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It had been a long and anger-inducing few days of running around some planet to find a relic that Jet had found out about and proposed to Buddy to take. At least it was for a cause, Juno thought, as it was a dangerous thing that could definitely hurt people if used incorrectly. But still… The three days they’d been chasing the relic down were undoubtedly exhausting.
It was a five-person mission. Buddy Aurinko, Vespa Ilkay, Rita, Juno Steel, and Jet Siquliak. Vespa for “acts of persuasion” via weapons, Jet and Juno for distractions, “and also violence if necessary” as Buddy put it much to Jet’s unamusement, Rita for system hacking, and Buddy to keep everyone in line while she actually stole the relic. This left two of them back at the Carte Blanche: The Ruby 7 and Peter Ransom. Peter Nureyev.
The Ruby 7 was content with it, apparently. It whistled in relaxation as Buddy told it to stay in the garage. It seemed to take the day off as a time to relax, however it would as a car.
Nureyev was also fine with staying back on the ship. “I understand there’s no more jobs to be fulfilled in the mission,” he told Juno before they had left. “Out of the three of us; you, me, and Siquliak, I’m not the best at distraction compared to you two or persuasion like Vespa. I can’t hack a computer like Rita or lead my family to victory like Captain Aurinko.”
Juno still felt conflicted. “Are you sure you’re gonna be okay when we’re gone?”
Nureyev rolled his eyes. “I’m not a child, Juno. I know how to rely on myself. Besides, you will only be gone a few hours. I can wait.”
Now, with the mission finally finished, Juno felt that conversation churn in his stomach sickly. What was supposed to be “a few hours” turned into three days. They hadn’t been prepared for the type of security they'd encounter and had to spend much longer planning a new route. A longer route, without communication. He’d never been happier to see the Carte Blanche in his life.
They all stepped inside, Rita’s tiny feet struggling to keep up with Jet’s large steps as she talked about the mission. Juno was too disoriented to bother making out her nasally little voice, but he managed to hear “I seriously thought we were gonna die right then!” about five times.
Juno’s mind was only on two things: Peter Nureyev, and sleep. Mostly sleep. Though he decided he should check on Nureyev before laying down for the night. He walked over to Nureyev’s room labelled RANSOM on a metal name tag which was slid into a clear pocket on the door, and opened it.
“Nureyev,” he greeted quietly, making sure the others couldn’t hear the man’s name. He didn’t hear an answer. Juno lifted himself up slightly more and said again, “Nureyev?” This time the name being more of a question. He got worried when he still heard no answer. All desire for sleep washed away in an instant and he ran into the man’s room instead of just standing in his doorway. “Nureyev?!”
Juno instantly began to spiral as soon as that familiar smell of cologne hit his nose. Had Nureyev run away with the Ruby 7 to go looking for them? He wasn’t that stupid, was he? Had Nureyev gotten sick of the Carte Blanche and just left? Left without saying goodbye? Had he finally gotten tired of Juno?
Juno turned his heel and sprinted out of the room. He ran to Buddy and Jet who were in the kitchen. His hands slammed down on the kitchen island. His eyes were bagged from the mission but his eyes were filled with pure fear.
“Have either of you seen Ransom?!” he asked, more like a demand.
“I have not,” Jet replied, and turned to face Juno fully. Buddy looked left and right as if the thief was hiding behind a corner and then shook her head with a small hum.
Those reactions scared Juno. He growled and shook his head. “Are neither of you worried right now? Does he really mean so little to you? Because he means the goddamn galaxy to me and I’m not resting until–”
“Juno,” Buddy chimed in, silencing him with the raise of her palm. “Where have you looked?”
Juno put a hand on his head in stress before answering. “His- his room, the halls… and right here.”
“And where have you not looked?”
Juno paused for a bit and sighed deeply, chewing the inside of his cheek. “Everywhere else,” he shamefully replied. “Fine. Fine, I’ll… look around. I’m sorry I yelled at you guys.”
Buddy smiled for a brief moment and inhaled. “Please don’t be sorry, darling. That mission took a toll on you and it shows. Go find Ransom and go get some rest.”
“Buddy’s right,” Jet replied. His expression was as unreadable as always but Juno could somehow tell he was a little concerned. “Sleep is the best medicine for you right now. Metaphorically speaking, that is, as sleep is not a medicine. However if you do require medicine there is Belsomra in my room on the shelf.”
Juno nodded and squinted. “Sure. Yeah. Thanks, big guy.” He turned and left the kitchen silently afterwards.
