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Levi’s throat went tight. He wanted to say something very stupid. He always made fun of people who said that sort of shit after sex, addled by endorphins. But this didn’t feel like endorphins. This felt like something much more dangerous.

“Ben,” he began, voice cracking once again. “I⁠—”

Static came from the hallway.

Ben blinked hard, as if to clear his head. Levi started to tell him to ignore it. Then a voice followed the static. It was quiet and garbled, and Levi couldn’t make it out. But the panic in it made them both go still.

Another burst of static. Then two words, rapid and stressed: “Come now!”

The radio went silent. Ben swore and lifted Levi off him. Levi ignored the discomfort and the tangible sense of loss, trying to get his knees underneath him as Ben stumbled, naked, out of the bedroom.

“What is it?” Levi called, wiping his cheeks dry. “Is it the overnight guy? I told you he’d get snowed in! That snow is ridiculous!”

Ben didn’t reply. Levi heard him swear again as he bumped around the laundry room. Then Ben barked, “This is Bravo. Come in, Thing 2. I repeat, come in.”

Static was his only reply. Levi waited, getting tenser by the second as Ben repeated himself with increasing urgency. Levi climbed off the bed and started pulling on his clothes, forcing himself to ignore the gnawing sense of dread. Everything was going to be fine, even if this felt like the part of a horror movie where Levi would have to avert his eyes.

Ben came marching back into the room and yanked on his clothes.

“Is the overnight guy okay?” Levi asked, trying his best to sound casual and failing miserably.

“Not sure. I’m going to go check on him.” Ben pulled his jeans on, then headed out into the hall. Levi trailed after him, following Ben into his bedroom to find Ben sliding his rifle onto his back.

“Now?” Levi asked. “That snow is high as fuck. Can you even get there?”

“It’ll take longer, but yes.”

“Can I come?”

Ben turned to him, already frowning. “Fuck no.”

Levi’s face must have betrayed his anxiety, because Ben’s frown softened. He crowded into Levi’s space, pushing Levi’s hair off his forehead in a gesture so gentle Levi’s throat constricted again. He refused to cry. He already felt dumb for doing it during sex, but he wasn’t about to do it because he was scared. He wasn’t scared. He was just… worried. And tired. And impatient for this to be over so he could fall asleep in Ben’s arms.

“Go to the laundry room,” Ben said. “And lock the door. Do not come out unless I knock on the door.”

“How will I know it’s you?” Levi forced a playful tone. “We should come up with a password. How about let me in, and I’ll fuck you over the table? Nobody would guess that.”

Ben’s mouth twitched. But only for a moment.

“Go in the laundry,” he said. “I’ll see you soon.”

He headed for the front door, leaving Levi uncomforted and unkissed. Then he stopped and looked back expectantly.

Levi squashed the disappointment rising in him at the not-so-tender goodbye. Then he turned tail and walked into the laundry room, locking the door behind him and turning to face the washer, dryer, and shitty little table where the radio lived. It was still live, static crackling softly over the line.

Ben’s footsteps fell heavily against the hallway. Then the front door opened and closed, and the lock clicked in that door, too. Ben’s footsteps faded down the porch steps, and everything was silent.

Outside, the wind wailed.

Levi shivered. Then he sat down in the uncomfortable wooden chair to wait.

CHAPTER 17

Ben trudged through the snow, swearing louder with each step.

His jeans were soaked with snow. In the grand scheme of things, this didn’t matter. But Ben was always a wimp about getting wet. His army buddies used to tease him about it. Plus, it was easier to get annoyed about cold, wet jeans than give in to the panic threatening to overtake him. Or the dark woods surrounding him, lit only by his headlamp. Or the pain that intensified with each aching step.

The snow came up past his knees. Every step hurt. But Ben dragged himself forward until Thing 2’s hut came into view through the trees. There was faint music spilling out, that robotic crap Ben hated. What was it called? Levi had made fun of him for hating it.