It takes a moment to imagine a world without rules. For all his mind can move with alacrity in the application of rules, it staggers him slightly to think without their guidance.

Thankfully, it's just academic enough to snap something closer to clarity over the tangle of his thoughts. For better or worse, it's just painful enough to see the twist of Archie's lips and feel the weight of William's attention.

"I would." Amazingly, Horatio can even keep his eyes lifted from the table as he says it. "If my-- affection wouldn't bring you any closer to a noose, I would."

That much is simple. That much is honest.

That much also isn't the world they live in.