Martin's fingers skim past the edge of the pink casing to touch the glass surface. He can't quite look at the other man. "I already have one."

"Not like that," Jim says, stretching in the driver's seat, his eyes half-closed.

They're parked on the edge of the airfield, and Jim's leaning, cat-like, into a patch of sun in the window. "My old one works fine, Jim," Martin says, trying to hold back a full complaint. Really, it was nice of him, if a bit unprecedented and—well, completely unnecessary.

Jim shifts against the brake and the small car rolls forward. Alarmed, Martin reaches for the emergency brake, but Jim—with an expression of appropriate concern—pushes down with his foot and the movement stops. Martin breathes, settling back into his seat, and says, "it was a nice thought. Thank you."

Jim smiles, and it splinters his mouth.

"It's also pink."

"Nice thoughts can be pink," says Jim.

"And your number's already in it."

"Selfish pink nice thought," Jim replies, and he has Martin by the lapels of his Captain's blazer and Martin stops complaining.

Whether morning, afternoon, or evening, the walls of Jim's flat are the same shade of nothing.

The pizza Jim orders is draped with a flattened brick of coagulating cheese and Martin's absorbed in testing the many in-flight functions of Jim's simulator program. "You look nice when you blush," Jim says, his eyes trying to pierce the already-expanding capillaries under the skin of Martin's cheeks.

Martin takes a minute to deal with the effects of a frustratingly persistent virtual crosswind before he's leveled out the plane again and can sneak a glance at the other man. "You don't," he says.

Jim's mouth slides into a smirk and Martin can feel his throat muscles spring into a series of familiar gymnastics. "When you blush. Er. Because you don't. Blush, that is. You do. Er. Look nice."

Something sharp slides over the surface of Jim's eyes. "Nice."

Martin frowns and goes over the post-takeoff checks again. "Yeah, you know. Good."

Jim smiles and closes his eyes. "Not like you."