“I’m just saying, if there are two versions—”
Maddie set down the pot and leaned in, dropping to a hushed whisper, “What the fuck, Mercer? There are two versions because you told me one thing and then Elliot told me that you two—”
“This is exactly what I’m talking about,” Jasper said to no one in particular, looking delighted.
Oh god, what backstory do I have with Elliot?Levi looked back over at Elliot, who hadn’t moved from the porthole, but he was looking directly at Levi. The commanding posture he hadwhen Levi entered the room slumped a little as their eyes met across the distance, and Elliot blushed, quickly looking back out at the stars.
I should just throw myself out of the airlock now.
Tyler pulled up a chair and fell into it with a resounding thud. “Are we talking about how Levi is going to take the crown for ship slut again? Because I was really hoping I could win my title back,” Tyler said, grabbing Levi’s coffee from him and taking a drink. “I’ll give three months’ pay when we get back if you only fuck top brass and leave me the ensigns.”
Levi’s face was beginning to get hotter, and he wished it was just from burning his tongue. “I—what?”
“This conversation is disgusting.” Zoe shook her head and went back to her notes.
Jasper just laughed louder. “Okay, okay, Levi and I will talk the finer details later, right?”
All he could do was nod because the wordsship slutwouldn’t stop echoing in his head. The conversation eventually drifted back to what Owen had on his data pads, Tyler said something about orbital mechanics and made it three sentences before Jasper interrupted him with what he called “a more intuitive framework” involving a coffee spoon. Owen asked him to stop because it was a poor representation of how the mechanics worked. Jasper continued anyway, with a second spoon.
Levi sat in the middle of it and let thirty minutes of conversation happen around him, trying to find any opening he could to step away and go find Asher. Hereallyneeded to find Asher before his name and apparent secondary title got to him, but every time he started to say something, he was pulled back into an exchange with Maddie or Jasper, or Tyler, trying to bribe him, and he was beginning to think he was just going to have to fake being ill to get away when Elliot spoke up.
“We should all head down to the briefing room before Captain Reynolds gets there, you all know she’ll have my ass if any department heads are late,” Elliot said as he walked over to the table. Tyler groaned and made a gesture somewhere between a middle finger and a salute as he stood.
Finally.
“Levi, wait.” Before he could even push his chair out, Elliot was leaning down to adjust one of the patches on Levi’s jumpsuit. “I know you just defrosted, but you know how the Captain is. You have to be presentable.”
Levi’s entire body locked in place while Elliot adjusted his patches and pins, and he looked to Jasper, hoping he would say something…anything really, to draw Elliot’s attention away from him, but Jasper just winked at him.Okay, so I’m on a weirdly horny spaceship, there are chunks of rock from an asteroid that probably are not rocks, I still haven’t found Asher, and there is a significant chance every NPC in this room has a manufactured history of having had sex with me.
“Asher!” Jasper jumped out of his seat with a grin and Levi’s heart stopped. “Dude, where have you been? I thought you were mad at me for beating you in pool last night.”
“I could never be mad at you, Jasper. I just needed a shower,” Asher’s voice was calm and warm and absolutely wrong, drifting in from the doorway behind Levi.
All the blood drained out of Levi’s face as footsteps crossed the room, slowly, unhurried, each one feeling like an accusation Levi felt in his bones. Elliot took a step back, apparently having had his fill of being in Levi’s personal space, and furrowed his brow, glancing at Asher, then back down at Levi.
Asher stopped behind his chair, and one palm came down on Levi’s shoulder, almost like a friendly clap on the shoulder. Levi didn’t turn his head. If he turned his head, if he saw whatever hidden rage lived on Asher’s face…he didn’t know what he wasgoing to do, but the main options were to throw up the burnt coffee or burst into tears. Asher’s hand stayed on his shoulder, but his thumb moved, stroking closer to his neck, right over the bite mark, and he pressed down hard.
Levi choked off his gasp and dropped his gaze to his lap.
“Levi, are you okay?” Maddie was already reaching for her scanner, concern creasing her features.
“I’m fine.”
“Your hands are shaking.”
“I’m fine, it was just the bad cryo,” he said quickly.
Maddie was already pushing back her chair. “Med bay, now, I need to clear you for duty.”
“That’s really not—”
“I’ll take him.” Asher’s hand lifted from his shoulder, and somehow that was worse. “I was heading that way. Peterson injured his head and needs some gauze.”
Elliot frowned, glancing between them. “Actually, I can walk him down. I need to check the duty rosters with medical before—”
“No need,” Asher interrupted, moving around to stand beside Levi’s chair. His smile was perfect—concerned, helpful, exactly what a good friend would wear. “Really, it’s no trouble at all.”
“Right,” Elliot said slowly. “Of course.”