God, sleep did sound amazing at that moment. To be able to rest with the lights off under a blanket snuggled to his chest. The thought made him unconsciously begin a faster walk towards his own room as he craved it more and more after three restless days of running. The anxiety of where Nureyev could be still sat deep in his stomach though, and that kept him awake long enough to actually enter the room. And that’s when the knot of anxiety unwinded and forced a short breath out of Juno he didn’t know he was holding.
In his bed lay Peter Nureyev. A pillow was hugged to his body. He cuddled it the same way he always cuddled Juno; close to his chest, one arm above the pillow and one across the middle of it with his head pressed to its side. The sound of the sliding metal door seemed to wake him and his head lifted to make eye contact with Juno. Both of their eyes widened with the same amount of relief and adoration for the other.
“Hey, Nureyev,” Juno spoke softly. He couldn’t stop the smile that came to his face. “It’s been a while.”
Nureyev let out a breathy laugh at the little inside joke and stuck his arms out for Juno to embrace him. “You don’t know the half of it.”
Juno ran into Nureyev’s arms and let the man embrace him as tight as he wanted. Nureyev did the same thing. Hugging Nureyev felt amazing and it really was a feeling like nothing else.
“You weren’t in your room,” Juno said, sounding a bit desperate. “I thought you’d run away. Way to give a lady a goddamn heart attack.”
“And you were gone for three days when you were only supposed to be gone for the evening.” Nureyev sounded upset, but not at Juno. Never at Juno. “I thought you’d died. You aren’t hurt, are you?”
“No. I’m okay. A little scuffed at the knees and elbows, but what do you expect?” Juno rubbed his alleged wounds as Nureyev nodded in reply. There was still concern in his eyes, and Juno cocked his head to the side. “Why are you in my room? Wouldn’t yours be more comfortable?”
Nureyev shook his head softly. “No. I tried sleeping in my room but I couldn’t get a wink of sleep. I just kept thinking about you – I was so worried you had gotten hurt. And everyone else, of course. I guess it just felt appropriate to sleep here instead.”
Juno’s eye softened. He looked down at his rough hands. The words that Nureyev was saying made him feel safe, and when you’re floating in the vastness of space for a year, that’s a feeling valuable enough to savor forever. He leaned forward and pressed his head against Nureyev’s shoulder. In reply, Nureyev pulled Juno against him once again, this time pulling him onto the bed. His hand went to the side of Juno’s neck and he immediately winced at the contact.
“Good grief, detective. You’re freezing.”
“Yeah, well… I was just on a freezing planet for three days straight. Somehow no snow, but damn.” Juno rubbed his hands together and hugged Nureyev again. He enjoyed the warmth of the contact. Nureyev would have pulled away again if it weren’t for how worried he was about Juno. How much he missed him. How much he loved him and cared for him and just wanted to be around him after three whole days of pure worry.
His warm hands went to Juno’s cold cheeks and traced little shapes on his skin. He didn’t care how cold he was anymore. Juno felt relaxation and exhaustion hit him all at once in that moment as he sank into Nureyev’s gentle touch. Nureyev smiled, showing off his sharp canines, and leaned down in order to leave kisses on Juno’s head.
“You scared me out of my skin when I didn’t see you in your room,” Juno whispered tiredly.
“Oh, quiet. You’re home now.” Nureyev ran his hands over Juno’s loc knots. “Just get some rest. I’ll be here beside you, yes?”
Juno let out a tiny noise of contentment and nuzzled into Nureyev’s chest. His arms wrapped tighter around the thief’s torso. Nureyev helped slide off Juno’s trenchcoat to ensure the utmost comfort. Juno appreciated that, but nothing was said.
It was nice there – laying in silence. The darkness of the room definitely helped. Juno’s small orange lamp was the only thing illuminating the area around them. He had remembered Juno saying how much it helped him relax. Nureyev had eventually grown to enjoy it as well. He caught himself staring at it for a while. He remembered seeing that lamp the night he had first visited Juno’s apartment. The same day they kissed for the first time, and the same day they were… separated. The first time of many and more to come. That worried him. He wanted to say all of this to Juno, but he didn’t. It wasn’t like he could. Juno was already fast asleep, poor thing, and most likely wouldn’t be up until day.
Nureyev settled into the pillows as well. He figured he should also get some stress-free rest if he was going to be stable enough for tomorrow. But just before he began to close his eyes, he heard the metal door open and saw Buddy walk in.
“Juno?” she began, then paused and immediately lowered her voice to a whisper when she saw Nureyev and the sleeping detective in his arms. “Oh – Pete. You’re safe. Juno was up to his teeth in worry trying to find you and it began to rub off on me a little.”
Nureyev chuckled and relaxed upon seeing the familiar face. At the sound of someone walking in, Juno made a tiny sound like he was about to wake, and Nureyev rubbed his back while softly shushing him until he slept again. The thief’s eyes then drew to Buddy again and he smiled.
