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none of it fit with the gentle touches of his fingers Zane’s body was noticing

"No, thanks," Ty responded wryly "I prefer not to be a moron"

"I’m flattered I’ve moved up from idiot to moron," Zane said "And you have moved up fro asshole"

"Only?" Ty repeated with a huff "It takes effort to be this abrasive, I hope you realize"

"Yeah, I guess so But you justlook easy," Ty responded with a se that ’til I see it," Zane said with an apologetic shake of his head as he rolled his shoulders under Ty’s fingers

"See what, everything?" Ty asked in a easy"

"I ah

"Now see here, you’ve already proven the opposite You’re not easy to get along with, you’re not easy to understand, you’re not easy to keep froers

"I think the glass is what got under your skin And I am perfectly understandable," Ty said as he let his heavy Appalachian accent take over "I enunciate," he replied with special drawling eainst his will "I was thinking of you more as a thorn, actually"

"Ouch," Ty objected with false sincerity

Zane sighed and tilted his neck to each side as he felt the texture of Ty’s rubbing fingers change The salve was sinking in and the skin was catching on skin "We should get back to work," he said quietly

"We have the rest of the day off," Ty replied fir over his shoulder, Zane raised an eyebrow "What are you and I going to do with a day off?" he asked Was the other agent saying they were going to spend tiether? Off the clock?

"I don’t know about you, but a few hours’ real sleep would do ht here in the room Quite frankly, I’d prefer to stay away froure out ht I agree with all that" Suddenly, he felt aard, standing there with Ty still touching his back, especially because Zane didn’t want to

He could be partners with Ty He could, so beyond that was sierous Zane raised a hand and swiped it over his face, noticing the prickles "I should shave," he enuinely curious as he finished s the salve over the bloody spots

"Why? Why shave?" Zane asked "Uh" He blinked, trying to think

"I don’t suppose I have a reason," he answered with a slight shrug "Habit

Have to be clean-cut, you know Don’t want to attract negative attention"

"Yeah, ative attention, pffft," Ty responded sarcastically as he stepped away, then pushed Zane slightly to the side so he could step through the bathroom door and to the sink to wash his hands "You have to sleep in the bloody bed"

"It’s just the spread that’s bloody," Zane saidhis chin as he walked out of the bathroom and toward the bed "Food later?" he asked hopefully as he yanked the spread and sheets down

"No, we’re fasting ’til we catch the guy," Ty answered with a curl of his lip as he came out of the bathroorunt, Zane snagged one of his pillows and whacked Ty upside the head with it

"Bastard!" Ty barked as he swatted at the pilloith the daot a stick up his ass?"

"Shove it," Ty huffed as he pulled back the sheets on his own bed

Collapsing onto his bed, Zane was careful to stay on his side and keep an eye on Ty just in case he launched a counterattack "You’re just a big softy," he taunted

"The last person said that to ," Ty warned seriously

Zane buried his face in the pillow to try to hter "Oh, God You would, too" His eyes ide and dancing when he looked back up

"Of course I would He had to question a guy," Ty told hih in his voice "Three hours he was in there, trying to hide this raging hard-on I’ve never seen a suspect more terrified in my life" He snickered with thethe continuing laughter as he tried to get hihed and looked back at Ty, shaking his head "All right, I’ moroaned as he flopped onto his side, turning away fro, Zane shifted the pillow back under his chest and lay against it, settling where he could gaze at Ty’s figure under the sheets As he watched, Ty lifted his head up again and reached for his pillow, then burrowed his head under it Zane couldn’t help but smile at how innocent and alnized it as a habit of soht hours, and the thought charht they’d play off each other like this? He’d not wanted a drink or a cigarette all afternoon Being in pain and keeping up with Ty was absorbing One ht be able to like hihed, closed his eyes, and let sleep overtake hied to find the state of unawareness that caan to trill dely He jerked and hopped froled in his sheets when his feet hit the floor

Zane lifted his head and squinted at the bedside table where his phone almost bounced around "Great," he muttered He sat up carefully, reached for the phone, picked it up, and looked at the nu blearily at him as he flipped open the phone

"Hello, Serena"

Ty opened his eyes wide and shook his head, reaching up to rub at his eyes like a tired toddler as he looked around the room He had been out of the service for alot out of bed before he woke up

At Zane’s roordlessly and thuotten about their dinner appointreeable noises as Serena talked

Then she said soot his attention "Yeah?" Zane asked "You heard that?" Ty lared at him as he listened "I didn’t know that,"

Zane finally answered as the profiler on the phone kept talking "So, dinner?"

He listened again and nodded "All right I’ll be there" Another pause, and Zane’s eyes flicked to Ty

Ty practically snarled at hiestured to hi

"Yeah, he’s co for another few seconds, a soft smile curled his lips

"Bitch," Ty muttered under his breath as he pushed to his feet and padded over to his bag to begin rifling through his clothing

"Yes, Serena Okay See you in a bit" Zane thumbed off the call He watched Ty silently as the otherand apparently trying to find soet his hands on

When the silence stretched on, he looked over his shoulder at Zane