Jim lay in his bed staring up at the ceiling. He knew he hadn't been imagining it, had he? The elevator ride had been too short. He'd needed only a few more seconds. Just long enough to have answered the question that had been slamming against his mind ever since Sy had silenced communication.

Had he wanted that kiss too?

It had been the question that had haunted him as he had showered away the grime of the mines. It swam through his mind as he dressed in loose pants and his striped sweater. It had bothered him as he sat beside his friends at dinner. It had demanded answers while they had hung out in Braxton's room, laughing over 628's enthusiastic retelling of his counter-mission. Sy had looked so composed, nothing like the frazzled mess Jim felt inside himself.

Sy'd dressed nicely as always. Slacks, a collared shirt, neatly combed hair. He'd even tucked a handkerchief into a pocket as if he were to offer it to a young lady at any moment. Sy had excused himself from eating with his family in order to celebrate with his friends. Seeing him at dinner, Jim could almost believe he hadn't been scared senseless just hours before. And he certainly could believe that the moment in the elevator had been nothing but his own imagination.

He rolled over and reached for his tablet. He needed to talk to Matt. He needed any sort of a distraction from his thoughts of earlier. His thoughts of Sy. As he scanned his palm a message buzzed in. Jim flicked it open.

Sy 22:03

open your door

Jim blinked at the message. He glanced at the clock on his bedside table. 10:03. Three minutes past curfew. Scrambling out of bed, Jim hurried over to his door and hit the button to open it.

Sy stood on the other side.

He ducked in quickly past Jim and smacked his palm against the button. The door slid shut. Jim stared at the smooth metal in front of his face, still confused about what was happening.

Sy was waiting when he turned around. The younger cadet clutched a pillow to his chest as he gazed up at Jim with those brilliant green eyes. Jim couldn't help but soften as he looked at him. "Even your pajamas are fancy."

Sy blushed hard. "They were a gift from my grandparents. I think they're silk," he mumbled against his pillow.

Jim ran his fingers through his own hair. "I like them."

Sy smiled shyly. "Yours are fine too. They look comfortable."

Jim laughed. "They are. They're old. Why are you here?" He hadn't meant to blurt the question out so bluntly. He winced over how harsh it had sounded. "Sorry, I meant, um…"

"I know." Sy looked down at his slippers. "I can't sleep. I'm scared. Th-the cave, and the dark, and….Can I stay here tonight? Please?"

Jim nodded. "We'll get in a lot of trouble if anyone finds out."

Sy took a deep breath. "I know." He'd never sounded so vulnerable. "My family would be horrified. But I need you. Please? I'm not as scared when you're there. You kept me safe."

Jim pulled him in close. "I promised you I would. And I promised you that I'd be here if you needed me. C'mon. You want the wall side or the open side?"

"Open, please," Sy replied from inside his arms. "I don't want to wake up feeling trapped. Thank you."

Jim pulled back his blankets and slid under the covers. "Of course."

Sy set his pillow beside Jim's. He hesitated at the edge of the bed. Twice he moved as if to climb in, but both times he stopped himself. Their beds were small, not meant for two bodies. The pillows overlapped in their fight for space. Jim's was pressed tight into the wall. Sy's hung over the edge a bit. Sy glanced towards Jim's chair, clearly contemplating offering to sleep there instead.

Jim reached over and hooked his arm around Sy's middle. He tugged him onto the bed. "We'll make it work."

"Alright." Sy settled in under the blankets. Jim pressed his back into the wall to give him as much room as he could. The space between them felt both infinitely large and tourcherously small at the same time. Jim squeezed his eyes shut and tried to ignore the rush of emotions. He needed to find something else to think about.

Reviewing the disarm and takedown techniques they were working on was the most successful distraction. It had surprised Jim how easy it was to control another being's body. Not every technique worked on every species, however, and he found himself struggling to remember just which motions were most useful on what category of creature. The techniques that humans fell into were the easiest for him to recall.

Sy's breath had leveled out long before Jim had finished going over their recent material. His friend shifted in his sleep. Sy moved again then rolled over and pressed against Jim. Sy's arms tucked in between their bodies and his face settled into Jim's chest. Jim froze. Sy sighed with contentment in his sleep.

A small smile touched Jim's lips. At least Sy had found a way to prevent his nightmares. He draped his arm over the smaller boy's body and held him close. His face he buried into Sy's soft hair. He smelled clean, like soap and something soothing Jim couldn't quite identify. Perfectly content, Jim allowed himself to follow into dreamland.