tia

"If you do this, I'll cover 3 of your farm hours whenever you want." you're following Rain like a puppy at this point, begging her to agree to returning to Tyler and Kay's trailer after work today. As you both approach the utility desks, ready to grab your tools for the day, she stays silent. The tense air reminds you of last night, and you're afraid you might have pushed her too soon. Your fear builds as you both walk down the field, tools in hand, and you decide to slow your pace to give her some space.

"Fine. But don't expect me to be nice to him."

An exasperated sigh falls from your lips at her response, and you jog to catch up with her. You push your head against her shoulder; "Thank you so much." You're sure your relief sounds dramatic to Rain, considering you have plenty of jackets at home, but she doesn't question it. Now that your side of the plan has successfully begun, you hope Bjorn manages to keep up his end of the deal. Your fingers are crossed.

Pressed together on the cold metal steps last night, you devised a plan to trap Tyler and Rain in the same place after work today. They need to talk everything out. Not just for their sake but also for that of your friend group's, each hangout feeling like a pressure cooker on the point of exploding. And it got pretty close yesterday.

So, you made up an excuse for Rain to have to venture to Tyler's trailer, pretending you had an urgent appointment with the medics this evening. And Bjorn has enlisted Navarro to make sure Kay stays out of the house after their shared shift in the mines. Now, all there is to do is make sure Navarro's sketchy hack job is able to temporarily malfunction the lock on the trailer's door so the two are physically stuck inside.

You have to admit that it sounded slightly neurotic when you were both going over all the moving parts needed to make this work -- but you had faith in this plan.

So now, after a warm shower and pretending to walk the opposite way to Rain after work, you're standing outside of Bjorn's trailer. Knocking on the door in the same rhythmic pattern you always do, your heart beats hard against your chest. You hear a loud crash on the other side of the metal, and you pull your head back slightly, excited smile turning into a confused expression. When Bjorn finally opens the door. But the confusion on your face is quickly replaced by utter shock.

He's shirtless, his jeans unbuttoned and being held up by his left hand as the right ushers you through the door. His face is flushed and hair dripping wet, his uniform headband missing from his forehead. When he moves his body out of the way to let you in, some stray drops fall from his hair and flick onto your face, making you let out a bewildered laugh.

"Y'alright?" he speaks through red glistening lips, making you notice how out of breath he is.

"Are you okay?" you ask, forcing yourself to pull your focus from his flustered appearance and glance around his trailer. One of his armchairs is laying on its side, and in front of it, everything that should be on the coffee table is instead scattered all over the floor.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm all good. Just got home from work late and had to rush to shower before you got here." he urged you further into the room, placing the hand that had just opened the door for you on your lower back and pushing gently.

And you would move further into his home, but its trashed state and Bjorn's unexpected flashing has you slightly distracted.

"D'you not like what you see?" Bjorn asks when you turn to face him, your brows arched high on your forehead. The movement makes his hand drop from your back, and you can't help but let your eyes trail down his torso at the way it meets his other right at his crotch, buttoning his jeans.

His chest is almost as flushed as his face, the red patches on his skin clearly from the heat of his shower. But just like when he won your beer chugging competition last night, the view pulls your focus, feeling yourself start to zone out as your eyes scan the happy trail of hair leading into his now-buckled jeans.

"Y/N? You good, love?" Bjorn's voice cracks slightly as it softens to a tone of genuine concern. His hand comes up to wave in front of your face, and for a second you can smell the soap and cigarette scent which hung between you just last night when he made the same movement to waft the smoke away from you. He doesn't smell like cigarettes tonight, just soap and bare skin. This doesn't seem to be helping the pounding of your heart in your chest, and the sudden heat rising to your face making it all-consuming.

"Yeah, yeah, sorry. I'm just confused why your place is trashed." you finally find enough voice inside of you to speak, eyes now glued to his in fear of them dropping back down to his surprisingly muscular frame.

"No I was talking about me, not my trailer. Just ignore that. I was gonna clean before you came but I didn't have the time."

"Clearly," you scoff with an eye roll, another attempt at keeping your eyes off his torso. It's made considerably hard by the way he holds his arms out with a cocky smirk, literally inviting you to look at him. You flit your eyes up and down his torso to satisfy his wishes, but instead of complimenting him, you paint a frown on your face and lean your head to side; "Nah, I've seen better."

"You've seen better?!" Bjorn guffaws, "Where have you seen better?"

"I mean... have you seen Tyler?"

Eyes widening, Bjorn lets his jaw drop open in dramatic shock, nose scrunching up in a hint of feigned disgust. You can't help but laugh at his warped features, taking the moment to reach a hand out and push his shoulder before moving towards the kitchen.

With a chuckle, he retreats down the hallway, and just like last night his voice calls "Grab me a beer there, would ya love?".

You do as you're asked, opening the refrigerator and basking in the cool air hitting your blushing face. With a smile, you grab two cans of beer out of the fridge and hold them to each of your cheeks, hoping it gets rid of your flushed appearance before Bjorn comes back.

"Are you really not gonna tell me why your trailer is trashed?" you call out to him, taking your mind off the shirtless image of him as you turn towards the living room. A fully clothed Bjorn reappears just as you plant yourself down on his futon sofa, pushing his headband up onto his forehead.

"Uh- I had someone over last night," he mutters, the words hardly coherent.

"What? Who? A wrestler?" you hand him the drink you got him whilst taking a sip of your own. When he takes it from you, his fingers ghost the side of yours, but you manage to ignore it because of the laugh that fills the room.

Bjorn cracks the can open and gulps almost half of it down in one go. When he lowers it from his lips, his tongue darts out to lick them, and you quickly move your eyes around the room to avoid staring.

"I guess you could say that." the futon's cushion dips as Bjorn drops himself down beside you, and the audible smirk in his voice makes you meet his eyes again.

"What do you mean?"

Biting back a grin, Bjorn chews on his bottom lip, his blue eyes boring into yours. "What?" you ask again, more amused this time. Looking for any sign of what he could possibly mean, your eyes flick around his face. And when you spot the small purple mark by his left ear, your face falls.

