honeyfoot was put into a spare room that evening after the three had spent several hours together making plans and notes on magic, by which point it was late and the late summer sun long set. Childermass and Segundus went back to what was becoming in Segundus' mind, their room.
Childermass did not talk as they settled into their established routine, which felt to Segundus shaky this evening. He sunk down onto his blankets, frowning and pushing his hair away from his face. Segundus undressed and got into bed in silence. The moon was bright that evening, persistently pushing light under the curtain and sneaking in when a breeze gave it a push. Segundus could see Childermass clearly on the floor, pulling clothes loose and going at buttons in an agitated way.
"I'm sorry, Childermass. May I ask...Is everything alright?"
"You know very well that it isn't," said Childermass. He yanked off his boots and dropped them at the end of the blankets on the floor where he slept. "I'm tired of this. I am tired coordinating every movement with you. I am tired of accidentally finding myself at your feet. And, John Segundus, I am tired of sleeping of like a dog."
Segundus' face crumpled with profound despair. He would have turned away so that he didn't have to face Childermass' anger, but he was frozen with hurt. He creaked open his mouth to speak and said all that he could.
"Oh, I am sorry."
Some of his anger vented, Childermass seemed calmed and now guilty as he saw the effect his words had had on Segundus, who he thought suddenly looked very young sitting crossed legged in his night shirt on the bed and fidgeting with the blanket as he very clearly tried to hold back tears.
"That was too harsh. I know you have tried. And you have done well. But it's true that I'm tired. And frustrated."
"You can take the bed, if you want," said Segundus, already moving to get up. "You're entirely right. This has been unfair and I'm terrible not to have seen it before."
"I don't want you to sleep on the floor, Segundus."
"Or we could share the bed, if you'd like."
The comment caught Childermass off guard but Segundus continued with the innocence that Childermass had come to expect from him.
"Head to toe. There's more than enough room."
Childermass eyed the bed and space Segundus had moved over to make for him.
"I'm not delicate," he said. "The floor is fine. It's just been a very hard day."
"No one said you were delicate."
Segundus' face was so eager to make up for the last several days in any way possible and Chidermass so regretful of his outburst, that he took his pillow and climbed up on to the bed.
"We can try it for tonight and see if this is better," said Segundus as he lay back down. "If not, we can find some time tomorrow to think of a different solution." He added quickly, "If you'd like, that is."
"You're trying too hard to be nice to me."
Childermass had only said it when he realized that Segundus was probably not trying at all, but simply following his natural kind instincts.
The men pulled the blankets over themselves and Segundus closed his eyes, feeling a bit less guilty now that he had hopes of Childermass' increased comfort. As soon as he was settled, he felt Childermass move in the bed and understood that he was undressing, the same as he had every other night. Childermass removed his clothes, pulling his shirt off first and then sliding his breeches down his legs until they were bare, and dropped them next to the bed.
"They will wrinkle..." said Segundus and was surprised to hear Childermass laugh warmly from the other end of the bed.
"Thank you for your concern. But no body cares how I look."
In the bed, their legs brushed against each others' as they maneuvered the space in the bed. When Segundus turned, his hip grazed Childermass' and seconds later, their hands moved into the same space at the same time their fingers touched briefly. Segundus wanted to apologize but he had become very tense at the close proximity to and accidental touching of a naked person in his bed and speaking was too difficult. They laid with their backs to each other, spines and thighs parallel under the blankets. Already their bodies were working on their own to synchronize breathing and the bed was warm. Childermass quickly grew annoyed with the blankets and kicked them away, spreading out as much as he could in the process. Segundus lay rigid in his spot.
"Are you uncomfortable?" asked Childermass.
"No!"
"I imagine it is lack of practice, but you're a poor liar."
"Please," said Segundus. He could feel that Childermass would get up from the bed and his guilt could not handle seeing him back on the floor. "Please, don't move. And don't say anything else about it. I'm fine."
Childermass was quiet and Segundus was content that he had been convinced to try this arrangement for one night at least.
Segundus could not see Childermass' face, or he would have realized what he had done.

In the morning, Segundus woke to find that Childermass was still in bed next him. He was not surprised as he had woken first each morning until now. He carefully moved to avoid touching or seeing too much the naked body in his bed and sat up. With horror, he saw that Childermass' eyes were open and he was in the now familiar, vacantly happy daze that mean he was under Segundus' command and only aware that he was doing as he had been told and wholly content in that. Segundus thought back in a fury to his last words the evening before and his face blanched as what he had done hit him.
"Childermass! You can move. Please, move! And you can say whatever you want." Childermass blinked as his gaze moved to Segundus and the release from the imperative lifted. His breath was heavy and slightly ragged. The sun feel across a space at the corner of the bed where his chest was and Childermass pulled himself up into the bed shakily into it, sitting in that bright spot holding one of the bed posts for support.
"Childermass..."
He shook his head at Segundus.
His anger was so apparent that Segundus was stuck where he sat. Childermass dressed and staggered across the room. He opened the door to the bedroom and left. As the door shut with a thud that made Segundus wince, the bond between the men strained to its maximum. From the other side of the door, Childermass gave a loud curse. There was a thump like he had lashed out against the wall with his fist and then a cry.
Segundus heard the door to Honeyfoot's room down the hall open.
"Mr Childermass! Are you alright? What has happened? Why, you're bleeding!"
Segundus jumped from the bed and ran to the door, trying not to think of the release he felt when he moved nearer to Childermass. In the hall, Childermass was slumped onto his knees, his forehead against the wall. His left hand hung down to him the knuckles dripping blood. Honeyfoot rushed to him and Segundus stepped toward him as well, a frightened half step.
Segundus became aware that he was crying at the same time he noticed that Childermass was too.
Thankfully, Mr Honeyfoot was in command of his powers of speech.
"Mr Segundus! Please, what's going on?"
"I have betrayed him," said Segundus. Ashamed as he was to not be helping Childermass, he was even more ashamed at the thought of Honeyfoot seeing that Childermass would reject him should he try to touch him or speak to him, which was almost certain would happen. "You must help us fix this."

After a few minutes Childermass allowed himself to be helped to his feet and Segundus and Honeyfoot moved him back into the Segundus' room and onto the bed while he said that he was fine, that he would recover on his own. The noise had roused Charles and the other male servant, who has stood at the top of the stairs and then in the door, curious and fearful, until Segundus asked them to please give then privacy ans assured them that everything was fine.
Neither man could quite explain to Honeyfoot had had occurred. Segundus walked to his chest of drawers, from which he pulled a handkerchief. He handed it to Honeyfoot and Childermass allowed him to wrap his hand.
While Honeyfoot and Segundus stood next to the bed watching him for further signs of distress, Childermass fell asleep and Segundus felt his body uncoil with relief.
"When he wakes up," he said to Honeyfoot. "We will try the spell to part us."
And if it worked and Childermass ran the second he could leave Segundus' sight, Segundus would be even more relieved that Childermass was far away from him where he could not be hurt.