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Chapter Text

The first time it happens Maxwell is barely aware of it.  She’s laying on the couch, just coming out of a deep groggy sleep but acutely aware of two things:

1. She’s freezing cold.
2. They’re having sex in the bed.

There’s the unmistakable sound of skin on skin, the rustle of the sheets, and soft breathy whines that sounded as loud as gunshots to her.

Maxwell glanced over at the bed out of curiosity, not seeing anything other than darkness.  The moonlight coming in through the motel window only cast a glow on the couch where they had dumped her.

Kepler had given her something, a pill?  The sharp pain in her ribs reminded her why.  The mission had gone well except for the part where she got separated and fell down a staircase when the building rocked from whatever hell Jacobi had unleashed.

Maybe he was being punished now.

Or… rewarded?

“Quiet down” she heard Kepler's unmistakable whisper, thick and rich with pleasure, “you’ll wake her up” his words were punctuated by him doing something that made it impossible for Jacobi to keep from making a shuddering moan.

Her head felt foggy but her heart thumped heavy in her chest, blush spreading across her face at the mention of her.  

She didn’t know they did this sort of thing.

(Do I just lay here?)   She wondered, suppressing a shiver.  The vinyl couch was sucking all the warmth from her and the large window beside her was radiating a chill.  The shiver she was suppressing was surely going to be her undoing if the pain in her ribs was anything to go by.  ( How long does this take? )

 She had never- well, there had always been better things to do.

But she was going to seriously freeze to death if she stayed on the couch a second longer.  Getting up, she kept a hand pressed to her side as if to keep the pain from spilling out.  It only helped a little.

(Should I say something?)   It’s not like they didn’t know she was in the room, they could have gone literally anywhere else on the planet if they were worried about her finding out.

Maxwell got all the way to the foot of the bed before they froze, noticing her.

“I just-” she stammered, grabbing the decorative blanket off the end of the bed, “it’s cold”

No one said anything for a moment and she had never been so glad that her eyes hadn’t adjusted to the darkness.  Awkwardly, she tugged the extra blanket off and turned around, going back to the couch and laying down on her side, facing away from them even though it meant pressing her nose against the cushion.

It was still cold but now her skin was crawling with nerves.

(Did I ruin everything?)   She didn’t know why that thought made her nervous.  Truly, she didn’t mean to interrupt.

Maxwell willed herself to stop listening but the radiator simply wasn’t loud enough to drown out the muffled words they spoke, or the sound of lips meeting.

It was almost a relief that they continued where they left off and for the life of her she couldn’t understand that emotion.

(Fall asleep.  Fall asleep.  Fall asleep. )

She was wide awake, listening intently as they finished.  Only sure that it was over when Jacobi got up to go to the bathroom, recognizable by the way he cursed under his breath when he kicked the bedside table by accident.  Blind as a bat without his glasses.

Maxwell lay still as a corpse as she heard Kepler get up a moment later, slow and deliberate in every step.  She kept pretending to be asleep as he walked over to her, making the anticipation twist like a knife in her gut.

(This is the part where he smothers me.)

He draped the heavier blanket from the bed over her, leaning down so as to even tuck it around her.

She was doing a piss poor job of pretending to be asleep.

Kepler's breath was hot against her ear.  Almost a relief against the cold.

Almost, but not quite.

“Goodnight, Alana”

2 .

They don’t talk about it.

Of course they don’t.

Maxwell sat criss-cross in the back seat of the car as they drove through endless sheets of rain, staring at them from above her laptop.  The newfound knowledge that her only two coworkers were sleeping with each other stood at the forefront of her mind, blocking out any other thought.

They didn’t seem like a couple, but she couldn’t read the situation to save her life.  The only thing truly obvious was that it was in no way their first time together.

(What am I missing here?) She wondered, watching as Kepler drummed his fingers rhythmically against the steering wheel, listening to Jacobi rattle on about something boring with rockets.  He’s talking with his hands, excitedly describing something, flicking his head back and forth between Kepler and the imaginary thing in his lap.

Kepler hesitated, letting his finger stall for a minute as he pondered something.  He turned to Jacobi, interested.

“Thirty thousand?”  He questioned.

“Yeah” Jacobi nodded, eyes wide, “Thirty thousand a second ”

“Holy shit” Kepler grinned, turning back to the road and picking right back up into the rhythm-

“Oh, it’s a song,” Maxwell said out loud by accident.  His idle habit suddenly becoming obvious.

Kepler looked at her in the rearview mirror, eyes boring straight through her as if trying to read her mind.

“Sure” he agreed, sort of.  Jacobi was very literally holding his breath, waiting to talk again.

“What song is it?” She cut in before he took his chance.

“Would you like to guess?” Kepler grinned.  “We can make it a game”

“God, kill me” Jacobi groaned, pressing his palms over his eyes, “Don’t do it, Alana.  Please don’t do it”

Goodnight, Alana .

Her cheeks suddenly burned, a shiver running down her spine.  She looked at her laptop with urgent interest.

“No thank you.  I’ll just-” and she let the sound of her typing finish her sentence instead.  Ever aware of Kepler watching her in the mirror.

Chapter Text

3.

Maxwell was beginning to get sick and tired of all this cold weather bullshit.

“I would like to formally request that our next assignment is south of the equator and north of Antarctica” her teeth chattered as Jacobi helped her unzip her coat, her fingers too frozen to get the job done.

Kepler was pulling the door of the hunting cabin shut against the pounding wind, rattling the windows with the force it took to finally get it in the lock.

“I’ll take it into consideration,” Kepler laughed, kicking the snow off his boots.  He peered out the window once more before pulling the curtain shut.  “Well this storm really tore a hole in our plans.  Not much we can do till tomorrow” he sounded uncharacteristically happy about it.  Probably because the mission was just a boring facility inspection that involved talking to boring people and listening to them come up with reasons why they needed more money.

Maxwell and Jacobi were only here in case Kepler decided that the program needed to be scrapped.

Why he decided that they all needed to observe the facility for several days in advance from the goddamn forest during a fucking snowfront was a question she still didn’t have an answer for other than that Kepler liked having company to talk at.

(Just bring Jacobi then, leave me out of it).   She thought, feeling a little guilty at wishing it on him as he was actively helping her out of her gloves.  Jacobi cupped her hands in his, bringing them to his mouth and breathing warmth onto them.