"Oh my fucking God... Bjorn!" you groan, moving your head to the side to glance at the hickey on his neck.

"Isn't it kinda heart-shaped?" Bjorn smiles, tilting his jaw up for you to get a closer look. Turning your body to face him, legs crossing, you lean in closer towards him. At first, your eyes focus on the hickey -- which yes, looks a bit like a heart -- but they soon drift over the frowning tattoo right beside it, and the stubble on his jaw leading into the patch of facial hair on his chin. His skin looks unexpectedly soft, and the minty smell of his shampoo suddenly bombards your senses. There's only mere inches between your face and the tufts of damp hair pressed to the side of his neck, and the urge to reach out and brush your finger over the soft skin hits you like a freight train.

Your eyes blur and you try to blink the cloudiness away before you do anything stupid. But by the time your vision clears, your middle finger is already gently swiping over the small bruise as your pointer finger ghosts over the bottom of his soft jaw. Your ring and pinky finger spread towards the silly tattoo half-covered by his dark brown hair and slightly push the tufts off of it, studying the bleeding ink as if you've never seen it before.

Warm air blows softly over your eyebrow, snapping you out of your focus and making you release the breath you didn't even know you were holding, pulling your hand and head back as quick as you can. Distance returned between you, you see Bjorn's cocky grin is gone, his lips parted breathlessly instead as his eyes stare into yours again. You gulp, your throat suddenly feeling drier than it does working on the dusty fields of the farmland, but Bjorn's stare is so intense it holds you hostage, unable to look away.

You think of a way to break this strange silence; maybe you could ask him a question. Did it hurt? Who was she? When did you sleep? Why would that mean the living room got trashed?

"Wait..." you say out loud, your spiralling thoughts causing realisation to come crashing down on you.

"What?" Bjorn asks, blinking rapidly and shaking his head side to side.

"Oh my God, Bjorn!" you shriek, standing up from your seat and taking a step away from it, almost falling over the toppled coffee table in the process.

"What?!" he repeats, louder this time.

"Did you fuck on this futon?!"

Bjorn cackles loudly, folding over to lay on the futon as he clutches his stomach. Meanwhile, your face twists into a disgusted look, eyes wide and jaw dropped.

"Ew, ew, ew!" you wave your hand around helplessly, unsure what to do with yourself as Bjorn's loud laughter bounces off the insulated walls. "Why would you let me sit on it, Bjorn?" you whine, brows creasing with tinged upset.

"Hey, hey," he says between gasps, "No, no, we didn't fuck-" Bjorn sits up straight, hand still pressed against his stomach, but he forces a sincere look on his face; "We didn't fuck on the futon. Things just got in the way on our way to the bedroom, that's all."

A strong glare in your eyes, you keep them on his for a long few seconds, making sure he's not just messing with you.

"Are you fucking with me?" you ask, finally taking another much-needed gulp of beer. The sparkling liquid cools you down from the inside out, hoping your face isn't as red as it feels.

"I'm not, love, I promise." Bjorn blinks slowly, blue eyes fixed on yours, and you can tell he means what he says. Your gaze moves with the hand on his stomach as he moves it to pat the space beside him.

You take his invite, sitting back onto the futon as you chug as much of your drink as you can muster, desperately trying to erase the image of Bjorn having his way with an unknown girl. The image fades with every gulp, but the tiny pang of jealousy in your chest is harder to get rid of.

"Let's lock these two lovebirds up then!" Bjorn wipes his mouth with the back of his hand, giving you his can to hold before he stands. He swiftly sets the coffee table upright, before taking both of your drinks and placing them on top of the metal surface.

Once he's grabbed his laptop and put it safely between your two beer cans, he falls back onto the futon. But this time, he sits much closer to you, and his weight makes you tilt impossibly close to him. Now you're not only shoulder-to-shoulder, but your whole leg is pressed against his.

The warmth radiating off him makes the blush return to your cheeks at full force, making you try leaning your body weight away from him. But your attempt fails miserably, your back cramping up at the odd angle.

Embracing the press of his body to yours, you lean in to get a closer look at what he's doing on his laptop.

"So, Navarro told me to just key in a few codes and her hack will be activated, locking them in forever!" Bjorn drags out the last word of his sentence, and you match his playfulness with a feigned gasp.

"And you know how to turn the lock off right?"

"C'mon, y/n. Who do you think I am?"

"I think you're an irresponsible dickhead who holds the power to suffocate our best friends in a trailer."

"Relax, love. I told Navarro the same thing, and I also reminded her of how stubborn Rain and Tyler are, so she installed an automation which unlocks the door after an hour."

You lean back on the futon, watching as Bjorn quickly copies a few number sequences from a note stuck to his laptop. He looks at you with a satisfied grin, which you match, before mirroring your movements and sitting back too.

"To the best matchmakers in all of Jackson's Star." Bjorn's proud smile grows as he lifts his can of beer. You tap the side of yours against his, toasting to your master plan. As you both race to down the end of your drinks, it dawns on you -- to make sure neither Rain nor Tyler see you, you have to spend the next hour with Bjorn. Alone. You've never been alone with him for that long, usually always accompanied by other members of the friend group.

Clearing your throat, you stand up, taking your can with you to the kitchen area. "So..." you drawl, placing it down on the counter before swiftly grabbing a new one from the refrigerator. "How do we know this is actually gonna work?"

"Because I know my cousin. And you know your best mate." Bjorn replies all matter-of-fact. Leaning against the kitchen counter, you crack open your can and watch his hands fidget with the pockets of his cargos.

"Yeah but Rain is the smartest person I know. What if she doesn't fall for it?"

"She will. I told Tyler exactly what to say."

"And what's that then?" you cross your arms, enthused by what Bjorn could possibly think would lead to Tyler winning Rain over. Again.

"You said Rain's biggest problem is how much he talks about Maya the miner. So I told him -- no more Maya talk with anyone but me."

You scoff at his words, crossing your arms over your chest; "That's all you told him?"

"What else was I supposed to say?!"

"I don't know! Could you have given him any less obvious advice?!" Frustrated, you set your can down on the counter and walk towards the toppled chair.

