He wanted so desperately to wrap his arms around Gabe, to just hold him close and not let go. To assure him that he wouldn't leave, that they'd never be torn apart. Because Gabe was all he had, now that Connor was gone. The last, lingering piece of a past he could never reclaim. If he allowed Yewll to take that from him, he'd have nothing. But he couldn't hold Gabe. He was strapped to the damn bed and couldn't do anything.

But then Gabe uttered that word. That singular, terrifying word. And Niles stopped. It wasn't that he'd been actively fighting the bonds, but he'd been tense. All at once, that bled out of him. Not defeat, but something else. Love wasn't what they had. It had never been love. Niles loved Amanda, he'd loved Connor. But he didn't love Gabe, not the way he seemed to say it. Like a friend, like a brother. Someone he shared a strong connection with. But love?

Niles tilted his head back, staring at the ceiling for a moment. And in that moment, it was like he could see the cracks and seams of where Gabe had been artificially inserted into his life. In a blink it was gone, but it left behind a conviction. Without Gabe, he would lose his connection to his past. But if this kept up, he would lose his chance at a future he'd been working towards since awful night.

"Gabe..." he said, quiet but firm. "I have to."