Chapter Text
It was late on the Carte Blanche.
Late enough that any self-respecting person would already be asleep. But Juno was still new at the whole self-respect game. So here he was; wide awake under the stiff med bay sheets. Staring up at the cracked tile ceiling as if it had personally spited him.
It would be easy to blame his insomnia on the medbay itself. The ship was running in night mode; overhead lights off, engines on low. All fairly conducive for a good night's sleep. Or as close as you could get this far into space. But the Medbay was neither dark nor quiet. Vespa’s equipment was always beeping or hissing. And the damn glow from the screens always made the room insufferably bright.
And that was the only reason Juno was still awake. It had nothing to do with the fact every inch of him ached like he had been shoved through a meat grinder. Because that would involve actually thinking about what had happened on that asteroid. Which was something Juno was actively trying to avoid, thank you very much.
He shifted on the hard as rock mattress, trying to find a more comfortable position. A task made all the more difficult by the warm weight of a certain master thief pressed against his side.
The narrow bed Juno was lying on hadn’t exactly been designed with sharing in mind. Instead, Nureyev had squeezed a hard plastic chair between the bed and the wall. That was where he’d sat for most of the night. Until he had finally slumped over, head a solid weight on Juno’s chest as he snored softly. Completely dead to the world.
And Juno would be lying if he said he wasn’t envious. But if anyone deserved a good night's sleep right now, it was Nureyev.
Juno smiled, settling a hand on the back of his neck. The idiot was going to have the worst crick in his back tomorrow morning. If Juno was a stronger person he’d make Nureyev wake up. Force him to go sleep in a proper bed. But between Nureyev’s head on his chest and the warmth of his arm slung over Juno's waist, he didn't want to move.
So he didn’t.
Juno closed his eyes, determined to give the whole sleeping thing another try. Letting the steady rhythm of Nureyev’s breathing carry him down. He almost managed it too.
And then, because the universe seemed to have it out for him, the door to the med bay slid open. Heavy boots stomped their way into the room. Giving no quarter to the late hour as the overhead lights flicked on.
“Shhh,” Juno soothed as Nureyev shifted against him. Inhaling sharply as he made a sleepy, questioning sound. He carded his fingers through Nureyev’s dark hair. Soft, gentle circles as he murmured, “Go back to sleep, Baby. It's okay.”
For a moment Juno feared it was a lost cause. But then Nureyev seemed to settle, his fingers curling loosely in Juno’s shirt.
Juno huffed out a breath, glaring at Vespa as she approached. “Could you be any louder?”
“It's my medbay. If you don’t like it, spend less time here.” Vespa said. “Don’t be pissy, The heart rate monitor said you were already awake.”
“Yeah well, he isn’t,” Juno said as Vespa jabbed a button on the side of his bed. It tilted forward, lifting Juno so he wasn’t lying flat on his back. As it did, he eased Nureyev down to his lap. And It was a testament of how rough the day had been that Nureyev didn’t so much as shift as his head was settled on Juno’s thigh. “Thought doctors were supposed to have good bedside manner?”
“Do you see me working in a hospital?” Vespa dragged over a stool, sitting on the opposite side of the bed as Nureyev’s slumped form. Despite her gruffness, her voice barely rose above a whisper as she said, “He left at all?”
“Buddy made him eat and have a shower,” Juno said as he continued to stroke Nureyev’s hair. It was soft to the touch; free of the sticky pomade he normally used to style it. “He was back in 20 minutes.”
“A record. Heh- maybe there’ll actually be some hot water for once.” Vespa uncoiled her stethoscope, pressing it to Juno’s chest. “Don’t think I’ve ever seen him so messed up. Take a breath for me.”
Juno grunted but did as he was told. Breathing as long and as slow as his aching lungs would allow. But it wasn’t long before it snagged on something, and he was forced to turn. Coughing roughly into his hand as the attack ran its course. It was feeling better now at least. Less like someone had shoved a knife through his ribs and more like he had swallowed a fist full of broken glass. Progress.
Juno slumped back against the bed when it was over. Sipping gratefully at the glass of water Vespa had shoved in his direction. “Think today hit closer than either of us want to admit.”
“Figured that out, did you?” Vespa said as she took back the glass, leaving it on the side table. “Hate to break it to you, but that was a bit more than close. Nearly lost you a few times on the way back.”
“Well, thanks. You know, for not letting that happen.” Juno said. “Out of all the ways to go, death by whiskey is kind of embarrassing.”
“Especially when there was no reason for it to have gotten that bad.”
“Okay, what the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“You know exactly what it means.” Vespa snapped at him. “You nearly died because the thief didn’t trust us to get you out of there.”
“Of course he did!” Juno protested. But it withered under the force of her answering glare.
“If you believe that, you’re dumber than you look.”
Juno bit back a long-suffering sigh as he sunk back into the pillows propping him up. He didn’t want to have this conversation right now. Not on this little sleep, and definitely not with Vespa. “Yeah well, can you blame him?”