Maxwell blinked, words stuck in her throat.  It was so… intimate.  Intimate, but nice.  Or nice because it was intimate?

“Thank you” she muttered, tongue feeling thick, unable to look at him and staring at her freezing feet instead.  Not for the first time she wished that she had the words to tell him just how much those small loving acts that made her fall apart.  

“I think you legitimately have hypothermia” Jacobi remarked, dropping her hands to pull her bottom lip down a touch.  “Yeah, you’re breathing fast and everything.  Try standing on one leg”

“I-I’m fine” she stammered, holding onto Jacobi’s arm as she tried and failed to keep her balance even briefly.

“Ah, yup,” Jacobi laughed, unconcerned.  “Hey boss, Maxwell has hypothermia” he called over his shoulder to Kepler who had moved over into the other room and lit up the wood stove.

“Really?  That fast?  We were barely out there” Kepler laughed, rooting around through some cupboards, equally unbothered.  A moment later he came out with the saddest looking granola bar, sticking it at her.  “Eat this, you need sugar”

“I hate granola,” she whispered, feeling ornery.  Jacobi took it from him and unwrapped it for her, holding it up to her mouth so she could tear off a bite.

“Let’s put you in bed”

She did feel a bit better after choking down the musty bar and allowing Jacobi to help her with the layers.

“You got wet is the problem” he sighed, turning around while she haphazardly pulled on a dry T-shirt and shorts.  “You need a base layer that isn’t going to make you sweat and stick to you.  I’ll take you to a good outdoors store when we get back”

Maxwell crawled under the covers, willing them to warm up faster.  (Just ask him to get in .)

“Hey, would y-” but Kepler came back into the main room instead and started talking to him.  The request died in her throat as their boss stole her friend's attention.

There was one bed to the studio like setup, the kitchen was only sectioned off for the smoke ventilation but she hardly called it sectioned.  The whole thing screamed “not meant for three people.”  Kepler would no doubt want them to get moving as soon as they had visibility.

The thought of hiking through all that newly piled high snow made her doze off.  She only awoke when Kepler lit a lantern, setting it on the table between the two of them as Jacobi shuffled a deck of cards.  A new comfortable look had settled on Kepler's face, as though he had switched off for the day.

Jacobi, as always when it was just the two of them, looked delighted.

(Are they in love?)   She kept her eyes half shut, determined to be better at faking sleep this time.  (Maybe Daniel is, but surely not Kepler.)

But how could you tell?

What did it even look like?

Jacobi didn’t take Kepler's hands and breathe on them, he didn’t leave little treats on his desk or even call him by his first name, ever .

Those were only things he did with her.  And he wasn’t in love with her.

If it’s just about sex than anyone, anyone , else on the planet would be a better option than having a secret fling with your boss.  Did that mean it was about convenience?

Kepler was great at cards.  It was hard for even Maxwell to beat him.  But Jacobi never seemed to mind losing, focusing on small wins and taking big risks.  Every time something didn’t go his way Kepler would hiss or bite his lip, brow furrowed.  That was winning to Jacobi, she could see it on his face.

At one point Kepler kicked him under the table and there was a brief flash of something between them, nothing actually said out loud but held in the air between them.

“Really chose the world's smallest hideaway” Jacobi chuckled sorely.

“It’s just us,” Kepler shrugged, as if that was a perfectly reasonable answer.  Jacobi looked puzzled.  “She’s curious” and as if on cue Kepler turned and looked straight at her.  She snapped her eyes shut but failed to be fast enough.  She didn’t need to see him to know he was grinning devilishly.

As if to make a point, Kepler made them finish the hand before blowing out the lantern.

Jacobi crawled over her to get into bed but Kepler at least had the decency to go around and climb over the foot of the bed, taking the spot by the wall.

Kepler reached across him to put his hand on Maxwell's shoulder, solid and warm.  Her heart flipped in her chest at the touch.

“Do you mind?” His voice was low, full of insinuation.  It wasn’t hard to guess what he meant when he used that tone of voice, even for her.  Her shoulder burned under his hand, stealing her breath away like a flame in a small space.  She seriously considered it for a moment.  Watching them the first time hadn’t really upset her.  It confused her for sure, but she wasn’t uncomfortable.  

“As long as it generates heat it’s fine.”  Kepler laughed and gave her shoulder a squeeze before putting his hands on Jacobi instead.

Jacobi seemed to be employing the exact same tactic as her which was just simply trying to pretend the other didn’t exist.  He didn’t put up a single protest though.

Kepler didn’t seem to care in the slightest.

They didn’t have sex like she thought they would.  Kepler seemed interested in jerking the both of them off at the same time, kissing Jacobi till he couldn’t breathe and then biting at his neck and chest.  

“Ah- just like that”

Jacobi dragged his nails over his back and got Kepler to drop his head into the crook of his neck, reaching orgasm just shortly before the other.

She wondered if they cared about who was first.  She had heard that guys cared about that kind of thing.

What surprised her the most was the sound of them kissing after the fact, almost unwilling to let the moment end.  Dragging it out as long as possible.

Holding onto it.

(Why not just date then?)   The thought sounded more bitter than she meant it.  But really, if they were having sex because they liked each other, why not just be normal about it?

Questions began to consume her as though she was playing a solo Questions Only game without any end in sight.

She sighed out loud, stealing the covers just a little to spite Kepler.  She could hear him chuckle from the opposite side of the bed.

At least things had become just a little warmer.

Chapter Text

4 .

Maxwell shifted uneasily on her feet, trying to curb the habit to lean onto one leg “like an American” as Kepler had put it.  He had made it explicitly clear that if they wanted to go actively undercover instead of hiding in the safe house, then they were going to meet his standards or face the consequences.

(Scotland sounded like so much fun) she thought wistfully, staring out at the expanse of- rain.  Nothing but rain.  Rainy rainy wet wet rain.

They kept finding themselves in cold, wet places.  Maxwell had put a brochure for Belize on Kepler's desk as an incentive but only found a brochure for Scotland sitting on her desk in return.  She thought it had been a joke.  It certainly felt like one was being played upon her now.

Beside her, Kepler stood close with an umbrella in hand, covering the both of them as the sky opened its floodgates.

It drummed so loud that it even drowned out the silence between them, leaving her more comfortable with her boss than she had any right to be while huddled at his side.