“He told me,” he whispered. “I’m glad you’re alright, Captain Aurinko. Come, come! Sit down.” He gestured to the stool beside the nightstand. Buddy gladly walked inside and made sure the door closed behind her before she pulled out the stool and sat.
“Jet is making dinner right now. I’ll be sure to have him make extra for you two so you can reheat it in the morning.” Buddy’s eyes were soft and tired.
“Tell him that Juno and I both thank him immensely. And… What about you? You should be exhausted as hell after that mission.” Nureyev’s head turned to face Buddy. Her face was lit well by the orange lamp. It made her look fair.
“I am. I must be. I originally came in to assure Juno that we’d find you while he slept. But now that you’re here, I guess I can tell you a bit more about what took us so long.” She sighed. “The planet we visited for the relic was cold as ice and packed from sky to gravel with security. We realized that Rita’s computer comms alone weren’t enough to shut it all down, even temporarily, so we all gave her the power from each of our own comms which completely cut any form of communication we had with you or the Ruby 7. Or anyone else for that matter.” Buddy leaned back in the stool and stared at the dark ceiling. “We also had no supply of food since we had only been prepared to be there for seven hours at most. Well, unless you count the salmon puffs in Rita’s backpack, but even Jet grimaced when he put one of those in his mouth, so we mostly stayed away from them. We did manage to steal a bit of food but it obviously wasn’t more than maybe two apples and a small box of baby tomatoes. Juno and Vespa tried to cannibalize each other on multiple occasions – even when they weren’t hungry.”
Nureyev snorted and let out a small laugh at the remark. “I wish I could have been there to see that.”
“Me too,” Buddy replied, laughing as well. Her eyes drew down to the sleeping Juno in Nureyev’s arms and she smiled. Her eyes softened for the first time in at least a few days. “Well. Look at the little lady,” she hummed. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so relaxed. I can always tell he’s ready to jump out of his skin when he’s awake, but not now. I can tell you make him feel very safe, Pete.”
Nureyev’s cheeks burned softly as he watched Juno in his arms as if the sleeping detective was the most interesting thing he’d ever seen. He smiled. “Don’t flatter me, Captain. He’s just tired. He doesn’t trust me nearly as much as you say he does. He just…” Nureyev trailed off. He leaned against the fabric headboard. “...Well, I don’t want to speak for him. But I know that I love him.”
Buddy scrunched her nose a bit. “What, you think he doesn’t love you? That he doesn’t trust you? That’s complete nonsense, Pete. He trusts you more than anyone here. Besides Rita, but he’s known her for over twenty years. And with her he doesn’t stay up for hours just talking or venting about his day. The fact that he trusts you enough to do that is precious. He loves you. Trust me, he loves you. More than you will ever know.”
Nureyev could have cried. He didn’t, obviously, but he felt immense joy hearing Buddy of all people say that. He knew that she was sure what she was saying was true – hell, she had earned Vespa’s trust. The Unnatural Disaster’s trust. Rita and Juno and even his own trust. He knew she was right.
“Thank you, Captain.” He chewed the inside of his cheek. “I just worry. We know each other more personally than anyone here, but still, he’s a very distrusting person. And it doesn’t help that one of the first things I did when we met was betray him and leave.”
Buddy laughed. “You’re a thief, Pete. And besides, look at him now. He willingly fell asleep beside you. Take care of that love. You never know who else is gonna receive it and give it to you like he does.”
Nureyev sighed deeply. He sank into the pillows and thought about her words. He didn’t want anyone else to love him like Juno does. Juno was the kind of person to love you overtime and show it in gentle ways despite having violent tendencies and that was something very special to him. That made him think of Slip Jackson. The one he promised to keep alive — to love forever. That made him frown. He felt conflicted and it showed on his face. Buddy raised an eyebrow.
“You’ve had a stressful few days,” she told Nureyev as if he hadn’t noticed before. She stood up, pushed in the stool, and made her way to the door.
“I have.” He reached for the orange lamp but he didn’t turn it off. He gave Buddy a short glance of trust. “And so have you. Get some sleep, Captain Aurinko. You know where to find me.”
“Of course. Yes – of course. Goodnight, Ransom. Thanks for the chat.” She nodded. The door opened behind her and she was gone like clockwork.
Nureyev still took a while to shut off the lamp. His eyes directed to Juno. The light made his dark skin look gorgeous even while he slept with heavy bags under his eyes. Juno always looked beautiful, Nureyev concluded, but figured that was much too sappy to ever actually tell him out loud. He was alright with just resting in silence for a while and hopefully getting some more sleep.