*Wyl*

There was nothing but soft white light, and pleasure pricking his senses at every nerve ending, so much that it was nearly painful, like a limb waking up again after losing sensation, only this time it was his body waking up and he hadn't even realized it had been asleep.

Vaguely he heard a voice, heard his name, and although it was hard he drew himself out of the stupor that overwhelmed him. "Robbie..."

"You keep disappearing on me." Robbie's voice was husky, his breath warm.

"I'm sorry."

"It's all right. As long as you make it back. Are you okay?"

Wyl drew a deep breath into shuddering lungs. "I think so. That was...incredible."

"No pain, then?"

"What? No!" Had he been worrying about that, still? After that? "I don't think I'll be able to feel pain for awhile. Just bliss." Wyl tightened his legs around Robbie briefly and kissed him long and slow, their tongues playing back and forth. "You're too good to me."

"I doubt it." He pulled back out of Wyl, and Wyl suddenly felt a little desperate. He didn't want it to be over. Robbie stood up, but he pulled Wyl with him. "Come on, baby. We have time for a bath before we meet your ship."

Hot water filled the tub, and Wyl sank into it with a faint groan. It had been more than half a standard year since he'd had a real bath. It was almost as good as sex. Well, not quite. Not this sex. Robbie joined him and handed him the soap, and Wyl proceeded to scrub every bit of himself, then most of Robbie.

"Hell," Robbie laughed as he had to stop Wyl from soaping him into a ready position again, "It's good you're leaving. If you stayed you might kill me."

"It would be a murder-suicide," Wyl replied, but even so he let off, feeling that anxiousness creeping into him again.

He didn't want to leave. He didn't want to go back to frozen Hazard and damaged machines and Danica, fucking Danica. He didn't want to leave and give Robbie time to forget him. He felt cold inside just thinking about it.

They rinsed and got out. Robbie went over to his pull-out dresser and grabbed a fresh uniform. Wyl could feel the boundaries coming back up, the differences between them becoming too noticeable to ignore. He grabbed his pants off the bedroom floor, then went back out to the living room to get his shirt. It had been cleaned, but to him it still reeked like oil and dirt. He sighed and put the clothes on, followed by the shoes and socks he'd dropped by the door sometime yesterday, and sat on the back of the couch.

Damn it, damn it, damn it.

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Robbie walked into the living room, back in black, shaved and fresh and looking a little grim again. That didn't prevent him from looking absolutely dead sexy as well. He looked at Wyl. "Ready to leave?"

That's like asking if I'm ready to die! Like if I'm ready to cut my balls off and give them to Satan to snack on! No I'm not fucking ready to leave you! But all he said was, "Yeah."

Robbie must have sensed something was wrong, because his expression softened, and he came over to where Wyl was sitting and ran his hands downs Wyl's arms. Blue eyes caught the brown, and Wyl reluctantly looked up at him. There was something sweet in his gaze, and Wyl involuntarily wrapped his arms around Robbie's waist and pulled him in closer, pressing his cheek to his chest.

"We'll see what Doyle has to say. Then, who knows."

It wasn't exactly an invitation back, but under the circumstances Wyl was more than glad to get it. "Right." Robbie kissed his mouth once, fast and hard, before backing up and tugging him to his feet. They left his apartment and made their way back down the long halls to the docking bay.

There was the Wreck, with Vic already inside by the looks of things. Inspector Doyle was standing beside it with his trusty clipboard, and Wyl could see Robbie's friend Jane up in the control center.

"What's the word, Inspector?" Robbie asked briskly as they walked up.

"Well." Inspector Doyle cleared his throat. "Although the ship could be in better working order overall, the potential failure rate of any of the major components is less than point-one percent, which is within our regulations. However, the exterior is something of a hazard in and of itself, for several reasons. There are extraneous shield plates cracking and littering space with debris, and the gashes in said plates could pose a health risk for individuals having to load and unload the ship." He shrugged. "Regulations are a bit dim on those points."

Wyl was suddenly flooded by a wave of warmth. He knew how he could come back. He faced Robbie, heart pounding. "A deferral."

"What?"

"Give us a deferral. A set time period in which to complete the recommended repairs, at the end of which the ship returns to get reassessed." He grinned widely. "And I, as the ship's mechanic, would be required to return as well, so I could make any additional repairs to the vessel as you deemed fit. Or not."

A slow smile spread across Robbie's face. "Thank you for your efforts, Inspector. I'll finish up."

"Very well, Marshal Sinclair." Inspector Doyle nodded at both of them, then left.

"You realize this isn't about you," Robbie continued once they were alone. "It's for the good of the station and the well-being of those I'm responsible for that I'll have to insist you fix up the shield plates and return within the week. Both of you."

"Can I have that in writing, Marshal?" Wyl asked, almost laughing with relief. It wasn't the end, it wasn't the end, he would be back and happy and see Robbie again, and hold him, and do all those other things...mmm, other things.

"I'll send it ahead to your boss," Robbie replied. He held out a hand. Aware of the watching eyes, Wyl behaved himself and shook it. The contact was like a merging of flames, almost too hot for either man to handle. They let go, and Wyl sighed.

"The sooner I'm gone, the sooner I get back." He winked. "Bye, Marshal. Thanks for the grand tour."

"My pleasure." The honesty in Robbie's face and voice as he said it set Wyl's whole body humming with delight, and it was very hard to turn away, but necessity made him do it. He walked aboard the Wreck and pulled the hatch closed behind him.

"Come strap in, dammit," Vic yelled, already prepping the ship for takeoff. Wyl walked up front and sat down in the worn chair, pulling on the harness. He watched Robbie turn and slowly walk out of the bay. The pressure doors shut behind him, and behind the ship, more doors opened into space. They backed out of the docking bay, leaving behind the brightness of the lights, the warmth of other people and, Wyl was afraid, his heart. But he'd see Robbie again.

It was all he had to look forward to.