They were waiting on Jacobi of course.  Just the two of them at a completely empty train platform.  Probably the only one in Scotland with no covered area.

From the corner of her eye she could see Kepler's finger tapping on the umbrella handle, the only part of him giving away how bored he was as well.

Her eyes focused on the movements, racing to decode it.  One handed, no- left handed .  A guitar perhaps.  D-G-B-E no, this was impossible by only seeing the left hand.  She had no idea how to tell what song he was playing to himself.

Leaning forward just a tad onto her toes, she glanced around him as if looking at the train tracks, trying to see if his right hand was moving.

“Having fun?” He asked, immediately catching on to what she was doing.

Maxwell pinched her lips together, slowly leaning back to stand up straight.  He was watching her now, amused.  

“What song are you playing?”

“You wouldn’t know it”

“I don’t live under a rock.  I listened to Nirvana… twice.”  She blinked at him innocently, “is it Nirvana?  If I guess right you’re obligated to tell me”

Kepler let out a pretentious little laugh, shaking his head.  Clearly he had opinions but was sparing her from hearing his take on things.

“Does Jacobi know it?”

“No” he buffered for a moment then let himself relax just an imperceivable amount, completely invisible unless you were a trained Kepler observer.  “It’s a song I wrote when I was in a band.  It was the only good one if I’m being honest”

( When did you have time to be in a band? )

“What kind of song was it?  Did it have words?”  She was so curious it made her toes curl in her stupid pointy heels.

“Ah, it was just a love song.  I didn’t come up with anything special with the words really, but the opening riff was probably my best work.”  He looked… happy .  Staring through the rain like TV static into some distant memory.  She wished she could see inside his head the way he could hers.

“Would you sing it for us?”  The question made him laugh, like she had said something ridiculous.

“No, absolutely not”

“Not even for Jacobi?”  His brow furrowed in genuine confusion, looking down at her now instead of the rain.

“What kind of relationship do you think we have?”

She opened her mouth and closed it, suddenly feeling like a trout.  ( I have no clue, Kepler, but it’s been keeping me awake at night).   “I guess the kind where you’ll sleep with him but singing is too personal?”

He was firm when he spoke but not angry, as if this was some important revelation invoking information for her.  “There’s different kinds of intimacy.”

(Do you get off on your question dodging bullshit?)   She wanted to ask but didn’t necessarily want to get pushed onto the train tracks.  Kepler had a limit, even if he seemed to make endless allowances for her.

She hated this feeling, the sensation of being smaller than him.  These were aspects of her life that she couldn’t change out of willpower alone.  At her age Kepler was writing love songs and she… hadn’t even held hands with someone.

“It’s the kind of thing you learn with experience.  You’ll get there” he reassured her, as if sensing her discomfort.  “I’ll show you”

It was so unlike him that she hadn’t even noticed the train pulling into the station.

5 .

“Do you love him?” Maxwell asked Jacobi straight on, watching intently as he brushed his teeth.  She was sitting on the edge of the hotel bathroom counter so she could be right up in his space.

They were still in Scotland, doing their long-con spectacularly well if Kepler's lack of criticism was anything to go off of.  Maxwell was just happy they finally got a mission that warranted staying in nice hotels instead of dingy trucker stops where Kepler didn’t let her walk around alone.

He turned to her mid brush, brow furrowed.  “Ou-at?” he muttered in confused mouth-full-of-toothpaste language.  

“Kepler.  Our boss.  The guy I’ve watched you have sex with twice” 

Jacobi leaned over and spit into the sink.

“Wow that was jarring to hear you say out loud” he shook his head, running hands under the faucet and splashing water onto his face.  “Why does it matter to you?”  He didn’t say it with any malice, just honest curiosity.

(Why does it matter?)

“I think it’s natural that I’d have questions.  I mean it was a bit of a surprise for me since I’ve never even seen you guys hold hands”

He very poorly resisted the urge to grin at her expense, “hold hands?  Is that how you know when people are sleeping together?”

She gave him a small kick out of embarrassment.  The hands thing had been on her mind lately for some reason.

“I deserve to know what’s going on if I’m going to have to be around it all the time” and that was the truth.  She did feel like she deserved an explanation for being kept out of the loop.  “I mean, are you guys dating?  Do you hate him and this is all some kind of kink?  Am I-” ( am I just in the way?)   She swallowed the last part, not quite ready to let that fear of hers be known.

“Ah.”  Jacobi just said in a neutral acknowledgement.  “Um, well.  I guess it’s been going on for like, half a year now?  We’re not dating, that’s not- well.  That’s not what this is”  For a moment she began to worry that just like her, Jacobi had no idea what they were doing.

“But you’re in love with him?”  

“Hmm, I guess so.  Sure.”  He looked thoughtful, drying his hands and face on the towel.  He kept wringing it with his hands, searching for the right words.  “Do you love me, Alana?”

“Y-yeah” it wasn’t a lie but it sounded like one from her hesitance.

He nodded, “do you love Kepler?”

“I-” the question felt like it was bigger than she was capable of wrapping her head around.  “I’m a little scared of him.” ( I’m a little scared of the both of you sometimes.)

“You also want to be beside him, right?”  She wouldn’t have chosen those exact words.  “But you’d never date him, that would be insane.  So what do you call it when you want to be with someone without being with them?”

Jacobi tossed the towel on the floor by the shower, stretching as though to shake off the gravity of their conversation.

“Is that what casual sex is?”

He laughed, shaking his head, “no, that would be way simpler.  God, that would be-” he shook his head again, grinning, “that would be great.  I don’t have a word for what this is.  The way you feel about Kepler is about as complicated as the way he feels about us.”

( Us).

Maxwell slid off the counter but wasn’t quite ready to leave, dragging her toe through a drop of water on the floor instead.

“Maybe for you, but I don’t think Kepler has any kind of feelings about me,” she laughed.  She waited for Jacobi to laugh too but he only raised an eyebrow at her.

“You really can’t read people, huh?”

You’ll get there.  I’ll show you.

Chapter Text

6.

The tech conference was more like a yard sale in the eyes of Goddard.  Apparently Kepler had been roped into overseeing it because he did something to piss off Rachel Young so he had to “babysit the nerds” as per one line of the email.  For the first time, Maxwell and Jacobi were here not on Kepler's orders, but as representatives for their R&D labs, along with several others that Rachel had picked.