"What're you doing? Stop it-" As you attempt to pick up the heavy chair, Bjorn stands up and quickly moves beside you, helping you lift its weight.

"It was annoying me. I don't want to just sit and look at it." You say, avoiding Bjorn's eyes as you crouch to the floor, gathering up the pens, lighters, and magazines that had once been on the coffee table.

"What the fuck? Y/n. Stop-" Bjorn sputters, taking everything out of your hands as soon as you pick them up.

With a deep sigh, you slump your shoulders, letting yourself drop to sit in the floor. Knees pulled up to your chest, you rest your elbows on them and bring the back of your hands up to rub your eyes.

"Hey, hey, what's up? Whats wrong?" Bjorn's voice softens at your stressed demeanor, and you hear an array of objects clatter onto the coffee table before the feeling warm hands covers your bare elbows.

"I just-" you push your hands up over your forehead and into your hair, fingers massaging your scalp, willing away the tension you didn't realise was there. Lifting your gaze, your eyes meet Bjorn's for just a moment. And the concern flooding his eyes makes for a slight sting in your chest as it tightens. He's sitting with his legs spread on each side of your body, your shrunken posture making you feel smaller than you've ever felt around anyone that isn't Rain. Taking a deep breath, you look anywhere but Bjorn's blue eyes as you let your thoughts loose.

"I just want Rain to be happy. Tyler too, obviously. But you didn't know Rain before! She hasn't always been this quiet, y'know? When her parents died, her walls went up. And when her and Tyler started dating, it was like some colour finally returned to her life. She started laughing again, and blushing and joking. Tyler was there for her in ways even I couldn't be. And then he broke up with her the week of her parents' one year anniversary. Like- Just- Why? He never even gave her a proper reason. And if you had seen just how much that ruined Rain you would've said a lot more than the stupid fucking advice you gave Tyler."

The feeling of Bjorn's gaze on your face becomes burning hot, making you duck your head again, your hands sliding down to the back of your neck. Your words hang thick in the air between you two, and when his hands slip off your elbows, a cold chill spreads across your skin.

"Bjorn, I'm sorry-"

"I didn't just tell Tyler to stop talking about Maya, y'know... You just hadn't let me finish. You were too busy trying to clean up my mess." Bjorn interrupts you swiftly, voice surprisingly still soft. You look at him through your lashes, letting your hands slip from your neck before dropping them into your lap. You lower your knees to the side slowly, feeling them lean against Bjorn's open legs, now knee-to-knee.

"I told him to grow a pair and apologise to Rain. I didn't have to see the girl cry to know her heart was broken. I asked him why he did it. Why he broke up with her. And he said he didn't think he deserved her."

"That's such loverboy bullshit!" you interrupt, fully lifting your head now.

"That's exactly what I said!" Bjorn adds, his hands coming up to adjust his headband before finding their place comfortably on your knees. "But he also said that he didn't think distracting Rain from her grief was what was best for her. Apparently she told him she didn't know how to be on her own after her parents died, and I guess Tyler took that as his cue to leave."

Slowly, your brows furrow as he speaks, eyes moving around his face as you contemplate his words; "So he broke up with her so she could learn to be alone? She's never alone. She hates being alone. That's why she's got Andy."

"Which is exactly why I told him he doesn't understand women as well as I do!" Bjorn says in a singsong voice, "Because the second he told me what Rain said I knew that what she actually meant was that she was grateful for him, not that she wanted him gone."

He blows a raspberry before pulling his chapped lips into a lopsided grin, the look of utter surprise on your voice clearly boosting his already massive ego.

"Bjorn, I..." your eyes flick between his, and you can't even begin to communicate to him just how flabbergasted you are. So you don't use your words, instead pulling your hands out of your lap and dropping each of them on top of his, the weight now doubling on your knees.

"What?" his grin morphs into a cocky smirk, "Didn't think I had all that in me did'ya love?"

A laugh soars through your chest, and the flutter in your stomach which accompanies it is impossible to ignore as you lift your left hand to playfully nudge his shoulder. The butterflies course through your veins, goosebumps appearing on your skin again, and you just know you're blushing hard right now.

As Bjorn laughs with you, the nervous buzz running through you forces the memory of your old crush on him into your mind. You know you shouldn't catch feelings for him, especially not after working so hard to ignore and suppress your growing crush on him after Rain and Tyler's breakup. But his hands are so warm on your knees, despite the fabric of your jeans separating his palms from your skin, and their comforting weight calms you despite your overwhelm. As you revel in the feeling of his large hands on you, the sudden realisation of just how much you're touching right now takes over your brain. So you quickly pull your hands away, trying to play it off as casual by fidgeting with the hem of your tshirt.

"Alrigh' then," Bjorn breaks the silence, drumming his fingers against your knees, "We've got an hour. What do you wanna do?"

—

Massive hailstones pound down onto the roof of Bjorn's hot trailer -- another classic Jackson's Star hailstorm -- and you wouldn't be surprised if it ended up leaving dents in the soundproof metal of everyone's homes.

"Why is it so hot in here, man?" your fingers pinch the fabric of your thin cotton tshirt as you pull it away from your chest, desperately trying to relieve your sweaty skin.

"That's just how I like it," Bjorn shrugs, pulling at a twizzler with his teeth, "I like things a little hot and bothered." The wink he sends you makes you roll your eyes, knocking your left foot against his right one.

You're side-to-side again, this time with your backs against the wall across from the futon, legs out in front of you. There's a cup of Navarro's candy between you, acting as the only barrier stopping you from sitting as close as you were earlier, and the space is definitely appreciated considering the temperature in the room. The coffee table in front of you is littered with empty beer cans, the liquid acting as both a cooling method and a stress reliever for you.

You're unsure how much time has passed since you locked your friends into a trailer together, the nerves of having to fill an hour with Bjorn long gone as the two of you quickly found a way to entertain yourselves; playing never have I ever.

"Okay, never have I ever... stolen anything from one of our friends." you ask him.

"Pfft, what a lame question. Of course I fuckin' have!" Bjorn bites back.

"What?! What did you steal?"

