Page 18 (1/2)

Ty raised an eyebrow, hoping that was it for the history lesson Beside hihtly and reached into his pack to pull out a dry sweatshirt He had a small hand towel draped over his knee; he’d obviously used it on his head because his hair was sticking up a little in a couple places He was s too He seemed pretty entertained Ty turned to fiddle with the fire, stoking it and adding several et soood sleep Then he sank back down beside his partner, his shoulder brushing Zane’s He watched idly as the others et their beds in order

"Tired?" he asked Zane softly

Zane blinked heavily and looked up fro his eyes and shtly "Fresh as a daisy," he murmured

"Yeah, you look it," Ty drawled "Little out of shape, huh, Garrett?" he teased gently

"Maybe a little" Zane played along, shifting back "This isn’t exactly like working out in the gy sympathetically "Got a little out of breath earlier," he answered with a quirk to his lips

Zane chuckled "I guess I don’t feel quite so bad then" He started unlacing a boot

"Get soentlemen," Earl told the loudly in his bunk

"I’m too tired to sleep," Deuce muttered

Zane started in on the other boot, and he turned his head to look over at Ty "So this is your idea of a vacation, huh?" His voice was pitched very low

Ty just smiled happily as he watched the shadows flicker around the cabin He was in his element up here He was happy up here, no ry

Apparently it was clear on his face, because Zane actually senuinely "So why not come up here more often?" he whispered as he pulled off the boots

"Quit er?" Ty posed with a sed "I can see you in one of those brown hats," he said, lips twisting against a laugh

Ty snorted and nodded as he tilted his head to look up at the ceiling The fire hissed and popped, and the light danced on the logs overhead

There were plenty of reasons Ty didn’t do this more often One was the fact that the cell reception was shitty, and Burns usually had him at the ready It was one of the first tiht that with a hint of bitterness

Zane studied him with a small frown that e moment, he asked, "So why not visitas he tried to think of a way to answer The truth was, most of his official vacation tio in any records But he couldn’t tell Zane that even if he wanted to Yet

"Ti it would satisfy He could still feel Zane’s eyes on hilanced over at hi hi what to say Ty shook his head slightly and sighed, looking back up at the ceiling It wasn’t home that was the probleh It would buy hiured out what to do about Burns’ black ops and whether Zane needed to know about the Ty’s attention "So up in the mountains"

"What, like… ed one shoulder "So you reht, frowning heavily and trying to think "Good thing about growing up in the ed, at a loss "It wasn’t really all that different frouess Every su he knew From the day school was out until football started up, ere running around outdoors"

"All those trophies," Zane said quietly "You played lots of sports, looked like"

"I was decent," Ty acknowledged "I liked theame"

"You’re not exactly lineman size," Zane commented "Wide receiver? Defensive back?" He slanced sideways at him and smiled "You’ll make jokes if I tell you now," he predicted

Both Zane’s brows raised "Not near what you would if I told you what I did for extracurriculars in high school"

"True," Ty agreed shaht end," he told Zane with another look sideways at hi the other teauy, fast runner," Zane said with a nod

Ty nodded, waiting for Zane’s love of bad puns to seize on the tight end thing and run with it "What about you?" he asked to curtail the urge in his partner

Zane snorted and rubbed a hand over his face When he dropped it, his cheeks were surprisingly flushed "Uh Well, it was Texas, you know"

"Right," Ty said slowly "So… you grew up roping longhorns and riding horses?" he joked

"Yes," Zane said i visibly "On Granddaddy’s ranch"

Ty narrowed his eyes at his partner Zane had seized on that answer far too quickly and with too much relief, and he was obviously embarrassed about the subject "You know, if you don’t want to talk about it, I’ anyway," Ty offered softly "I won’t hed "Nah It’s just silly" He winced "I was on the square-dancing teaether and closed his eyes, but he just couldn’t help hih, shaking his head

He heard Zane’s soft laugh "I told you," Zane said with a gentle elbow to Ty’s ribs "But I’ll have you knoere in the state chahed out loud, unable to contain it "Oh God," he said as he covered his eyes When heback at hihtly, but his dark brown eyes were shining in the firelight "Next tirinned and shook his head as he hefted hih Lord knohy I keep feeding it to you Glutton for punishuess," he uess," Ty echoed with a soft sh that storer asked as he tipped his hat

"We’re here," Earl confirer answered Zane noticed that Ty wasn’t paying too ; he seemed content to let Earl handle the conversation It struck Zane as odd that Ty didn’t want to be in control of the situation like he al to Earl as older and wiser

Whatever the reason, Zane didn’t think he’d ever seen Ty this relaxed It was an attractive attitude on hi Ty would stay this way once they returned ho was a black one that claimed "Only YOU can prevent forest fires!" and below that, in sot shit to do"

Zane sat s at his partner as he mused over just hoell that fit Ty

"We found soer frowned

"Recent?" the man asked