“Easily,” Vespa said, shoving her stethoscope into her pocket. “I know what I’m doing. But he refused to let me do my damn job.”
Juno rolled his eye, “Kind of like the way you trust him in a crisis, hey?”
“For good reason!” Vespa snapped. “He lied about his past with that asteroid. None of this would have happened if he’d just fessed up.”
“Did you even consider that he didn’t feel safe enough to tell you?” Juno pointed out. His fist curled in the blanket as he struggled to keep his cool. “The guy can’t tell you his favourite colour without you ripping him apart for discrepancies. Why would he share something that would make him vulnerable?”
“How can I trust him if he’s willing to hide something that important?” Vespa asked. “You nearly died Steel.”
“Oh, you mean like how Buddy told us about her heart?”
“That’s different.”
“How so?”
“Because I trust Buddy!” Vespa said. “Ransom’s too damn slippery.”
“And you don’t let him forget it!”
Juno winced at how loud he had snapped. His hand stilled in Nureyev’s hair, peering down at him. But thankfully he hadn’t stirred. Eyes closed and breathing still steady and even. Juno took a breath, forcing himself to calm down before he continued.
“It's almost like trust is a two-way street or something.”
Vespa’s eyes narrowed dangerously. Juno braced himself, certain she was about to rip him a new one for that comment. But whatever she was going to say, Vespa seemed to think better of it.
“How’s your head feeling?” She snapped instead, yanking a scope of the wall to peer in his eye.
“Fine,” Juno said, trying not to blink as the bright light made his eye water.
‘Steel.”
“Still hurts. Just like every other inch of me.” He admitted begrudgingly. “But I think it's getting better.”
“You think?” Vespa rolled her eyes. “Well, the antidote I synthesized seems to be doing its job. You should be out of here in the morning. But you’re off the roster for the rest of the week.”
“Hey, come on!
“At least.”
Her chair scraped against the tile as she stood. She grabbed her equipment, already half turned to put it all back on the shelf. But then she paused. Staring down at the bed with an expression Juno didn’t know what to do with.
“What?” He demanded, arms crossed across his chest. ‘Did you decide there was something else wrong with me? Or…”
He trailed off as he realized what had caught her attention. And he frowned. Nureyev had crammed his chair into the narrow gap between the wall and the bed. There was barely enough room for the chair. Let alone his long legs which were splayed awkwardly to the side. It couldn’t have been comfortable. But Juno hadn’t been able to dissuade him. The sappy bastard.
“I know, don’t move the furniture,” Juno said before Vespa could say anything more. His hand settled on Nureyev's shoulder. “He’ll move it back, alright? It's fine.”
“Did you ask him to do that?” Vespa demanded.
And it was so far left field of what he had expected her to say that Juno could only manage an unintelligible, “huh?”
Her lip curled. “Did you ask him to move his chair out of your blind spot?”
“Oh! Nah, that’s all him.” Juno said, unable to keep a smile off his face as he brushed his thumb along Nureyev’s shoulder. “He scared the crap out of me one night. Think he felt bad, cause he always sticks to my good side now. Even when he doesn’t have to.”
He expected Vespa to gag like she always did whenever they got sappy. But she didn’t say anything. Just continued to watch Nureyev with that same mysterious expression on her face. Somewhere between thoughtful and looking like she had swallowed a lemon.
“If you’re going to make fun of him for it.”
“Buddy doesn’t like people on her bad side either,” She said eventually. “The eye doesn’t focus great close up. Especially first thing in the morning. Didn’t even notice until she asked me to switch sides of the bed. Seems like the Thie… Ransom is quicker on the draw than I thought.”
Juno paused, unsure of what to do with this sudden shift in conversation. Suddenly terrified that he would ruin whatever was happening. “Look, I get he’s not an easy guy to…”
“Like? Live with? Tolerate?
“…Get to know,” Juno continued with a glare. “I know he keeps way too much to himself. But he’s good people if you actually give him a chance.”
Vespa scoffed. But she didn’t roll her eyes or interject. And Juno would take whatever victory he could get.
“Get some rest, idiot.” She said abruptly. “I’ll be back to check on you in the morning.”
The door hissed as she left. Juno sighed, dragging a hand down his face. Feeling for all the world like he had dodged a bullet from a gun he couldn’t see. He waited a moment. Until he heard Vespa’s heavy boots turn the corner.
“She’s gone.” He said, pushing at Nureyev’s shoulder. “You can stop pretending now.”
Nureyev’s brow furrowed. The only sign Juno had that he was actually awake. And then he sat up. Arms reaching high above his head as he stretched.
“Finally.” He said, twisting his neck from side to side. Juno winced as it cracked. “I'm not sure my poor spine could have handled lying like that for much longer.”
Juno laughed.
“Serves you right.” He said, shaking his head fondly. “How long were you awake for?”