Leaning your head back against the wall, you turn to face him, nervously awaiting his answer. The alcohol flowing through your veins combines with the hot atmosphere to make your eyelids heavy and your body tired, and you could honestly fall asleep on the spot if Bjorn would let you.

"I stole Tyler's v-card."

That earns an eye-roll from you; "No, answer for real."

"Uh, I guess I just take Navarro's clothes like all the time. Oh, and I've stolen full-on video games from Tyler before which was sick..."

Eyelids drooping, you struggle to focus on what Bjorn is actually saying, gaze fixed on the movement of his face as he speaks. Your eyes move over his tongue poking out to lick his lips between words, and how his eyes dart all over the room as he recounts some story about Tyler wrestling him for a video game. His features are relaxed, his hands the busier part of him as they fidget with anything within reach; his pockets, his socks, his headband, even the rim of the paper candy cup. Is this him being nervous or just on a tangent? And even though he's made it perfectly clear to you tonight that he has no problem reading even those hardest to understand, Bjorn's still a hard one for you to crack, even when it feels like you can practically read his mind sometimes, it's his heart you can't always figure out.

"I'm sorry I doubted your advice to Tyler." you blurt out, completely unaware if you just cut him off or if he'd finished his rant. Either way, when you refocus your eyes, he's not speaking, instead he just turns his head to stare at you.

This time it's Bjorn's turn to flick his eyes from your left to your right one, but you keep yours fixed on his, not even expecting a response, you're happy enough to have rid yourself of some guilt by apologising.

But he doesn't speak for at least ten seconds, and the intensity of your eye contact is starting to come crashing down onto your chest, and you can feel the blush creeping up your neck and heading for your cheeks. So you drop your eyes for just a split second, hopefully hardly noticeable as they flick down to Bjorn's parted red lips before coming back up to his eyes again.

If he does notice your quick glance at his lips, he doesn't say anything about it, instead nodding his head repeatedly as he processes your apology.

"No, yeah, that's alright." he says after what felt like an eternity, his voice soft and airy. And it isn't until you feel his breath fan your cheek that you notice just how much closer the two of have become. Who knows who leaned over first, but your foreheads are almost touching, the now-dry strands of hair over his headband tickling your skin.

Now Bjorn decides to mimic your escape route, dropping his blue eyes to your lips. But unlike your gaze's quick return to his eyes, his eyes stay glued to your lips as he finally speaks again; "Thanks, y/n. I really appreciate that."

Your blush must be radiating heat right now, and as much as it kills you, you have to turn your head away and create some distance between the two of you before your clouded judgement makes a decision you'll definitely regret. Eyes falling on the laptop between all of the empty cans on the table in front of you, you're reminded of why you were even at Bjorn's in the first place.

Lifting your watch, you blink the drunken and tired blurriness out of your eyes as you check the time. The air between you is suddenly even thicker than before, an unfamiliar tension left hanging, tested by the loud noise of the hail hitting the roof. There's a pull from within your core trying to get you to acknowledge the strange energy in the room, but as much as your mind grasps for words, it finds none to say. The energy radiating from your bodies, only a mere two inches apart, sounds almost like a hum in your ears -- although that's probably just the alcohol working its magic. That's what you'll choose to believe.

"It's been an hour and a half. Do you reckon they've kissed and made up by now?"

"I hope they're doing a bit more than just kissing at this stage."

"God... whatever they're doing, I'm jealous."

"Jealous?" Bjorn's voice is soft and you can feel his eyes burning into the side of your face.

"Yeah, jealous."

"Why would you be jealous? They hate each other."

"No they don't, Bjorn. Are you kidding?"

Turning to face him again, you catch his eyes quickly flicking up from where you could only assume was your lips, but in favour of keeping the already subdued blush off your face, you ignore it.

Bjorn shrugs, a smile tugging on the corners of his lips, eyes deeply focused on yours; "They obviously don't hate each other, Bjorn, they love each other. That's the problem."

"What d'ya mean?"

"Wait, it sounded like you really got Rain with what you said earlier. How can you not see that all of their anger is just because they still love each other?"

"I mean- I just thought she didn't wanna break up at the time. Not that they still love each other now- like, isn't it a bit mad to assume it's still love?"

With your mouth agape, you blink at him in disbelief. You want to grab his shoulders and shake him while shouting "Isn't it obvious?!" over and over again, but you refrain with respect to your dignity. Instead, you propose a hypothetical to him; "Okay, look. Imagine you've grown up with someone, like, spent your whole childhood together and the most horny puberty you can imagine, right?" You pause, and Bjorn nods, his enthused expression urging you to continue.

"Right. So then during this horny ass puberty, well -- towards the end of it, but still pretty horny -- one of your friends pulls you aside from all of your other friends during a random hang out. Not a hang out with any alcohol, mind you. And this friend tells you that you are the one thing that gets him out of bed every morning. And that the one thing he sees before he falls asleep every night is you. He tells you his whole day revolves around seeing you, and talking to you, and being with you. You tell him you feel the same way, so you start dating. Then, suddenly, both of your parents die from illness and the only person you can even fathom speaking to is your boyfriend. He's the only person you feel safe to cry around- like ugly, disgusting crying. And he helps you through it all. Until almost a year after your parents' death-"

"He comes to your trailer to break up with you." Bjorn finishes your sentence.

"Exactly... imagine that. Do you think Rain ever even got the chance to fall out of love with Tyler?"

Bjorn sighs deeply, nodding at your words. The sadness is evident in his voice when he adds; "And I know for a fact Tyler could never force himself to fall out of love with Rain."

"Exactly." you repeat with a sad smile.

After a few seconds, you and Bjorn both huff air out of your noses, replacing a high-effort laugh.

"I get Rain not being in love with Ty anymore," Bjorn says, "But I'm sure she's still fucking fuming at him."

With a giggle, you hum in agreement. Closing your eyes and tilting your head back again, you try to imagine how Rain and Tyler's night has gone. Rain definitely wouldn't want to have entered his trailer at first, but since you made sure to hide your jacket, she'd have to go inside to wait for Tyler to grab it. She definitely tried to turn and leave, but assuming Bjorn's advice got through to Tyler, he'd make sure to talk to her.