It was strange at first, not reporting to him or needing to wait for orders.  She was just supposed to mingle and sound smart, keeping an eye out for anything suspiciously well developed or bright and shiny that Goddard might want.  Kepler was simply there as part of his duties as Director of Special Intelligence.  It was nothing more than coincidence they were all here together.

Jacobi, somehow, wasn’t fazed in the slightest.  In fact his mood was surprisingly great for someone who usually hated networking functions.

(Probably because he wasn’t expecting Kepler to be here.)   That would explain both their moods.  Was the sex really good enough to make even a weekend long conference enjoyable?

To his credit, Jacobi spent most of his time with her during the actual conference, helping her talk to people.  He got the hell out of dodge as soon as the after party rolled around though.

“So, you want to get out of here?” The question was so surprising that it actually snapped Maxwell out of her thoughts.  She was still in the hotel bar, surrounded by a whole gaggle of people that hadn’t had enough talking for the day.

The guy next to her was from… okay, she had forgotten.  But he had been able to hold up a conversation about recursive data seeding which she had enjoyed for all of ten minutes before her mind drifted elsewhere.  The cologne he wore wasn’t bad, but there was just too much of it and it assaulted her nose every time he leaned in close to talk to her.

He bought her a drink that she had consumed about half of.

“Do you want me to leave?” She was suddenly concerned, wondering what she had done wrong and drawing up blanks.  Anxiously she had twirled her barely touched tumbler in her hands.

“Just with me” the man smiled, giving her a little nod in the direction of the elevators, “come on.  We can drink in my room”

Oh.  ( Am I getting hit on?).   This… hadn’t happened before.

Her knee jerk reaction was to say no and leave, but- intrusive images flashed across her mind.  The sound of skin on skin echoed in her ear.

(They seemed to like it a lot. )

Why shouldn’t she try it?  People her age did this kind of thing, met in bars, had sex… and liked it.  She wondered if he would hold her hand in the elevator and then mentally kicked herself, remembering how Jacobi had laughed at her.  Would this guy be mad if she didn’t know how any of it worked?  Maybe he wouldn’t even know.

“Come on” he urged her again, this time putting a hand on her forearm and standing up.  She followed him up, mind racing and empty at the same time.  He slipped an arm around her shoulder as he guided her across the bar towards the hotel lobby.  He was talking but she couldn’t hear a word of it over the rush of blood in her ears.

(Just go upstairs, take your clothes off, have sex, and leave.  It’ll be simple.  This will be over in no time.)   She wondered if she could make the same sounds as Jacobi but doubted it.  She would stay quiet instead and that would be fine.  That wouldn’t be weird.  ( I’ll just try it.  I won’t even tell them)

“Maxwell?  Who’s-” Maxwell froze in abject horror at the sound of Jacobi’s voice, a mix of shame and mortification paralyzing her in place.  He had just come in from the lobby doors at the most inopportune time.  They locked eyes and she could see a twitch run through his face as he looked at the guy.  “Not tonight, buddy.  Head back to the bar”

“Uh, do I know you?”  The man half laughed, obviously uncomfortable as Jacobi kept coming forwards.  He let go of Maxwell, taking a long step to the left.  “Look, I’m not trying to get in the middle of anything.  I thought- nevermind” the man walked away as soon as Jacobi grabbed her by the hand, pulling her after him as he marched back out the front doors.

“What the fuck were you doing?” He hissed as soon as they were out of the hotel, the Florida night air rushing to greet them.  He sounded mad.  She hadn’t expected that.  “Alana, that guy was like, thirty years older than you!  Are you drunk?!”  His grip on her hand was beginning to hurt so she pulled herself away from him.  She’d never seen him so irate.

“No, I'm not drunk.  And I didn’t do anything!”  She was horrified by how childish she sounded but couldn’t find a way to be more eloquent.  Her own anger was rising to match his.  “I didn’t need rescuing”

“Then where were you going?  Huh?  What was your plan?  Fuck- you know what, don’t tell me.  Just, goddammit” he wiped a hand down his face in a purely Kepler fashion.  She followed him, two steps behind so she wasn’t walking next to him.

Kepler was leaning against the railing of the boardwalk, his silhouette cast against the darkness of the lapping ocean.  She could see the bright red ember at the end of a cigarette as he took a long drag.

She’d never seen him smoke before.  Now though it was evident that the smell was on Jacobi as well.  ( They snuck out to smoke and didn’t tell me.)  And then, ( since when do they smoke?)

“Can I try that?” She demanded more than asked, skipping any greeting.  Jacobi stepped to Kepler's opposite side, leaning against the railing and watching her from his side eye.  She could have sworn he muttered something in his ear but it was impossible to tell.  They were too good at that shit.

Kepler watched her, not saying anything and dragging out the moment as he let out a long exhale of smoke.

“Absolutely not”

“Then I want Jacobi to kiss me”

Jacobi nearly fell into the ocean as he threw himself halfway over the railing to look at her, “what the fuck are you on tonight?!”

Kepler began to grin.  All of it made her blood boil.

“It’s not fair that you two can do whatever you want but apparently there are rules for me!  I’ve never smoked, I’ve never been flirted with.  The most romantic thing that’s ever happened to me is being your third fucking wheel!”  She cried putting a hand on her chest, suddenly flushed and breathless with the threat of tears behind her eyes, “I just want to be kissed like-”

Kepler tipped her chin up and kissed her in one swift motion.

Her mind blanked out as the universe shrank down to the feeling of his lips pressed against hers, his scruff tickling her upper lip.

One, two, three -

He pulled away, leaning against the wooden railing again as though he had never been out of place.  The silence pulled thin between them.

“You taste like cigarettes” was the first and only thing she could think to say.

“Call it a two for one deal” he smiled.  And just like a switch being flipped, she found herself laughing as the bubble of anger and anxiety burst and dissipated in her chest.  It infected the other two and for a brilliant moment it was just the three of them, SI-5 and Goddard worlds away.

She saved the moment like a snapshot and tucked it far back into her mind.

Kepler passed the cigarette to Jacobi who killed it quickly and stubbed it out against the wood.

“You’re crazy” Jacobi muttered.  Maxwell had no idea who he was saying it was to.

Chapter Text

7.

“It wasn't this rainy in Harry Potter” Maxwell griped, wringing out her hair as they piled into the train compartment. 

