"Why are you out of bed?" Aaron paused in the doorway of the kitchen, gripping the doorframe with one hand while the other ran through his hair. It was extremely early in the morning, and it was still dark outside.
Eric was sitting in the breakfast nook, a cup of coffee next to his right hand and the maps for their recruiting run spread across the little table. He shrugged, not looking up from his study of those maps. "Couldn't sleep."
"Nervous about our first run?" Aaron stepped into the kitchen then, making a beeline for the coffee pot and getting himself a cup. They had run out of the liquid creamer because most of it had spoiled in the abandoned, and unpowered, stores so he took some of the powdered kind instead, grimacing slightly as it attempted to dissolve in his mug. "I am too, but that's why it will be just a test run."
Eric shrugged again, shifting some of the maps so there was space on the table for Aaron's coffee. "I keep telling myself that, but we'll still be out there on our own. You have more experience in going to unfamiliar places, and meeting strangers for the first time. I don't want to do something wrong that could put us into danger."
Aaron reached across the table, taking Eric's hand, "You won't. I trust you. I trust in you. I wouldn't be going out there if I didn't. Whatever dangers we face, and there will be many I'm sure, it won't be caused by us, if we stay calm and stay observant. I've seen you in action, remember? I know you can do this."
"I hope so." He nodded though, accepting what Aaron said. It was always this way; when they worked together in Washington. Eric tended to stay in the offices more often, but he did some field work occasionally and he would always be nervous about it, but it always turned out well. Aaron used to tell him that he just needed a little more confidence, but Eric often thought that it was the nervousness that helped him be prepared for anything.
"If you're still unsure we can put the first trip off a few days, or a week. We're doing this voluntarily, so it's our choice." Aaron glanced at Eric's still full coffee, which must have grown cold by now, and took a sip of his own. "Why don't I make breakfast, and we can talk about the best route to start with?"