That's just the way they both are -- stubborn but patient. It's not hard to remember how they were as a couple. They weren't in your face about it, but they were clearly deeply in love. Anyone could tell just by the way they looked at each other across the living room, or when Tyler would come pick Rain up from the farm on the odd night he got off work earlier than you two and Rain would have to crane her neck to look up at him.

A buzz runs through your veins again at the memory. It was the happiest you'd seen Rain probably ever, all because she had someone she could fully let her guard down with. It was bittersweet sometimes, especially when the whole friend group was hanging out together. Seeing them sharing an armchair together, fingers mindlessly fidgeting and tangling with the other's, or even just seeing them seeming to read each other's minds when they needed something; your mind would always wander from appreciating their love to craving it.

It wasn't too lonely in the colony, not with a friend group like yours, but you could tell how much Rain appreciated having that one person she could just be that little bit closer to. Making any connection on Jackson's Star is something to be grateful for, its tough conditions pushed everyone's mental limits day after day. And you don't mean to sound ungrateful for the friendships you have, but it would be crazy not to admit that you dream of a time where you don't have to return to an empty trailer every night.

When your eyes finally flicker open, they struggle to do so under their own weight. You blink a few times, willing the blurriness away. And when your vision clears, the whole room is on its side. Then you feel the hardness under your temple, and when you glance down at the side of your body pressed against Bjorn's and realise your head is resting on his shoulder, you shoot upright.

"Oh my god. What time is it?"

Scrambling to your feet as quick as you can, you look down at Bjorn, deeply engrossed in the video game console clutched between his hands.

"Relax, you weren't asleep that long," he mumbles, keeping his head down until his game plays a sad beeping tune; "Fuck."

As he pushes himself up onto his feet, you check your watch, the time reading 9:15pm. Okay, it's not too late, but there's no way you haven't overstayed your welcome.

"I'm sorry for falling asleep on you. I gotta go," you pick up your long discarded jacket from the futon. But before you can shrug it on, Bjorn speaks up, holding his arm out as if he wanted to stop you walking away; "Surely you can't walk home in a hailstorm."

Glancing up at the ceiling, you hold still for a moment as you listen out for any hail, but it seems to have stopped. Instead, the loud banging from before your nap has been replaced by some rain, but no hail. You furrow your brows, eyes dropping back to Bjorn, mouth pulling into a confused frown.

"I don't- I don't think it's hailing anymore,"

"Yeah, but like, uh-" Bjorn avoids looking at you at any cost, hand reaching up to rub the back of his neck, "It's still raining pretty hard though, don't ya think?"

Heart rate doubling as soon as you process his words, you narrow your eyes at him. Is he really suggesting you stay at his tonight? Sure, you've both got the day off tomorrow, and it's not like the group has never had any sleepovers before. But you've never stayed with just Bjorn. As your mind continues to race at a mile a minute, your heart also continues to pound against your chest and your palms get clammy. What about Navarro? Where would you sleep? Maybe on the futon? But you don't have a toothbrush. You definitely can't have Bjorn smelling your morning breath.

It all becomes too overwhelming too fast, so you shake the thought out of your mind and shove your sweaty hands into the pockets of your leather jacket. "I think I'll be okay." you say with a small smile, and your words finally make Bjorn look at you again.

There'a a strange look in his eyes as he stares at you, one hand still on the back of his neck while the other drops to his thigh. He almost seems disappointed, and the slight curve in his eyebrows make him look a bit like a kicked puppy. The expression fades your smile away, and your palms suddenly dry up as you stare back at him.

"Bjorn? Are you-"

"Alright, yeah. Uh, have a good night, y/n." interrupting you, he rushes towards his door, pulling it open before he's even finished his sentence.

Stunned by the sudden shift in his mood, your lips fall open, eyes moving between the rain through the door and Bjorn's face, half covered by the hand which was on his neck having moved to rub the scruff of his facial hair. His eyes meet yours, the hint of sadness in them having deepened to an intense look of rejection.

Where has this come from? Did you accidentally say something in your drunken daze earlier? You hesitate to ask, since you don't want to upset Bjorn any more than you've already seemed to. But as you stare at his face, his demeanour shrinking the longer it takes you to walk through the door, you realise there's really no reason for him to be upset with you. So your guilt and confusion turns to frustration and confusion.

"What's wrong? Are we good?" you take a few steps towards Bjorn -- or the door -- you're not sure which you're trying to approach.

"Yeah, yeah, we're good. Why wouldn't we be good?"

"Because you're acting totally weird right now?"

"No I'm not!" he snaps back defensively before pursing his lips, and when his bored eyes stare at your sad ones... enough is enough.

The hot rain calls for you, and you don't even bother zipping up your jacket before hunching your shoulders and ducking your head down, bracing yourself to brave the weather.

"Goodnight Bjorn." you mutter, avoiding any more eye contact with him in honour of your dignity.

The rain hits your skin hard, and for a moment you're worried there may still be some hailstones mixed in with the harsh pelting rain. Your hair is instantly soaked when you make your way down the trailer's steps, and a tiny part of you hopes to hear Bjorn's voice invite you back in. But instead of his strong accent, the only sound which comes from behind your shrunken frame is the slam of a large metal door.

———

Your back begs to be straightened as you rake through damp soil, making sure the seeds are well embedded in order to ensure perfect vegetable growth. The uneven dirt ground beneath you makes you ache in ways you'll never get used to, but raking seeds for hours has proven much better than sitting on your knees all day harvesting.

"And holy shit if I have to get one more drunk phone call about 'Maya from the mines' I might end it all."

Rain Carradine, your best friend since the dawn of time, leans her rake against her shoulder to make air quotes as she mocks Tyler's nickname for his crush. You've known Tyler for almost the same amount of time as Rain, your families knowing each other from working in the mines. And you have to agree, this crush on Maya from the mines is definitely getting on your nerves, but not as much as it seems to bother Rain.

"I know, I know..." you say, prepared for Rain to ignore you just to keep venting anyway. But who would you be to complain about getting to work in Jackson's Star small agricultural sector with your best friend whilst all your other friends are stuck down in the mines all day.