“Maxwell, every time we come to Europe you complain about the weather, eventually you are going to have to realize that it is just wet all the goddamn time” Kepler groaned, tossing the bookbag with their equipment into the overhead bin with a little too much force.  Maxwell and Jacobi both flinched. “Sorry” he muttered under his breath.

“Wow you are grumpy” Jacobi laughed matter-of-factly.  Kepler shot him a dirty glare but Jacobi let it roll off him, closing the compartment door and pulling the curtain shut.  “I mean, it makes sense.  You've been up for what, thirty hours?  It’s a six hour train ride, why don’t you get some rest?”  For a moment, she couldn’t believe he was being so bold, but of course he added “or we could listen to Maxwell point out all the ways that this place is failing to meet her Harry Potter expectations”

“Hey!” She barked in defense, decidedly stealing a window seat.  

Kepler sighed, sitting down on her side and letting Jacobi take the opposite bench, peering out through the edge of the curtain to keep watch.

“You both did well today” Kepler remarked, ignoring Jacobi but leaning against the wall but failing to get comfortable as the train bounced and rattled.  “That went really well” he sounded half asleep already.

“Of course it did, we’re the best!” Jacobi made some kind of fanfare gesture with his hands that Kepler didn’t see.  He must have heard it in Jacobi’s voice though because it made him smile.

“Sir,” Maxwell offered tentatively, “You can lay down if you want… I don’t mind” there was a knot of discomfort in her stomach as she watched Kepler wince against a particularly jostling bump.  ( He has a headache) .  He got them somewhat frequently, though he’d never admit it.  It was almost imperceptible on his face but she had become attune to looking for it.

He contemplated for a moment before wordlessly taking her up on the offer, laying his head down in her lap.  The bench still wasn’t quite long enough and his knees were pitched up but he pulled his jacket over top of his chest like a blanket and looked immensely more comfortable.

She couldn't stop looking at him and was grateful he kept his eyes shut.  He breathed slow and evenly, the weight of his head a calming pressure .

She’d never seen him look so soft before.

In the office he looked older than he was, and in the field he looked… well, Jacobi thought it was hot.  But having him like this, relaxed and nestled on her thighs- it was quickly becoming her undoing.  

(Oh god, the little freckles) .  Her heart skipped a beat.  It was undeniable, he was cute.

Possessed by the spirit of something far more brave, she slipped her hand beneath his jacket and laid it on his chest, feeling the rise and fall and the gentle drum underneath.  Such small details that gave away he was in fact human.

Kepler reached up and wrapped his hand around hers.

She gave him a small squeeze and he returned it in a small, hey there .  Something warm began to bloom in her chest, spreading up her neck and forcing a blush on her face.  With her free hand she pressed her fist against her mouth, trying to keep the sensation from spilling out into a sound.

She looked to Jacobi for help against this foreign sensation.  He was watching her with a stupid grin on his face.  

“Hair”   he mouthed, making Maxwell cock her head in confusion.  Jacobi demonstrated on himself, pushing his fingers through his curls and then pointing at Kepler who had quickly sunk into a doze.  

She shook her head no.  He adamantly nodded yes.

She’d come this far, may as well seal the deal.  Delicately she lowered her hand to Kepler's hairline, pushing through the short brown hair with a slow drag.  ( It’s soft… really soft ) .   

To Maxwell's utter astonishment, Kepler's lips parted slightly, face fully relaxing and head lolling to the side slightly as he fully passed out.  It was uncanny, the man who had redefined scorched earth warfare in her mind had become putty in her hands.

The thrill of it was intoxicating.

Her heart leapt to her throat as he made a sort of contented hum in his sleep.  She ran a finger gently over the shell of his ear, the urge to kiss him welling up inside of her.  ( Is this how Jacobi feels all the time? )  The thought was maddening.  No one could live like this.  The feeling was too great that surely, surely , it would drive someone insane.  

She hummed, closing her eyes and leaning her head back, letting the warmth wash over her.  If only the train ride was longer, six hours hardly seemed enough time.

Chapter Text

8.

“Maxwell, report in” Kepler's voice came over the radio.  She could hear it from across the room as she hid beneath a cluttered desk.  ( Stupid, stupid, stupid ) She thought, thinking back to how her hair had gotten tangled in the headset so she took it off to redo her bun.

Now, instead of being able to call for help, she was watching as the gunman picked up the radio and turned it over in his hands.  Her heart raced, eyes drawn to the casual swing of the firearm in his hand.  Like he had used it a million times before.  If she was fast enough she could make it to the door and then… be shot in the back.  Not a great plan.

The gun in her hand felt heavy.  It was uselessly jammed.  She knew how to fix it but she needed at least thirty seconds and it would be deafeningly loud in the room where the silence was so thick she could taste it.  God, she was dying to take a deep breath and calm herself but even that felt risky.  From the narrow slit in the desk all she could do was watch as the gunman kicked the door shut and hit the lights.

The glow of the computer screen was the only thing to illuminate the room.  He took a heavy step closer to her, and another, until he was right in front of the desk.

“You can get up now,” he said, almost mockingly.  “Reeeeal slow, that’s it” there wasn’t much choice.  She left the gun on the ground, a sinking feeling consuming her.  The light was behind him so she couldn’t make out his face, but the laugh he let out when he saw her gave the impression of a great smug toad.

Immediately, he fired the gun into her stomach.  

Maxwell felt her breath stolen from her as the sensation of a hole being punched through her didn’t come.  Instead, there were two sharp jabs of prongs burrowed beneath her skin.  Painful, but not gunshot painful.

(It’s a fucking stungun.  I could have shot him.)

All thoughts left as the electricity coursed through her, seizing up every muscle in her abdomen, feeling like someone was wringing her body out with two large hands.

She hit the floor.  

The five seconds of shock felt like they lasted a lifetime.  It did nothing to numb the crack of her head against the tile.  In a daze, Maxwell's mind flashed back to when she was younger and her periods were worse, leaving her in bed clutching her stomach.  She wished so much she could curl up in a ball around a hot water bottle.

The (stun)gunan knelt down, close to her face.  He smelled a little fruity, like he had just been vaping.  That felt… so goddamn stupid.

“Where’s your friends?”  He asked with a thick drawl.  In response, Maxwell spit on the floor in front of him.  He grinned, contributing to his toadyness.

