Jim and Sy walked silently down the hall together. The painkillers had kicked in sometime during dinner. Jim was thankful to no longer be limping. He was still completely worn out, but at least he would be able to sleep tonight.

"Sorry I'm turning in so early tonight. I'm glad Matt reminded me about those cookies, though. I would have gone right out without getting them to you." Jim grabbed his badge and scanned it at his door. The scanner flashed red. Jim frowned and scanned again.

Red again.

Sy reached over and took the badge out of his hand. "Why do you have Matt's badge?"

Jim groaned and banged his head against his door. "I forgot we switched. He offered to get me a change of clothes while I showered." He held up the bundle wrapped up in his towel. "We never switched back."

Sy shrugged. "I'll go swap them again. You really shouldn't do that, though. If you get caught, you'll get in trouble."

Jim couldn't help but smile. "Sy, I think we were pretty honest from the beginning. That's sorta what we do. Trouble is our thing."

Sy took the badge from his friend. "I'll be right back." He darted off down the hall. Jim leaned against his door.

"You idiot." He closed his eyes, his forehead pressed to the cool metal door. His sweater sleeves drooped down over his hands. He sighed. Slowly he sank to the floor, still leaning against the door.

Someone was shaking his shoulder.

Jim blinked his eyes open reluctantly. He looked up at Sy. He'd never really noticed just how green Sy's eyes were. He swore he could see flecks of gold in them. They looked oddly concerned.

"Need a hand up, Jim?" Sy knelt beside his friend, one hand on his shoulder.

Jim shook his head. "I got it." He groaned as he forced himself up to his feet. "Is everything okay? You were only gone a second."

Sy held up Jim's badge. "You fell asleep in the hall."

Jim grinned sheepishly. "Guess the donkeys took more out of me than I thought." He yawned. "Sorry. Better get you those cookies before I fall asleep again."

Sy scanned Jim's badge and followed him inside. "If you're too tired, you don't have to. I do appreciate you saving me one, though."

Jim waved it off. "You would have had them anyway if you'd been there." He fetched the two final cookies from their hiding place near his books. "You said you were with your family?" He stopped, then frowned. "You were supposed to be there tonight, too."

Sy looked sheepish. "I asked if we could eat a little early today, then bowed out of playing mécontent."

Jim offered him the cookies. "Thank you. I really appreciate it."

Sy took one of the cookies. "It's what friends do."

"Both of those are for you."

"Your mom made them," Sy argued. "You should have the last one."

Jim was touched by his thoughtfulness. "Thank you, Sy." He picked up the other cookie and nodded to his chair. "Stay for a bit?" He flopped down onto his bed and took the first bite out of his cookie.

Sy settled into the seat. "I shouldn't stay long. You're exhausted."

"I'm fine," Jim promised as he waved off Sy's concerns. "It was just a big day." He took another bite of his cookie and rolled onto his side to look over at his friend. "Did you mean what you said at dinner?"

Sy picked a crumb off his slacks. "About what?"

"Nevermind. It's stupid." Jim shoved the rest of his cookie into his mouth. "Did you enjoy dinner with your family?" he asked around the mouthful.

Sy looked up. "It was nice. I'm lucky I can see them so often. I feel so bad for Matt. He can't even get letters from his family and I'm having dinner with mine twice a week. I knew that I had privilege, but I never thought about how much."

"Yeah, Matt's pretty great. He's my best friend. He's always willing to help someone out, even if it disadvantages him. That's what I liked about him. Still do, really. Even when he's teasing us he's taking care of us."

"He's got a good heart." Sy smiled over at Jim. "I do like your sweater, Jim. It's not perfect, but I kinda like that. And I do think it looks good on you. The colors go well with your eyes."

"Thank you." Jim said before he yawned again. His head settled onto his pillow. "Maybe it's not so bad." He felt his eyelids drooping. As consciousness slipped away he was vaguely aware of the sound of Sy crossing his room. A blanket dropped over his shoulders.

The light turned off. His door closed.

Jim let himself drift into peaceful sleep.