As you hum along to Rain's fast-paced rant, a familiar and friendly alarm blares overhead, your head quickly lifting to look at the artificial sun lamps hung high in the farming glasshouse. "Finally," you groan, dropping your rake and pressing your hands to your lower back, stretching it backwards.

"And it's not like I can tell him to stop, I mean- what would that make me? In love with him? Like-" Rain continues to rake absentmindedly, missing the alarm entirely.

"Rain, oh my God," you interrupt her, walking towards her and snatching the rake out of her hands.

"What?" she asks, moving to grab it back before tuning into the noise signalling the end of your shift; "Oh, sorry."

With a shake of your head, you huff a laugh at the redness immediately covering her face as she realises just how intense her frustration about Tyler and Maya from the mines is.

"I mean, I don't actually care that much. Tyler can do whatever he wants." Rain's embarrassment shows even further when her hand scratches the back of her neck as she takes her rake from you, avoiding your gaze.

"Rain it's fine. I get it. It's hard having to hear your ex boyfriend talking about his new endeavour all the time."

"Endeavour? What do you mean? What is he endeavouring?" Rain tries hard to keep her tone calm, pulling a big laugh from your throat as you continue walking down the field.

You drop your gear off at one of the utility desks, scanning your badge as you do so. When the beep comes, you sigh in relief, happy to be clocked out for the night. Massaging your hands, you make your way to the showers in order to rinse off the sweat and mud that gathered on your skin, a smile resting comfortably on your face as you anticipate your evening plans.

Rain stays silent as you both walk back into the locker room, clearly having calmed herself down to her usual demeanour in the shower. Now in clean clothes, you look in the broken mirror taped to the inside of your locker, rubbing lotion onto your face, bone dry from all the scrubbing needed to get all of the dirt off.

"May I?" Rain says quietly from behind you, pointing towards the mirror.

"Oh, yeah, of course."

You watch as she pushes herself up onto her tippy toes, her high-tops squeaking against the wet tile floor as she tries to hold her balance. Her fingers rake through her hair, pulling it up into her usual half-up half-down style. But she doesn't tie it, instead letting the hair fall across her face as she slumps to flat feet with a heavy huff.

"Awe, what's up babe..." you coo with a small laugh, planting your hands on her shoulders and turning her towards you.

"I feel like I'm going insane, y/n. I don't know why this has gotten me so worked up. This isn't me! I never think about my hair like this!" her voice goes from deflated to frustrated in a matter of seconds, but this time her frustration is pointed towards herself as opposed to Tyler.

Tucking the wet strands of hair behind her ears, you give Rain a genuinely sympathetic look. "Look," you start, attempting to wipe the defeated expression from her face, "Let's just have fun tonight. If Tyler starts talking about that girl just talk to me -- or we can leave! I don't care! We see these people every night, what does it matter if we go home early."

The slight pout on Rain's disappears into a smile, and you can feel her shoulders relax under your palms. "Fine," she mumbles, turning towards the mirror before pulling her hair up again.

—

"Y/n, why did the spider log on to the computer?" Andy asks you as you make your way through the dark and noisy streets of Jackson's Star.

"I don't know, Andy," you sigh with a smile, looking down at your dirty sneakers.

"To check his web site." Andy states simply, and it's more his satisfied delivery than the actual punchline that makes you chuckle.

"Wow, that one actually surprised me, Andy! Well done!" Bjorn's voice chimes in as he appears out of one of the side streets you pass.

"Leave him alone, Bjorn." Rain snaps defensively, making the smile on your face grow as you anticipate his response.

"What?! I didn't even do anything!" Bjorn's reply is identical to what you expected he'd say. He's clearly flabbergasted, hands spread out beside him with his shoulders up as his mouth hangs open in shock; "Y/n, what did I even do?!"

"Hey, don't drag me into your shit, Bjorn." You laugh, holding your hands up in mock surrender.

Tyler and Kay's trailer comes into view, and you can hear Bjorn mutter "I didn't even do anything this time," as you approach, but you ignore him to jog up to the front door and give your signature rhythmic knock.

The door flies open seconds later, and Kay wraps her arms around you excitedly as she lets out a small squeal.

"I literally saw you two days ago," you laugh loudly as you hold her tight.

"And didn't it feel like an eternity?!"

When she finally lets you go, you move into the small trailer, beelining for Navarro who's snacking on candy on the other side of the living room. Without a word, you hold your open hand up to her, and her palm quickly meets yours in a clap as you do your special handshake, ending it with a wink in silent question for a twizzler. She hands you one, and you press the side of your head to hers as a thank you.

"Oi, where's my handshake?" Tyler's voice sounds from behind you, and you turn around with a smile to give him a quick fist bump. "We don't have a handshake, dickhead."

"Good to see ya. Grab a beer from the fridge."

Doing as you're told, you shrug off your jacket and push past Kay and Rain who are still hugging in the doorway and head into their small kitchen. The cramped nature of all of your homes have resulted in a pretty comfortable physicality between you all. But after Tyler and Rain's messy breakup last year, there's a strict no-dating rule in the friend group.

"Grab me one there, would ya love?" Bjorn calls from the hallway across the trailer, clearly heading for the bathroom. Once again, you do as you're told, grabbing three chilled cans from the refrigerator. After closing it with your foot, you follow Bjorn's path past the living room, handing Rain her can over her head as she takes a seat on one of the armchairs.

Your friends' chatter fades into a mix of voices as you turn the corner past the bed bunks, hearing the flush of the toilet through the bathroom door. Leaning against the metal wall of the trailer, you stand right beside the door, both beer cans held up in front of you. When Bjorn opens the door, you're right in front of him, bright blue eyes flicking between yours and the cans already gathering condensation. A grin stretches across his face as you playfully raise your eyebrows, communicating silently.

You're not sure how or why, but your bond with Bjorn and Navarro feels different to that between the others. You haven't known them nearly as long as the others, but sometimes it just feels like you can read each other's minds. Navarro and Bjorn were transferred to Jackson's Star from another mining colony just last year, and from the moment Tyler introduced them to you, it was like they'd always been part of the group. Navarro's one of few words, but even Bjorn's loud mouth has yet to spill why they were transferred.