“Now I’m going to do that again, and again, until you cooperate.  Then, I’m going to do it one more time just because I like it”

She made a blind grab at the weapon and immediately felt him make good on his promise.

(Do people normally hallucinate while getting tased?  Or is this brain damage?)   She wondered, standing with his bare feet in the parched grass, staring out at the ramshackled white-picket Montana house.  The front porch swing was swaying in the wind.  It was picturesque if you couldn’t recognize it as a hellhole.  

Maxwell watched in horror as herself, childlike with her hair in those god awful braids, burst through the door, face red and tearstained.  Her father was only a moment behind her, yanking her back by the hair and grabbing her wrist in his hand, pulling her back inside to the tune of a piercing shrill scream.

“Don’t touch her” she found herself saying, beginning to walk forwards.  The little girl's hand caught on the doorframe and held on tightly, white at the knuckle, making her father jerk her roughly to pry her off of it.  She could feel his vice grip on her adult wrists.

Nothing would hurt as bad as the punishment that awaited inside.

“Don’t touch her!” She screamed, fully sprinting now, blowing past the gate, the wood step creaking underfoot, hand almost reaching-

Maxwell was back on the floor again abruptly, the wherewithal catching up that she needed to spit before she choked.  She had bit her tongue and the taste of blood filled her senses.  How many times had he tased her while she’d been off in la la land?  Her lungs burned with the need to breathe through the sanguine obstructing her airway.

Her assailant still knelt before her, now pawing at her breast like he was unsure what to do with it.

The lights flicked on, and hell came crashing down.

Kepler didn’t use his gun, no, not when he had perfectly good hands.  Maxwell didn’t feel the need to watch, focusing instead of sitting up, swallowing the bloody taste in her mouth and catching her breath as stars floated across her vision.  The choking sound eventually died out and then there was a slump before Kepler was back beside her.

“Are you with us, Doctor?”  His voice was light, trying but failing to hide the bone grinding tension in him.  Without announcement, he gripped both of the barbs in her stomach and pushed in briefly before ripping them out, blood seeping onto her shirt.

“I’m okay” she whispered, her voice hoarse.  She must have been screaming.  “My gun jammed… I’m sorry”

“Don’t- it’s fine.  Can you finish what you started?” That’s right, the files.  She nodded and he helped her to her feet.  Lifted her with one arm was a more accurate depiction though.  As if nothing had happened, she stepped over the facedown corpse and sat in her chair at the computer once more, picking up where she left off.

He watched her, half in the doorway half out of it.  As soon as she pulled the thumb drive out he took her by the hand, leading her out behind him as they moved through the hallways.  He was talking into his radio, telling Jacobi they needed to make the east wing disappear.  

They got out before the rest of the team, Kepler making their exit brutally efficient.  

Now they were waiting in the woods by the van at the rendezvous point.  The back doors were open and Maxwell sat on the edge, hugging one knee and dangling the other.  They had already changed into civilian clothes for the getaway but had nothing else to do than wait.  Kepler was pacing in the grass so furiously she worried he’d begun making crop circles.

“Are you mad at me?” She offered, attempting to rip the proverbial band-aid off.  “If you are-”

“I’m not mad at you” he stopped pacing, searching the trees while he chewed on his thoughts.  “You aren’t… upset?”

Maxwell shrugged ( of course I’m upset ), “same old same old” their eyes met and she gave him a small smile.  “You know, it kind of reminded me of period cramps.”

He humored her with a laugh.  He looked down at his feet, shaking his head.  That’s not what he meant and she knew it.  ( There’s nothing to talk about, Kepler ).

“The current travels farther on a larger muscle so the back is where- well, you know all that” he ran a hand through his hair awkwardly and she was hit with the urge of wanting to do it for him.

Maybe if she asked nicely he’d get in the car and wrap his arms around her, stroke her hair, make it all feel better.  Make it all go away.

Maybe he’d kiss her again.

Her thoughts were aborted as the other car pulled up.  Jacobi shot out of the passenger seat before the vehicle had even stopped moving, making a beeline for her.  He and Kepler shared a fast stern glance at one another, darkness settling over Kepler's face.

“Are you-”

“I’m okay, Daniel” she put her hands up, wincing at the tenderness in her muscles.  Jacobi looked her over and to calm him she lifted up her shirt slightly, showing the two bandaids on her stomach.  He seemed relieved but only barely.  “It kinda looks like I got bit by a vampire”

“You should go sit in the front,” he urged, uncharacteristically ignoring her attempt to be playful, putting a hand on her back and trying to guide her to her feet.

Before she could ask why she saw their other operative come out of the car, holding his hands up in mocking defense as he approached Kepler.  Miller was a loan from SI-2 with the goal being to bridge to their team.  He had been a part of some military branch before Goddard swiped him up for his EOD work.

“What part of the plan involved you not doing your goddamn job!” Kepler screamed in his face immediately.  Maxwell and Jacobi both flinched, freezing in place.  Miller shifted on his feet, uncomfortable with Kepler crowding him.

“Hey hey hey, look.  I saw the guy on the cameras, he didn’t even have a gun.  It wasn’t worth blowing my location over.  I told Ms. Maxwell that he was on his way and she’s fine!”  He laughed, lacking any humor to the sound.  He laughed a lot, she noticed.  To make a point he waved at her but Kepler grabbed his hand and threw it down at his side.

“Youuu should really get in the car” Jacobi hissed through gritted teeth, his hand squeezing her shoulder.  He was watching them intently, his whole body tense.  Maxwell felt no inclination to move.

Kepler's voice got low, getting up in the man's face.  ( He laughs when he’s stressed.  That’s not good) she thought, watching Miller’s eyes dart around, his mouth moving like he was chewing on something.  Gum maybe?  Oh, nicotine gum.

“Look, I don’t know what you want from me.  It sounds like she’s the problem if you need somebody to guard her” Miller took a step back, talking with his hands in front of him to make space.  “I’m not going to stick my neck out for your girlfriend just because you got your other guy trained that way.  I took down the alarms, I watched the cameras, I drove the car, I did my job.  Capeesh?”

They both stood there for a moment, neither one backing down until-

“Okay” Kepler nodded with a sharp sigh of resignation, “okay” and he started walking towards the van.  Miller stayed put, scratching his nose and sticking his hands in his pockets.  He kicked a rock into the woods.

