Static and Sparks

I signal to my crew, pointing toward the sound. We move, fast and low, the beams of our flashlights cutting through the smoke. We find her in a closet, tiny thing, no more than five or six, curled into a ball and sobbing.

I scoop her up, tucking her against my chest as we backtrack, fast as we dare. The ceiling groans overhead, embers raining down like hellish snow. *Just a little further. Just a little further and we’re clear.*

We burst out into the hallway, and the cool air hits my face like a benediction. I pass the kid off to EMS, my hands shaking just a little as I pull off my mask. *She’s okay. She’s going to be okay.*

Back at the house, I’m scrubbing the stink of smoke out of my hair in the locker room when it hits me. The fear, the relief, the bone-deep exhaustion. My hands start to tremble, my breath hitching in my chest.

*No. No, not here. Not now.*

I clamp down on it, hard, but it’s too late. The cracks are already showing, the walls I’ve built crumbling around me. I need… I need somewhere quiet. Somewhere I can fall apart without anyone seeing.

I head for the storage closet at the end of the hall, the one nobody uses. I slip inside, closing the door behind me, leaning back against the cool metal. The dark is a relief, a blanket I can hide under.

I don’t know how long I’m in there before the door opens, light spilling in from the hallway. I flinch, my head jerking up, and there’s Leo, silhouetted in the doorway. *Fuck.*

“Jamie?” he says, his voice soft, careful. “You okay?”

*No. I’m really, really not okay.* I shake my head, my throat tight, the words lodged behind my teeth. *Don’t. Don’t break. Not in front of him.*

He steps inside, closing the door behind him, plunging us back into darkness. I can hear him moving closer, his footsteps quiet on the concrete floor. “Jamie,” he says again, and his voice is closer this time, right in front of me.

*He’s so close. Too close.*

“Talk to me,” he says, his hand coming to rest on my arm, warm and solid and real. “Please.”

*Don’t touch me. Please, don’t touch me. I’ll break. I’ll shatter.*

But it’s too late. The touch, the softness in his voice, the way he says my name like it’s something precious—it’s too much. The tears come hot and fast, choking me, shaking my shoulders. *Fuck. Fuck, I’m crying. I’m crying in front of Leo.*

“Hey,” he says, his arms coming around me, pulling me into his chest. “It’s okay. I’ve got you. You’re safe.” *He’s holding me. Leo is holding me.*

I bury my face in his neck, my fingers fisting in his shirt. He’s warm and strong and he smells like safety, like home. *I want to stay here forever. I want to never let go.*

We stand like that for a long moment, him holding me together while I fall apart. When the tears finally slow, when my breathing evens out, I don’t pull away. I just… lean. Let him hold me up.

“Sorry,” I mumble against his skin, my voice rough. “Didn’t mean to—”

“Don’t,” he cuts me off, his arms tightening just a little. “Don’t you dare apologize.”

I nod, my throat still tight. We’re quiet for a beat, the silence settling around us like dust.

Then, “I’m scared, Leo,” I whisper, the words slipping out before I can call them back. *Oh god. Oh fuck. I said it. I really said it.*

His hand comes up to cradle the back of my neck, his thumb stroking over the short hairs there. “I know,” he says, just as soft. “I know, baby. But you’re not alone. Okay? I’m right here.”

*Baby. He called me baby.* Something warm and bright unfurls in my chest at the endearment, chasing away some of the fear, the cold.

I pull back just enough to look at him, to see his face in the dim light filtering under the door. His eyes are soft, his expression open, tender. *He’s so beautiful. So fucking beautiful it hurts.*

“Leo,” I breathe, and then I’m kissing him.

It’s clumsy, desperate, my lips crashing into his with none of my usual finesse. But he kisses me back just as hard, his arms banding tight around my waist, his tongue slipping into my mouth to tangle with mine. *Yes. God yes.*

He tastes like coffee and toothpaste and something uniquely Leo, something I’ve been craving for months without knowing it. I groan into his mouth, my hands sliding up his back to tangle in his hair, tugging just a little. *More. I need more.*

We stumble back until he hits the shelf behind him, something clattering to the floor. We ignore it, too busy mapping each other’s mouths, learning the contours of each other’s bodies. His hands are everywhere, skimming down my sides, gripping my hips, pulling me flush against him. *I can feel how hard he is. How hard he is for me.*

*Jesus. This is really happening. I’m really kissing Leo. And it’s perfect. It’s everything.*

We’re lost in it, in the heat and the press of skin, in the slick slide of tongue against tongue. The world narrows down to this, to him, to the way he feels against me, around me.

And then—

*Knock knock knock.*

We fly apart like we’ve been burned, both of us breathing hard. My heart is a trapped bird in my ribs, flinging itself against the bars of its cage. *Fuck. Oh fuck. Did they hear? Did they—*

“Jamie?” a voice calls through the door—Daniels, the fucking rookie. “You in there? Cap’s looking for you.”

*Shit. Shit shit shit.* I look at Leo, wide-eyed, my throat so tight I can barely breathe. *This is it. This is how it ends. How we end.*

But Leo just squeezes my arm, his expression calm, steady. “It’s okay,” he mouths, and somehow, I believe him. *It’s okay. We’re okay.*

“Uh, yeah,” I call back, my voice only a little strained. “Be out in a sec.”

Daniels’ footsteps fade away down the hall, and I sag back against the shelf, my head dropping to Leo’s shoulder. *That was too close. Way too fucking close.*

“We gotta be more careful,” I mutter, my lips brushing the skin of his neck. *But I don’t want to be careful. I want to kiss him again. I want to never stop kissing him.*

“We will be,” Leo says, his hand coming up to cradle my jaw, his thumb swiping over my kiss-swollen lips. “But Jamie—”

I pull back, my gut clenching. *Here it comes. The ‘this was a mistake’ speech. The ‘we can’t do this again.’* “Yeah?”

He smiles, soft and a little shy. “I really want to do that again.”

*Oh.* A surprised laugh bursts out of me, loud in the quiet of the closet. “Yeah,” I say, my own smile tugging at the corner of my mouth. “Me too.”

He leans in, brushing a quick, chaste kiss over my lips before pulling away. “Later,” he says, his voice full of promise. “When we’re not in a supply closet.”

*Later.* I like the sound of that.

“Later,” I echo, and the word feels like a promise, like a lifeline. I let my fingers tangle with his, just for a second, before I make myself pull away. *Not here. Not now.* “Come on,” I say, my voice still a little rough around the edges. “Let’s get out of this closet before we give Daniels an even bigger story to tell.”

Jamie huffs out a laugh, the sound surprised, like he’s not used to making that noise. *You’ll get used to it, baby. I’ll make sure of it.* “Yeah, okay.”

We slip out of the closet one at a time, me first, Jamie a few seconds later. I head for the break room, needing coffee like I need my next breath. I’m pouring a cup when Jamie appears in the doorway, his shoulders still a little tense, his eyes wary.

*He’s spooked. And who could blame him?* That was a close call, too close, and I can practically see the wheels turning in his head, the fear creeping in. *Don’t you dare shut down on me now, Jamie. Not after that.*

“Coffee?” I ask, holding up the pot.

He nods, crossing to the counter and taking the mug I offer him. “Thanks.”

We stand there in silence for a beat, the air between us thick with everything we didn’t say in that closet. *Okay, it’s now or never.* I take a deep breath, steeling myself. “Jamie,” I start, but he’s already talking over me.

“Leo, I—”

We both stop, the words tangling together. *Nervous, huh? Both of us.* The thought shouldn’t be as comforting as it is. *At least I’m not alone in this.* “You first,” I say, nodding at him.