Bjorn takes the can from your hand before holding it towards yours. You both pull the tabs up, the hiss of the can opening almost inaudible over the loud voices coming from the others. Tapping the cans' edges against each other, the two of you hold eye contact as you cheers, Bjorn sending you a quick wink as you lift your can to your lips, him doing the same. You make quick work of pouring the cold liquid down your throat, squeezing your eyes shut as the fizz makes your throat burn. Gulping as fast as you can, you try to chug your beer faster than Bjorn, but are soon branded the loser of your race as you hear him gasp for air.

"I won!" he proclaims, making you open your eyes right as he brings the can up to his forehead and crushes it against his headband. You don't give up, however, continuing to knock your beer back with your eyes on Bjorn.

Out of breath, his chest heaves, slick lips parted. He raises his arms up, resting his wrists on top of his head in desperate need of air as he squeezes his eyes shut and tips his head back. You watch closely as his adam's apple bobs when he gulps, the small huffs and grunts leaving his mouth causing you to absentmindedly stop working your own beer. Lowering your almost empty can from your lips, you catch them between your top teeth as you stare up at him through hooded eyes.

You'd be lying if you said Bjorn isn't attractive. It's the first thing you noticed about him when you met, but the no-dating rule in your friend group immediately defused any possibility for feelings to develop. Everything with Bjorn is always just easy. He's an asshole sometimes, pushing people's buttons and cracking jokes. But you like that about him; his ability to read people so well that he knows exactly how to get under their skin actually shows a lot of emotional intelligence. At least that's what you tell Rain when she gets mad about him messing with Andy.

Bjorn moves one of his hands off his head, bringing his arm up over you, leaning against the wall as his breathing finally slows. His face is now inches away from yours, and it's like you can sense his eyes are about to open as you rip your dazed stare from his face. Ducking your head down, you pretend to look at your beer can.

"Oh don't be such a sore loser, y/n." Bjorn's playful tone sounds close to your ear, completely unaware of the way you were just staring at him, taking in how much of his appearance has changed since he came to Jackson's Star.

"Remember when we first met," you start, tilting your head up to look at him. His brows furrow as his eyes focus on yours, blinking slowly as if the alcohol has already hit him. "And you had that buzz cut?" you finish with a shit eating grin on your face, knowing any mention of his ugly hairdo is the easiest way to take him down a peg.

"Oh, you cheeky shit." he dramatically guffaws, the hand hovering above your head coming down the ruffle through your hair. You cackle loudly and duck down, pulling away from his touch before rushing back to the living room to join your friends.

"And then she just stared for ages! Just stood there, and stared." Tyler's voice comes into clearer earshot as you drop down onto the armchair next to Rain's, ignoring the sounds of Andy and Navarro playing a video game together right beside you guys.

Kay is sitting cross-legged on the small sofa, Tyler beside her, and upon your return she sits up straighter; "Y/n! Thank God you're here. Tyler has been yapping our ear off about-"

"Maya from the mines?" you finish her sentence for her, an eyebrow cocked up as you avoid glancing over at Rain, more than certain her eyes are probably filled with fury.

"Please, I'm beggin' you, just shut the fuck up about her, mate. We're so fuckin' bored." Bjorn groans as he appears in the hallway.

"Okay, wait, no. Tyler," you pull your legs up onto your cozy chair, matching Kay's crossed legs as you plant your elbows on your knees, leaning forward. "It's not that we don't care about you or Maya from the mines. It's just that she seems to be the only thing we talk about anymore."

Tyler avoids your gaze, looking down at his hands, and you take the opportunity to glance at Rain, her eyes also fixed on her fidgeting fingers. Your eyebrows frown in concern for your friend, unsure how to solve the awkward tension in the room, but your beginning train of thought is interrupted by the feeling of something cold pressing against your arm. You look to your left to see Bjorn pressing a new cold can of beer to your skin, biting his lips in a grin as he looks down at you, and you pull the can from his grip before pushing him away playfully.

"Tyler," Bjorn starts as he moves around the back of your chair, opting to sit on its arm, blocking your view of Rain. Your close proximity makes you have to press your shoulder against side, the heat of his body warming your skin. "Y/N is right. I love a bit o' romance, and I can't deny that Maya's extremely fuckin' fit but-"

A harmonious groan erupts from everyone in the room, even Tyler, interrupting Bjorn's oncoming tangent. And the noise makes him hold his hands out to his sides again; "What? I didn't even do anything!"

"Whatever, bruv. Just continue." Tyler says.

"Can I not say she's fit?" Bjorn refuses to move on, immediately looking down at you, "Isn't that a compliment?"

You roll your eyes at him in response, opening your can of beer and silently taking a swig. His blue eyes burn into yours as if begging you to defend him.

"Just continue!" Rain echoes Tyler's words, and the high-strung air hanging in the room slightly loosens. When Bjorn finally tears his gaze from yours, you let a small amused smile rest on your lips. It's hard not to think about your early start tomorrow, how you're going to need all your might to pull yourself out of bed for another day of manual labour. But nights like these make it all that much more bearable, giving you something to reminisce on as well as look forward during your long work days.

"You're always talking my ear off about this girl, and now everyone else is here and still all I'm hearing is Maya, Maya, Maya. All you do is talk about her, never to her. What advice do you expect us to give you about asking her out when you haven't even asked her name? You had to ask someone else what she's called!" Bjorn finishes saying what you've all been thinking and he hands you his half empty beer can absentmindedly.

"You know what, Bjorn?" Tyler starts while nodding his head, standing up and pacing the small space beside the coffee table, "You're right. Tomorrow morning, at work, I'm just gonna go straight up to her and ask her on a date."

"How are you gonna do that when you can't even say hello to her?" Bjorn rustles through the packets of his cargos, pulling out his tobacco pouch and starting to roll a cigarette. His fingers move smoothly over the white paper, filter held between his lips as he evenly drops the tobacco into it.

