#voker

Jeff blinked and looked up at the marine’s approach, brow furrowed in confusion as he looked back down at his data pad. “You’re back on time? You people never get back on time,” he said and rubbed absently at his eyes with long, thin fingers. “And shut up, what are you, my mom? I’ve only been off shift an hour.”

James rolled his eyes and snatched the datapad from Jeff’s grip then tossed it on the table so it slid well out of reach towards the opposite end. “We’re three hours overdue, actually, cabron, which means you shoulda been in bed four hours ago.” James huffed. “And forget your mom─I’ll report you to the doc. You know she’s been on that busted ass of yours about getting enough sleep.”

“Yeah, well,” the pilot grumbled, though from the way he wasn’t quite meeting James’ eyes, the marine knew he’d struck a nerve. Before he could threaten Jeff further, however, the man crossed his arms over his narrow chest and drawled, “Wanted to wait up but someone was late.”

“You’re gonna try and blame you being sleep deprived on me?” James scoffed. “That’s some bullshit and you know it,“ he said and poked the other man lightly in the chest. Anyone else he would have jabbed, but getting closer to Joker had taught him gentleness in a way nothing else ever had.

Everything in his life had conditioned James to toughness, even before he’d signed up with the marines. Gentleness wasn’t something he’d gotten a lot of practice at growing up until he and Jeff had stumbled unexpectedly into this... thing they had now. This thing that had started as a friendship forged in a shared sense of humor and grown into something else entirely.

Well, alright, their favorite past time was still mercilessly teasing their ship-mates, but now they shared a bunk more often than they didn’t and James had gone and developed a protective streak for the prickly, sarcastic pilot.

“Damn right I am,” Jeff groused and brushed James’ hand away then stepped in close, still a good couple of inches taller than the marine even with his permanent slouch. “It’s fuckin’ freezing in the bunkroom.”

“And that’s my fault?” James countered dryly, though he didn’t back up, just cut the other man a wry look and tried to suppress the smug smile threatening at the corners of his mouth. He knew exactly what Jeff was trying to get at, but he liked hearing him say it anyways.

Jeff took another step closer so there was a scant inch between them, then dropped his head so his forehead met James’, the contact pushing the bill of his cap up in the process. “Uh, yeah? Look at me, what am I supposed to do, warm the bed up myself?”

“You have a heating pad in your locker, Jefe.”

Jeff huffed again, thin lips twisting before he heaved a dramatic sigh and said, “Alright, fine, and I missed you, okay? Gross, I can’t believe you made me say that out loud. What do I even see in you?”

James flashed the pilot a wicked grin then reached out to grab Jeff by the waist and pull the man in gently against him. “Dio, you’re a pain in my ass,” he said with a low chuckle.

“I mean, it’s a great ass, I’ll give you that,” Jeff countered as he reached down and grabbed the marine’s backside appreciatively before letting his hand drift up to his back and looping one arm across James’ shoulders. For all his jokes, though, a genuinely fond smile curled the corners of the man’s mouth as he leaned in and stole a kiss.

The marine laughed again and leaned into the contact rather than pull away. When they broke, James lead the way back to the bunkroom and let Jeff pretend the arm he kept slung across his broad shoulders was a friendly one and not much needed support for his over-taxed body.

“You’re not gonna tell Chakwas, right?” Jeff asked, voice low to keep from waking their ship-mates occupying the other bunks around them.

James cracked one eye open to look down at the pilot where he lay with his back pressed into the marine’s chest, head pillowed on his arm. It was a tight fit, both of them in one bunk, but they’d worked out an arrangement that suited the both of them, and if James was being honest, he didn’t sleep much better than Jeff did when they were apart these days.

“Depends on how fast you get to sleep,” he said and tweaked the pilot’s ear.

“I’m gone, I’m gone,” Jeff insisted and settled down lower under the blankets, pushing his chill feet between Jame’s legs to warm them. “I’m sleep talking, I swear.”