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Nick groaned and rolled out of his bunk, spine cracking as he stretched his arms up over his head. He didn't need to check his watch to know it must have been about two in the morning. He pulled on a dusty pair of fatigue pants and shuffled into his boots. The camp they'd set up was dead quiet as he shuffled out into the chilly night air with nothing thicker than a cotton under-shirt to protect him. He thought about going back to get a jacket, but he just shrugged and stuffed his hands into his pockets instead.
There were a lot of incredibly shitty things about being out here, and Nick wasn't in the mood to list them. But sometimes, they were able to find hope and beauty in the mess around them. He looked up at the sky, entirely unfiltered and devoid of light or pollution. The stars were enough to make him dizzy. If there was one thing Nick would always carry with him, it was the bright unwavering ribbon of the Milky Way overhead.
He wandered aimlessly, relying on instincts and sharp hearing to keep him alert. The absolute silence of the desert was interrupted by the distinct click of a Zippo and the crackle of thin paper and dried leaves catching fire. He cast his eyes around, looking for the tell-tale glow, a familiar warmth settling in his chest.
Kelly was sitting on the ground, leaning against one of the armoured vehicles. He had the blunt in one hand, but he was spending more time staring at the stars than smoking it. Nick smiled, kicking gently at Kelly's booted foot.
"I still don't know why you fucking risk that here. Or how you manage to get your hands on it." Nick smirked as he lowered himself to the ground, his shoulder nudging Kelly's as he settled. Their bare arms brushed against each other, warming Nick's chilled skin.
Kelly grinned and shrugged, his eyes nearly silver in the moonlight.
"I'm a crafty asshole."
Nick nodded, leaning on Kelly's shoulder. The few inches difference in height should have made it uncomfortable, but somehow it never was.
"That you are. Now, you gonna share or you gonna be a greedy asshole too?" He nudged Kelly gently with his elbow, making him chuckle.
Kelly brought the joint up to Nick's lips; he closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, holding the smoke in his lungs for a moment before expelling it, a thin plume trailing up to the stars overhead.
They sat quietly, passing the blunt back and forth, and Nick felt his joints loosening in slow increments. Out here they never smoked enough to diminish their faculties, never smoked enough to really consider themselves stoned. It was just that after being on full alert for up to seventy-two hours straight, sometimes chasing sleep became impossible without their little routine. Nick was never entirely sure if it was the weed, or Kelly, or some combination of the two, but it was the only thing that kept him from going off the rails sometimes.
He tilted his head, studying Kelly's profile. The man was incredibly unassuming, with friendly but indistinct features aside from his incredible eyes. He was fit and muscular, but nowhere near as imposing as some of the other guys on the team. But God help anyone who underestimated their generally laid-back medic on the field. He was a force to be reckoned with all on his lonesome, and Nick was fairly certain Sidewinder would fall apart without Kelly's eternal patience and unflinching optimism, not to mention his medical skills.
Kelly cocked an eyebrow at Nick as he passed the joint over, as if silently asking what he was thinking about. Nick just shook his head and let Kelly bring it up to his lips. He felt the soft pads of Kelly's fingertips brushing his skin and it sent a jolt through him that he did his best to tamp down.
He inhaled slowly. Suddenly bold, whether due to proximity or the fuzzy, relaxed state brought on by the weed, Nick sat up and faced Kelly properly, the joint still pinched carefully between his lips. Kelly stared at him for a moment, eyes wide, before smirking and wrapping his own lips around the other end, carefully enclosing the cherry.
Kelly's eyes slid shut slowly as Nick exhaled, forcing smoke into his mouth. They were close enough that Nick could feel the heat coming off Kelly's lips, and he let his eyes flutter closed too, if only for a second. It was all too soon when Kelly pulled back, giggling quietly. Nick dug the fingers of his left hand into the rough canvas of his pants while he pulled the blunt away from his mouth.
"The fuck was that, Irish?" Kelly asked, grinning. His eyes sparkled in the dark as Nick passed the butt off to him.
Nick shrugged. He honestly didn't know what had come over him. Thankfully, Kelly didn't seem to mind one bit. As they reached the end of the joint, Nick stood fluidly and held his arm out to Kelly. Kelly gripped Nick's wrist tight as Nick tugged him to his feet.
"Think you can sleep now, Doc?"
"Probably, yeah. You?"
Nick took a moment to study Kelly's profile, highlighted by the bright stars above them. He amended his earlier thought; if there were two memories he'd always carry with him, it would be the Milky Way and these stolen moments with Kelly.
"Yeah, think I'm good."