Young avoids a difficult conversation, Eli does not
(A very short chapter, still, I'm pleased just to be getting slowly back into it.)
There was a breeze that raised goosebumps across his skin and he rubbed his hands over his upper arms to warm them. In the moonlight, Young could see the sea over the edge of the balcony. The washed out reflection cast a white path across its surface to the black horizon and though it was calm he could hear the waves washing over the shingle at the shore. He leaned forward in his seat and rested an arm on the wooden railing letting the night wash over him.
There were soft footsteps in the room behind him and the door to the balcony opened.
"You can't sit out here staring at the sea all night." Rush said sourly. "Come to bed."
Young turned a little to look up at him amused.
"Come to bed." Rush repeated more gently and leaned in and kissed him.
Young wrapped his hand around the back of Rush's head and slipped his other arm into Rush's shirt, hanging loose and unbuttoned despite the freshness of the night air. Young's heart was beginning to thump in his chest as he let Rush pull him to his feet without breaking the kiss and wrap his arms around him. His hand skated up Rush's spine to settle between his shoulder blades, pressed into his warm skin, pulling Rush towards him.
He was almost intoxicated by the sensation of Rush's beard tickling against his skin in counterpoint to the slick tongue flicking across his lips in a request for entry. He opened his lips to the other man, falling into the kiss and into Rush who responded with a groan...
And again, Young woke, heart thumping in his chest, fingers gripping into Rush's flesh and the groan was his as Rush pushed back against him.
"Young, wake up." Rush muttered, pushing at Young's chest again.
"Yeah." Young mumbled. "'M awake." He blinked and faintly realised he was pressed against Rush's chest.
"You want to let me go?"
Young untangled his fingers from the other man's t-shirt and rolled away.
"Nightmare?" Rush asked him.
"Not exactly." Young said quietly, staring at the ceiling and trying to will his arousal away.
Rush snorted, definitely figuring out Young's problem.
"Sorry." Young apologised.
Young was not sure what to expect of him, but Rush simply shoved at Young one handed, rolling Young to face away from him, then spooned up behind him and collapsed back down into to the pillow.
"Go back to sleep Young." Rush said into the back of his neck, wrapping an arm round his chest. Young could feel the splint pressing against the back of his head where it was resting on the pillow.
Rush appeared to be asleep in seconds. Young took considerably longer to go to sleep, startled at the lack of reaction as much as he was embarrassed.
xxxoooxxx
The infirmary hatch hissed open. TJ ignored it for a moment, examining the dressings she was boiling in an anti-bacterial solution to disinfect them. She twisted the tongs carefully to see the other side, trying not to drip on the table, waving a careful hand through the steam to examine the results.
"Uh?"
TJ turned at the hesitant noise by the doorway. Eli was standing, looking uncomfortable, half in and half out of the infirmary door.
"Hi Eli."
"Can I talk to you?" He stepped into the room.
TJ smiled at him. "Yeah, no problem. Come in."
TJ carefully lowered the dressings back into the steaming pot in front of her. Eli hit the door closure and wandered over as she put the tongs down on the plate next to her.
Eli took a moment, apparently working out how to start. He did not look like he was in pain, or frightened at all, which suggested it was something embarrassing. TJ put her best understanding medical professional look on her face.
"What's wrong Eli?" She asked gently. "Something that's bothering you? Something that you're not sure whether you need to show me?"
Eli looked surprised for a moment.
"No, I'm okay, it's not something wrong with me." He said quickly. "It's ah, someone else."
"Someone that you're worried about?" She asked. "Maybe you could let them know I'd be happy to see them in private if they're worried."
"No," he said, "it's nothing like that."
There was another long pause, Eli's eyes flicking across the drying racks behind her. TJ waited for Eli to gather his thoughts, watching as he shifted awkwardly from foot to foot.
"Um, I saw Colonel Young and Rush last night." He said.
TJ cocked her head slightly. "Did they say something that bothered you?" She asked neutrally. "I thought you weren't having so many problems with their...conflicting demands on your time?"
Eli shook his head. "It's not that, well, it kinda is..."
"Too much work?"
"No, I...kinda saw them together..." Eli said awkwardly, leaning on the bed nearest her work station.
"Together?" TJ asked.
She had a horrible feeling this was not going to be good news and it definitely was not her secret to share if Eli had caught sight of something he should not have.
"Yeah, like, going to bed." Eli said. "Like the Colonel told Rush he was up to late...time to come to bed, you know."
TJ nodded, waiting for him to go on before she offered any information.
"They told me to come and talk to you about it." Eli said, meeting her eyes.
TJ's relief was palpable.
Eli scowled a little. "I kinda might have been a little annoyed with them."
"Why?" TJ asked, genuinely curious.
"'Cause I've been stressed out about them not getting on for so long and they're like, together."
TJ laughed. "They've not been together that long." She offered.
"Yeah. They said the volcano beach planet." Eli pushed himself up to sit on the bed. "I didn't notice anything there though. But the Colonel was leaning on Rush's shoulders and then the Colonel told Rush to come to bed, not go to bed." Eli paused, "I might not have guessed if he hadn't said that."
TJ stopped herself from offering the slightly sour observation that the Colonel was pretty good at hiding relationships.
"Are you okay with it?" She asked instead.
"Yeah, I guess so." Eli shrugged. "It'll make things easier for me."
"If they're talking, yeah, I should think so." She agreed.
"It's only me and you that know though." Eli said, a half statement, half question from the look he shot her, evidently looking for confirmation.
"I'm pretty certain Dr Macarthur knows. But no-one else on Destiny." TJ verified. "Just you and me."
"I'm glad I'm not the only one who knows. I'm not sure what to think about it TJ." Eli admitted. "Like, I've got so much experience in relationships you know." He added a little self-deprecatingly.
"But you're okay they're two guys right."
"Oh yeah," Eli said almost off-handedly, "like, with Mom's illness, all the family support groups you know." He caught her eyes, face a little too neutral. "I grew up knowing loads of people like..." His voice tailed off.
TJ smiled sympathetically. "I guess you would."
"I mean it's not just a gay disease but..."
"Yeah, there are a lot of gay people who do contract it." She nodded, agreeing with his unfinished statement. She gave the dressings a stir. "It's not reminding you of your mom being sick and bothering you though?" She asked, feeling a little concerned.
Eli shook his head. "I'm not there with her, but this is the first time we haven't had to worry about her medical bills or what treatment is covered. And she misses me but she's pleased about me having a cool job. And like, now she knows it's me when I visit, and I can tell her about what's going on and the cool stuff." He gave TJ a warm smile. "I think I'm less worried about her now than I've ever been. You know if she's lucky she'll get to be a grandma...well, great aunt at least."
TJ chuckled. "You'll meet someone Eli. Look at how well your other self on Novus did. You know you've got it in you now."
Eli gave her a grin. "Yeah." He said. "I guess you're right."