Kyle was staring up at a dirty ceiling. There were water stains, dirt, and cobwebs covering it. A dull ache in his gut kept him from sitting up. He thought he was lying on a bed or some pillows because there wasn’t the feeling of hard concrete under his back he’d come accustomed to in the past few weeks.
The past few weeks. Where he’d been traveling through the multiverse. And they’d just landed in a universe where the country they were in was in the middle of a civil war. There’d been a fight, and… and-
Kyle burst up, but quickly wished he hadn’t when pain ripped anew through his stomach. He doubled over, grabbing at his gut. He hissed out a breath, trying to breathe as deeply as he could.
“Rayner.” A familiar and unwelcome voice spoke far too close for Kyle’s liking. He resisted the urge the groan, both in pain and annoyance.
He looked up and was met with a glass of water in front of his face. He blinked, then hesitantly took it from Jason’s hand. As he drank, he took the opportunity to look at their surroundings.
They were in a dingy one-room apartment with boarded windows. It was clearly abandoned, and the only furniture left, aside from the counters and fridge, was a table, some chairs, and a mattress, that Kyle was lying on.
He wondered where they’d found the cup, but decided it was better not to ask. It looked clean enough anyways.
Bob and Donna weren’t there, which sent Kyle’s anxiety through the roof. “Where’re the others?” He asked.
“Following up on a lead about Palmer,” Jason said. He was standing a few feet to the side, looking… awkward. It was then that Kyle realized that for once, Jason didn’t have his domino mask on. His eyes were breath-taking. They were a teal blue, rimmed with bright green. At first glance, it just seemed like one color.
Kyle’s hand twitched, aching for a paintbrush. Those eyes, paired with long lashes and thick eyebrows and a strong nose, made him realize, Shit, this guy’s really attractive.
He’d known that, objectively - no one with a jawline like that could be ugly - but now he felt like he’d been smacked in the face with it.
“Rayner?” Jason asked, frowning. He stepped forward a bit. “You didn’t hit your head, did you?”
“I don’t remember,” He said, wondering how he’d been traveling with someone who looked like they jumped out of a renaissance painting for weeks and not noticed just how attractive that someone was. “What happened?”
“You got stabbed. You fainted… straight into my arms,” Jason said. His lips twitched up into a familiar smirk. “You know, if you wanted my attention you didn’t have to go to such extremes.”
Kyle felt himself blush, but rolled his eyes anyways. “I didn’t try to get stabbed on purpose,” He replied defensively.
Kyle glared. “How long was I out for?”
“Two hours. Maybe three.”
He sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. Man, he was still exhausted. “When will Donna and Bob be back? Did they say?”
Jason shrugged. He leaned back against the wall. “When they have something.”
Kyle considered that. Then he lay back down and closed his eyes. “Wake me up when they get back.”
There was a pause. “You’re just going to go back to sleep?”
“And… what? Let me stand guard?”
“Yeah.” Kyle blamed blood loss, exhaustion, and the emotional strain of this whole ordeal for what he said next, in the middle of a yawn. “I trust you.”
There was another, longer pause, and if he was more awake, he’d be kicking himself.
He was just drifting off when he heard Jason softly say, “Okay.”