Maxwell's mouth was hanging open, wondering if hell had frozen over.  Kepler didn’t slow down, walking straight up to Jacobi.  In a fluid motion he pulled the pistol out of Jacobi’s holster and turned on his heel, firing two quick shots into their would-be team member.  

She screamed in surprise,  hands flying up to cover herself out of reflex.

For a moment they all just stood there.  Kepler turned the safety on and passed it back to Jacobi who holstered it.  Her heart was racing and she could feel the puncture wound on her stomach begin to bleed again.  Her eyes were glued to the body that gave a few final twitches and then laid still, splayed out in the grass.  She tore her eyes away, fixing them down on her lap.

Jacobi’s hand hadn’t moved off her shoulder.  He hadn’t even flinched.  ( You knew) .

“It’s a real shame” Kepler sighed, clearing his throat and finally turning to them, eyes locked on hers, “he died heroically defending our beloved Doctor in a mission gone sideways.  Isn’t that right, Alana ?”

“I-” her throat felt pulled shut by several strings.  She’d seen him kill people but she’d never seen him kill their people.  That wasn’t- well, maybe there was no difference.  He had become a threat to the mission, the team, and in Kepler's eyes that was a death sentence.

He wasn’t going to let anything happen to her.  That awful house in Montana couldn’t have felt further away.

“That’s right, sir”

Chapter Text

9.

Maxwell watched her boys intently as she towel dried her hair.  She had begun to notice the signs.

The three of them had piled onto the bed, finally having made it to the sleepy village inn.  Without much fanfare, they stripped down to their underwear, having gotten completely soaked in the rainstorm that caught them. 

They wouldn’t have been wet if Kepler hadn’t decided to use their vehicle as an explosive trap, a decision he regretted immediately after getting stabbed in the leg.  

And then the rain came down.

Jacobi was wrapping Kepler's thigh in a bandage, talking to him in a hushed tone, eyes flicking up every so often from the work.  It was a thin but deep wound but walking on it had made it worse.  Now, Kepler was soothing it by drinking readily from his flask, too focused to criticize Jacobi’s gauze work.

Even with the draft and chill, the stab wound and the drinking, Maxwell noticed they were flirting.  She couldn’t stick her finger on it, but it was there in the low tones and brief glances, the smallest touches that could almost be a caress.

(Is it that hard to just ask?)   She wondered, perplexed by what it took to transition from their normal working relationship into this other sexual component to them.  ( Maybe it’s just because I’m here) .  Which seemed to be the question on repeat in her mind in all situations.  She didn’t get the impression from either of them that they were suddenly lovey dovey once she wasn’t there though.

“What kind of relationship do you think we have?”   Kepler had seemed genuinely confused and off put at the idea of even playing the guitar for Jacobi, something that felt so innocuous to her.

Jacobi tied off the gauze, hand lingering on his thigh.  She watched the way his thumb ran down towards his inner thigh, making Kepler stiffen.  He swallowed his whiskey roughly.  ( This seems irresponsible). It wasn’t conducive to wound healing for Kepler to be moving around in all sorts of ways, ( should I say something?  They probably aren’t thinking straight) .  It felt like an enormous amount of responsibility to be the voice of reason.

It hadn’t worked when she tried to tell them not to blow up the car.  Once the two of them got into something they just… 

( They don’t stop until it destroys everything )

“Alana?” Jacobi had been talking to her but she had been completely zoned out, watching Kepler drink.

“Huh?” 

“You okay to stay?” It was odd phrasing but she knew what he meant.

“I-” god this was awkward, “I don’t think he should be moving around much” his eyes shined like he was laughing at a private joke.

“Alright boss, you heard the lady” he chuckled, looking at Kepler who had decided to take one last long swig before setting it aside.  Jacobi took that as a sign to get lower onto him “try not to move too much” he mouthed against the inside of Kepler's non injured thigh, sucking a mark there.

Maxwell looked away, drying her hair intensely while staring at the wall instead, heat burning in her cheeks.  This would never be normal to her.  To be helpful, she turned off the bedside antique lamp on her side of the bed, letting the room fall into a faint dim.  

She could hear them kissing, the shift in the mattress an indicator that Jacobi was rearranging their position, getting undressed.  Even when she couldn’t see them her mind wouldn’t clear out the image of them, Kepler shirtless was… something else.  She bit her lip, tempted to look.

Arousal spread through her stomach, the urge to touch herself in the back of her mind.  If she was alone she would consider- but not with them here.  ( I have no idea what to do here).  The room was small with no couch or chair to retreat to.  Maybe they just expected her to feign sleep again.  It would be an impossible feat given she could feel every small movement on the rickety bed.

A hand wrapped around her wrist gently, getting her attention.

“Hey.  Come here” Kepler whispered, luring her in ( this isn’t how this usually goes ).  She couldn’t look at him but let herself be pulled in, “just lay down” he wrapped his arm around her, resting it on her waist as she laid against his right side, her head on his chest.  The gauze on his thigh tickled her exposed legs.

Maxwell could feel her heart in her throat at the closeness.  She could smell the whiskey on his breath and feel the heat radiating off Jacobi above them.  It would be overwhelming if not for Keplers arm around her, heavy and secure.  ( This is very, very different )

“You okay with this, ‘Lana?” Jacobi asked, making her realize they had paused everything to include her.

“I- I’m okay.  You don’t mind me being here?”  Kepler gave her waist a gentle squeeze with his hand.

Jacobi winked, leaning down to press a kiss to her temple.  It made her chest squeeze shut and before he could fully pull away she leaned up to press her lips against his.

Daniel seemed surprised, but only for a moment before he kissed her back.  Unlike Kepler, he didn’t have any facial hair to tickle her with, nothing to distract her from the feel of his lips.  It felt safer than kissing Kepler in a way she couldn’t describe.  He kissed her deeper, pushing her back to rest against Kepler's chest before breaking away.

He looked at her as though he’d never seen her before in his life.

“Hey there” he smiled, making her laugh, the awkwardness melting away.

Then Kepler got them back on track, as always.

It was easy to stay tucked at his side, deciding her purpose was getting him to keep his leg still by lacing her own overtop.  She closed her eyes, zoning in and out through the endless foreplay until she felt more than heard Kepler's shattered moan.  His breathing quickened as Daniel let out a whine of, “Fu-ck” as he guided his erection in, bottoming out and-

Oh.

