Lucky:It’s entirely your fault for being hot. My mind is instantly in the gutter.
Roys:While that is flattering, I’m pretty sure the gutter has always been your home.
Lucky:Nah, it’s the beard. It does things to me. If you shave, we may have to call this off.
Roys:I guess Iwon’t be shaving then.
I wasn’t sure how long I lay there messaging him, so long that it felt like seconds after I fell asleep that the alarms went off. I should have been exhausted. Instead, I was excited because it meant I’d have an excuse to be with him.
You are a moronic idiot, Lucky.
After visiting the med bay, Roys joined in for breakfast, the beard still intact and earning a handful of compliments. He sat across from Elado, his skin suffering from a slightly paler shade than when I left. Sweat formed on his brow, which he wiped away with the back of his hand. Tareik must have given him something, but it wouldn’t spare him entirely.
I kept my attention on Arana, who somehow took that as a signal to explain to the group that we would bring Roys in on the bullshit. Zavir and Ryker took a little convincing. They worried Roys would overreact, but Lilea and Iylene soon agreed, and I offered to tell Roys, resulting in a group of stares. Only Arana knew anything, and she refrained from tattling by stuffing her mouth full of food.
“You?” Iylene repeated. “You anger him frequently, so is that a good idea?”
“Because I anger him the most, he will be prepared for whatever bullshit I have to spew. If anything, he may be impressed that Arana is in trouble this time rather than me,” I answered.
The group nodded far too easily. Rude, but fair.
“The captain will be shocked. Try to grab a picture of the face he makes when you tell him.” Ryker nudged me in the side with his elbow.
“Sure, sure.” I waved them off.
That same captain called us to work, where we went to the shuttle. Roys moved about as he normally would. None would think much of his taking a moment here or there to lean against the shuttle or turnaway to settle a hand on his stomach. He wore his visor, and I imagined his expression beneath wasn’t too pleasant. The withdrawal symptoms would pass, and all I could do was hope they weren’t too bad, considering his limited use.
While I readied for departure, the others double-checked that the survey team had everything. They were buckling in when the cockpit door opened. Roys stepped in to drop into the copilot seat. The door shut behind him, and he ripped off his visor to heave a slow breath through his mouth.
“You don’t need to come with us if you aren’t up to it,” I said, unsure of what to do; hold him, take his hand, tell him everything would be alright. I really was shit at this comforting thing.
“Sitting alone in my room isn’t a good idea right now.” He reached for his water and forced himself to drink based on his frown. “I’ll call Iylene in. I just needed a minute.”
“You should stay. We aren’t going anywhere dangerous. I’ve got this handled. You will be more comfortable here with me.” Roys would have argued if I hadn’t taken his hand. “Stay.”
His attention shifted to the door, but he didn’t move. The muscle aches and pains must have set in. His eyes fell half-mast while I finished my checks, all the while ignoring Roys’ hand making itself comfortable on my thigh. That same pointless touch, simply for the connection, made my mouth run dry. His hold tightened when we ascended, then rubbed mindlessly as the shuttle headed toward our destination. I liked it, so I settled my hand on his, keeping him there, though he showed no sign of leaving. He might though, considering what I hadto say.
“You said captains receive information on their teams, so you know that Arana joined because of a gambling problem, correct?” I asked.
“There was a mention of it, yes.”
“Well, she had a wee relapse and missed a few payments. A, uh, debt collector isn’t pleased, so there may be trouble heading our way.”
“Trouble.” Roys squeezed my thigh, and my fingers curled around his. “Trouble is an understatement. When did you learn about this?”
“Yesterday, though she had received the threats the day before.”
“Meaning pirates are on their way.”
“Without a doubt. Iylene, Zavir, Ryker, and Lilea know. We agreed to keep an eye on things. I would have told you yesterday, but…”
“I understand.” Roys had a new sense of attentiveness to the world beyond our shuttle, gaze shifting to and fro. “We need to monitor the habitat. I’ll send the rest of our team on regular patrols. Zavir and I will stick with Arana.”
“You aren’t going to notify Corporate?”
“They’ll reassign her, and then she won’t have anyone watching out for her. You don’t think I would let that happen, do you?”
“I hoped you wouldn’t, my rule-abiding captain.”