“Hmmm?” Nureyev smiled mischievously. “Not too long, Detective Mine. Just in time to hear you defending my honour.”
“Yeah. Sorry about that.”
“Don’t be.” Nureyev leaned down, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “It was nice to know that a lady as lovely as yourself has my back.”
“Still. Couldn’t have been easy to hear Vespa go off like that.”
“Nothing I’m not used to by now,” Nureyev said as he pushed his hair back into some semblance of order. The way he said it, so effortlessly nonchalant, almost made Juno believe him. But he wasn’t so sure anymore.
It wasn’t like Juno hadn’t known how difficult Nureyev’s relationship with the rest of the crew was. Vespa especially.
But he hadn’t realized it was this bad. He had assumed, that it was just the normal hot tempers that came with being trapped in such a small space. Now, Juno couldn’t help but feel like an idiot. Like he had missed something that should have been glaringly obvious.
Maybe his little chat with Vespa had helped a little. But Juno doubted it would do much in the long run. Another fight like they’d had in Abagail’s headquarters, and they’d be back to square one.
“I hate to say it,” Juno said, biting the inside of his lip. “But I think Vespa might have had a point.”
“Oh?” Nureyev went rigid in his seat, face as imperious as stone. His chin high, shoulders straight as he leaned away from the bed. One leg crossing neatly over the other. “How so detective? Enlighten me.”
“Hey- don’t be like that.” Juno reached out, grabbing his hand. “I’m just saying, maybe it would help if you told the others… anything about the real you. Maybe they’d be less likely to think you’re going to betray them the second their backs are turned.”
“It's hardly that simple, Love,” Nureyev looked away, seeming to deflate in place. But he didn’t let go of Juno’s hand. “My name connects me to so many things. It's too risky.”
“I’m not saying you have to shout your name over the ship's PA,” Juno said. “But… they don’t know anything about you. There has to be something you could do. To show that you trust them.”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know… spend time in the common area when I’m not there maybe? Instead of hiding in your room. Or tell Jet about the food you like? Just give them something.”
“We both know that anything I tell them, they’ll use to try and figure out my identity.” Nureyev pointed out. So matter-of-fact that it was like talking to a brick wall. “It's not safe to let go of Ransom. Not yet.”
“Are you sure?” Juno pushed. “I think they’ve earned at least the benefit of the doubt.”
“You’ve grown so much, Love. I so admire the faith you’ve found in them.” He said, with a soft, bitter smile.“And I don’t want to take that from you. But we’ve hardly known them a year. How can you be so certain?”
“I appear to remember you asking me to trust you on less.”
“And you made me earn it.”
“Look, it's up to you.” Juno ran his thumb over the back of Nureyev’s hand. His palms were soft and smooth; free of the callouses of a hard-earned life. All thanks to the moisturizers and skincare products that lined their shared washroom. But his knuckles showed the truth, carrying all the knicks and the dents of a fighter. “But what happened today? That can’t happen again. I can’t be the only thing that ties you to this crew. Not if it all falls apart that quick.”
“Juno…”
“I’m just asking you to think about it, alright?” Juno said. “I love you- I just want you to be happy.”
“I am happy, Love. More than you'll ever know. But I’ll consider it.” Nureyev reached over, pressing the button to lower Juno’s bed back to horizontal. He reached for the blankets, tucking them neatly around his shoulders. “Now, get some rest for me? I’m going to update Ms. Rita on how you’re feeling.”
“Fine.”
Juno’s jaw cracked as he yawned. Suddenly so tired he barely had the energy to cover his mouth as he sank back into the pillows. He closed his eyes. Smiling at the cool press of Nureyev’s lips against his forehead.
“Sleep well, my dear.”
//-- Nureyev --//
Nureyev sat in that uncomfortable chair for a while longer.
It was only moments before Juno was deeply asleep. Where normally he would have tossed and turned for ages before passing out. Despite his brave face, it was clear his detective was not half as recovered from their ordeal as he should be. Cleared to be out of the medbay perhaps, if Vespa’s prognosis didn’t change by morning. But it would be a long time before he was back to his normal, grumbly self.
Nureyev leaned forward. fingers steepled against his chin as he braced his elbows on the armrest of his chair. He thought back to what Juno had said. He only wished it was that easy. He wanted nothing more than to stay. To find a home on this tiny ship. But real life was rarely so kind.
His comm buzzed in his pocket. And a chill ran down Nureyev’s spine. He closed his eyes. It was the third time it had rung since their frantic return to the carte blanche. The longest Nureyev had ever risked leaving it unanswered. But he couldn’t ignore it any longer.
He ran his hand along Juno’s cheek. The poor dear was so out of it, he didn’t so much as twitch. Delicate thing. Nureyev couldn’t lose him. He didn’t know what he would do if they ever found him.
He stepped from the room. Waiting until the door closed firmly behind him before he answered the call.
“Nureyev here.”