"Never mind the death threats, parting at the door

We'd rather be six feet under than be lonely

And if you had a problem, then you should've told me"

Sleep Token - Granite

Despite his best efforts to stay awake in case Hans woke up, Skipper found himself waking to an excruciating pain in his lower back and neck. A pained grunt escaped him as he tried to stretch and work out the kinks that came from slumping backwards into the couch for several hours. He rubbed the back of his neck as he felt the beginnings of an all day headache cut through the fog of sleep.

"You know, you could have spent the night up here with me," a voice practically purred above Skipper as fingers briefly ran through his hair, "Or did you forget how perfectly you fit between my legs?"

"Your pillow talk still sucks." The reply came automatically as did the instinct to lean into the touch. For a moment Skipper was brought back to the rare soft mornings they once shared. Moments that Skipper had tried to forget in the aftermath of Denmark but never had been able to no matter how many times he told himself that sentimentality would kill him.

"I don't ever recall you complaining before." Hans chuckled and decided to tease the other man a bit more. He'd missed getting to see this softer side of Skipper. "Unless you don't remember."

Skipper could and would until his dying breath blame the headache, stress and long night on whatever happened in these hazy not quite awake moments. "Oh, I remember."

A choking sound jolted Skipper into being fully awake. He winced as he turned his head toward the kitchen and saw a cherry-red Kowalski standing with coffee spilled down the front of his shirt.

Skipper swallowed his embarrassment and put space between himself and Hans who was grinning like the cat that got the canary. He was glad that out of everyone on the team that it had been Kowalski who had seen his lapse in thinking. At least he would be willing to sweep the incident under the rug until a later date.

Kowalski set his mug on the table and grabbed a few napkins to try to save his shirt. He knew it was a lost cause, but it gave him a few minutes to pull himself together from the awkward moment. "Morning sir, I have updates if you're ready for them."

"Let me get some coffee first," Skipper moved to stand and winced, "and something for my back."

"I'll have what you're having," Hans added as he let out a hiss of discomfort shifting into a sitting position. Pain radiated throughout his being, but he pushed it down and stood wavering only for only a moment. "After a trip to the restroom, that is."

Skipper automatically reached out to steady Hans, but the other man waved him off as he took his first shaking steps toward the doors on the wall behind the couch. He held his breath half-expecting Hans to collapse while also taking in the rusty red staining the white bandages. It made his heart clench and he hated that he was having such a reaction. In part because he knew that Hans would be fine- that he'd been through worse. Both of them had been. But more to the fact that it was Hans invoking such a reaction. It was like a curse he'd never be able to break.

Once Hans vanished through the door he turned his attention back to Kowalski who was exiting the kitchen with Skipper's usual mug and a bottle of ibuprofen. Clearly his lieutenant had something to say on the matter but was refraining from doing so with the current state of things.

"So what did you find out?" Skipper asked as he took the mug and bottle from the other man. Some conversations would be easier without Hans around, at least until they had a better idea of what the other man had been doing.

"Unfortunately," Kowalski looked to the door that Hans had vanished behind, "Alice couldn't find any active mission that listed Hans as an operative. So the only one who can tell us what Hans was doing, is Hans himself."

Skipper chased two pills with coffee before replying with a sarcastic, "great. Please tell me you have good news."

"Despite his injuries not being connected to CENTRAAL we are cleared and authorized to take him to the base for a full medical exam," Kowalski offered. "Not that Alice is particularly happy about the paperwork she had to push through."

Skipper rolled his eyes. "She'll get over it."

"And because she knew that would be your attitude we have been officially grounded until we can report what exactly Hans was up to and ensure that there hasn't been a leak," Kowalski did his best not to falter under Skipper glare as he delivered the news. Not that Alice was his favorite person he at least understood her frustrations when it came to Skipper and agreed that protocol was protocol. Regardless, it didn't make him any happier about having to be their middle man when the unexpected happened.

"Good thing I wasn't planning to let Hans disappear without getting some answers," Skipper then frowned, "not that he's in any shape to try." He downed the last of his coffee ignoring the burn of it before moving to stand. "Alright, I'm going to get cleaned up and then get Hans to medical."

"If you would prefer it, either Private or I could take–"Kowalski started but was quickly cut off.

"I'm not going to inflict Hans on anyone else if I can help it. Besides, if we're going to get an answer on what happened I'm probably the only one that he'll be honest with."

"Well, I can't exactly argue on that one. Kowalski sipped his coffee and elected to hold back his remark that Skipper's protective streak was showing. "What do you need us to do while you're gone?"

"Keep the building in lockdown," Skipper replied without a second thought, "and tell anyone that comes up that unless it's life or death their petty problems can wait."

Several scenarios flooded Kowalski's mind and he fixed Skipper with a flat look. "Do you expect that to work on Julien?"

Skipper silently prayed that something would keep Julien distracted or at least out of trouble for a couple days. Unfortunately, he knew that the odds of that happening were about the same as a snowball's chance in hell. "Rico can deal with the royal pain in the ass if anything comes up." He didn't like the idea of not having all members of his team at his disposal if the need arrived, but currently there were much bigger fish to fry as Hans was far too quiet despite his earlier teasing.

"Noted," Kowalski debated for a moment if he should bother to ask his next two questions. Yet it was better to be prepared than be caught off guard in the long run. "What about Alice or Marlene?"

"If Alice needs me she has my number and as for Marlene," Skipper's stomach twisted as he realized he hadn't given her much thought since leaving her apartment last night. "Tell her I'll call her later after things have cleared up a bit more."

Skipper narrowed his eyes at Kowalski in suspicion, as the man opened his mouth to say something but quickly closed it and took another drink of coffee. It would take much to get Kowalski to break, but before he could say anything Hans hobbled back into the room and Skipper felt his whole body tense as he took in the other man's appearance once more.

"Any word on medical?" Hans huffed, swaying slightly on his feet. Fresh red blossomed from the bandages on his fingertips as he hugged an arm to his chest. "I think I might have some fractured ribs after all."

Skipper was moving before he realized it and he slipped under Hans' left side just as the man's legs gave out. His own back protested at the sudden weight dropping on his shoulder. If Kowalski hadn't caught Hans from the other side; he'd probably have fallen with the agent. They guided him to one of the chairs at the table and Skipper wordlessly pushed his coffee cup and the bottle of ibuprofen toward Hans.

"Is there any chance that the lowlifes that did this to you, followed you or are trying to find you?" Skipper asked. Even with the chasm that Denmark had driven between them a part of him wanted to hear that they were so he could break their faces in himself.

"No," Hans shook his head and instantly regretted it as the room spun and his stomach lurched the newest addition of coffee not sitting well with the sudden bout of lightheadedness. Perhaps he had lost more blood than he had originally thought.

"Rico didn't observe or hear any reports of unusual activity," Kowalski added as he watched Skipper fight against his paranoia. "Besides, the car is in the garage so no one would even notice if it was Hans with you."

"We'll leave in 15."