Tyler continues; "I can do it, I swear. I'm just gonna walk up to her and say-"

"Andy, let's go home." Rain interrupts him, suddenly appearing from behind Bjorn. With clenched fists at her side, she avoids everyone's eyes as she snatches her jacket from the back of her chair. In a flash, she's gone, the door slamming shut behind her before Andy even has time to stand up. With his freshly rolled cigarette dangling from his lips, Bjorn wastes no time in taking both drinks from your hands and nodding his head towards the door, motioning for you to follow her without a word.

"Rain, I'm so sorry." you say, closing the door behind you and Andy. The constant darkness of Jackson's Star feels even darker, the air colder than usual.

"Why did I even come here?" Rain asks herself as she paces, fists still clenched, "I knew all he would do was talk about Maya. He has to be doing this shit on purpose. He's trying to get to me."

"Rain?" Andy speaks for the first time in a long time. Rain stops pacing, crossing her arms tightly across her chest as she looks at her brother, and the helpless look in your eyes tugs at your chest.

"Yeah?"

"What did one volcano say to the other?"

"Sorry, Andy. Not right now, I can't-"

"I lava you."

Rain's heavy sigh is accompanied by a slight quiver in her lip, hardly visible in the shadows cast on her face by the trailer's porch lights. But you know your best friend better than anyone, and you're willing to bet good money on that. Even a year after the breakup, her heart still hasn't mended, and with every mention of Maya the miner, it's breaking again bit by bit.

"Okay let's go home."

You walk towards her, Andy in tow, ready to walk Rain home and, if it's what she wants, never come back to Tyler's trailer. Rain is a tough one, seemingly unbreakable inside and out. But she has the biggest heart out of anyone you've ever met, and with that comes the need for delicate treatment of it.

Taking her hand, you try to pull her away from the trailer, but she doesn't budge.

"No, y/n, you stay."

"Why would I do that? I promised we would leave if this happened."

"You deserve to have a good night. I'll just see you in the morning."

Rain's lips pull into a weak smile, and you know better than to fight her on this. She has Andy, and she deserves some alone time. You give her a hug, squeezing her tight, and you can feel her upset in her demeanour. Although short, she's mighty, and you would be the last person to call her small. But that's what she feels like tonight; small and hurt.

When you let her go, you cross your arms over your chest, noticing the goosebumps covering your skin from the cool air. With a sad smile, you wave Andy and Rain off, about to rush inside to get warm. But when you turn around, Bjorn is already standing on the bottom step leading to the trailer's door, holding your jacket open by the shoulders.

You rush towards him before quickly shoving your arms into the soft fabric, feeling Bjorn lift the jacket and pull it over your shoulders. He places his hands on them firmly, guiding your body forward a bit so he can hop off the step. Bjorn spins you around to look him at him, ducking his head down so he's at eye level with you.

"Y'alright?" his fingers squeeze your shoulders softly, nod letting go until you say "Yeah..." with a sigh.

"Good." he mumbles, taking the cigarette tucked behind his ear and lighting it. Your eyes try to focus on the flame out of the lighter and the crinkle of the cigarette being lit, but your mind whirs. As Bjorn takes the first long drag of his cigarette, you look towards the ground, bumping the toe of your right sneaker against his, tapping it a few times whilst you think.

"We have to do something about this." you say finally, lifting your gaze to meet Bjorn's. He turns his head to blow out smoke, making sure it doesn't hit you.

"Alright then," he says, taking another long drag, "what do ya wanna do?"

"We need to get them back together."

Bjorn sputters out a cough, unable to avoid the smoke hitting you this time. "And how do you plan on doing that, genius?" he asks as he wafts his hand between you, "They kinda hate each other."

"Think about it," you start, moving your head to catch his gaze, making sure he's listening to your every word. His blue eyes fix on yours intently, giving you his full attention. It's not like you have a proper plan, but Bjorn's looking at you like you hold the secrets of the universe, so the pressure's on.

"We're their best friends. And you're literally Tyler's cousin! We know everything about them. We probably know them better than they know themselves at this point!"

The corner of Bjorn's mouth lifts into a smirk, amused by your excited words and animated hand movements as you continue.

"We work with them. We know their schedules. We're like the puppet masters of their whole relationship. We need to set them up!"

Bjorn finally tears his eyes off of yours, looking off to the side, clearly mulling over your words in his head. With your hands held out by your sides, you wait for his response. Your eyes scan his face, watching how he purses his lips and tuts in thought. When his gaze meets yours again, you think he's going to laugh off your idea and shoot it down. But after his eyes flick between yours a few times, he takes a sharp inhale; "Fine."

"Yes!" you shout, grabbing onto his free hand with both of yours and jumping up and down, shaking his body as you do so. Taking another drag of his cigarette, he shakes your head and huffs a laugh.

"Alright so, how're we gonna do this?"

—

The two of you decide on a plan of action; getting them stuck in the same place together. Alone. It's not going to be easy convincing Rain to give Tyler even a second more of her time, but if you stage it as an accidental solo hang out for the pair, she'll have to. By the time you've planned everything down to the millimetre, Navarro has already gone home, and Kay and Tyler came outside to hug you two goodbye before retreating to bed.

You and Bjorn have been sitting side by side on the trailer's metal steps for what feels like minutes, but has actually been almost two hours. The already chilly air has only gotten colder, and when hugging your jacket tight against you wasn't enough, he noticed your occasional shivers and scooched closer to you, pressing the sides of your bodies together. Your beers were long forgotten inside, instead sharing a cigarette or three, no longer caring about the smoke making your eyes water.

As you lay in bed, exhausted from your day but wired from your night, the smell of tobacco and and soap fills your senses as you stare at the ceiling. It reminds you of Bjorn's body pressed against yours, the comforting weight spreading warmth through your goosebump-covered skin. The scent makes you think of how your fingers would brush every time you passed one of the cigarettes between each other. Why didn't he just roll you one?

You reach your arms up from under the covers, clicking the button on the side of your watch to turn it on. You have to be up in five hours. Fuck. Burying yourself back into your warm cocoon of blankets, you turn onto your side, pressing your face into the pillow. With a deep inhale, you take in the smell of your night, never having been this comforted by the smell of cigarette smoke before. You let your body melt into the bed, and as you close your eyes, the press of the mattress against your side shifts into the feeling of a warm body passing you a cigarette with a brush of his fingers against yours.