She hadn’t even thought about them switching roles.

Kepler threw his free arm over his face, obscuring her view of his expression as Daniel dug his fingers into his hips, thrusting hard enough to rock the bed.

“You feel so fucking good” Daniel panted, breathless and desperate, eyes half shut as if he couldn’t bring himself to stop looking.  Dutifully, Maxwell pushed one of his hands further up, away from Kepler's injury.  She could feel Kepler's hand gripping her side, wonderfully but almost painfully tight.  

It sent a thrill through her chest.

Daniel hiked up Kepler's non-injured leg under his arm, leaning in slightly to get a deeper angle.  This was met by an unholy whine from Kepler, the muscles in his jaw tight as he tried to keep it all together.

“You like that, baby?” Maxwell felt her own face flush, stunned by how filthy the words sounded coming out of Jacobi’s mouth.  “You want more of that cock?” A half snarl painted on his face as he picked up the pace, fucking Kepler mercilessly into the bed.

For a brief moment, she made eye contact with Jacobi.  He flicked his eyes to Kepler untouched erection, strained and leaking between them.

( Holy shit ).

Feeling puppeted, she reached out, gently wrapping her hand around the head.  Kepler's sudden moan surprised her, making her jerk her hand back like she’d been bitten.

Daniel let out a sharp laugh, not missing a beat.

“ Do that again” Kepler groaned, “please” the hand on her waist was trembling.

Emboldened, she reached out, watching Kepler's face intently as she gripped him again.  It was like a shot of morphine going through him, lips parting and head rolling back as he was wrecked with pleasure.  The sensation was so strong she felt it seep into her own body.

Her touch stayed light, not wanting to hurt him.  Kepler bit his lip, tensing briefly before deciding he couldn’t take it and bringing his arm down to wrap his hand around hers in a desperate plea for her to squeeze harder.  

Daniel grabbed his hand, pinning it back up above his head.

“She’s got it, let her do it” he grinned devilishly, drowning out Kepler's attempt at a protest with a teeth clacking kiss.  The fact that Kepler let him do that was astonishing, but that he was clearly getting off on it was staggering.

It was beginning to make sense how Daniel could be so obsessed with him.

“You two are trying to kill me” it was the most coherent thing Kepler managed to get out.  He turned his head to the side, pressing his face down against the top of Maxwell's head.

She tried to accommodate his request, gripping his shaft more firmly and settling into a rhythm.

“ That’s it- mmm, that’s it” Jacobi groaned, pressing into Kepler at a slightly deeper angle, both of them reacting to the change like it was earth shattering.  “Yeah?  You like getting fucked like that?” Kepler pulled Jacobi back down for a kiss, breaking only to bite and lick down his jawline, completely ravishing him.

Maxwell watched with rapt attention, breath stuck in her chest as they completely lost their composure, bodies tense as they brought each other closer to the edge. 

“Fuck, I’m cumming, I-” Jacobi pressed his forehead against Keplers, eyes screwed shut, thrusting in short rapid jerks as a moan tore through him.  The sensation sent Kepler over the edge, Maxwell feeling his cock pulse, burning hot and wet in her hand.

Unsure exactly when to stop, she kept going until Kepler full body flinched and his hand shot down to grab her own, pulling it off of him with a shaky laugh.

Jacobi nudged his face and found his lips again, kissing him once, twice, then just a peck and rolled off of them.  

Delicately, Maxwell wiped the bit of cum off her hand and onto Kepler's stomach where the rest of it pooled.

“Well, that’s bleeding” Jacobi remarked, making the other two look down to where the gauze on Kepler's thigh was now saturated pink.

( Whoops, forgot about that ) some source of responsibility she turned out to be.  Jacobi muttered something about Kepler not moving and went off to the bathroom to wet a towel and get more gauze.

Shamelessly, Kepler wiped himself off with Jacobi’s discarded shirt as soon as he was away.

The sound of the shower running struck a cord of nervousness in Maxwell, realizing Jacobi wasn’t immediately coming back.  

Which meant she and Kepler were alone.

( What do I do?  Do I say something?  Come back Daniel, god dammit ) Her heart was drumming like a circus in her chest, complete with backflips and somersaults as she stayed tucked against his side, frozen stiff with nervousness.

Kepler, the bastard, seemed as calm and unaffected as ever.  He hummed contentedly, running his hand slowly up and down the curvature of her side.

“Sorry to exclude you” He said, his voice soft and dazed.  His face was still pressed atop her head, breathing her in.

“Oh, I felt very included” she could feel the laugh in his chest as much as she could hear it.

“When’d you get so brave?” His hand stilled briefly before coming up beside her breast, slowly gliding over and cupping it, making no sudden movements so as to frighten her.

A thin sound escaped her throat, her nipple hardening under his teasing touch.  Her whole head felt like cotton, unable to process the sensation.

Without warning he rolled them over, putting her head against the pillow and bracing himself overtop of her.

“You shouldn’t move your leg like that” she muttered, completely ignored.  His gaze pinned her in place, her hands up against his collarbones, gliding across the tense muscle there as if with a mind of their own.  Eager to feel him while this moment existed.

“I can take care of you” he whispered, “if you want” his hand glided over her breast and down her stomach, fingers dancing over the waistband of her panties.

Kepler leaned in, hovering just a hair away from her lips.  “You’re going to make me jealous if you only kiss one of us” ( I’ll never understand you ) she tilted her head, letting her eyes flutter shut and leaned up to kiss him with all the courage she could muster.

It wasn’t like the first time when it had just been a press of the lips.  He kissed her slowly, stealing her breath and flicking his tongue over her own when she parted her mouth just barely to breath.

It sent a full body shock down her spine, toes curling from the pleasure of it.

A million thoughts swarmed her at once, fighting for purchase as fire raced through her veins, her body cried out to be touched.  Her skin ached where his fingers teased her, so sensitive it was almost painful.

He broke the kiss, giving her a chance to breathe by mouthing at her ear.  There was no relief from the pressure suffocating her.  His weight upon her, his mouth, his heat, his hands.  It made her dizzy, unable to take control of any part of her body, just reacting to stimuli like a machine.

There was no way she could do this, the idea of him watching her, touching her, bringing her to orgasm in his hands was enough to tense every muscle in her body, halting her breath and sealing her throat shut.  That, and the sensation on her leg…

Kepler paused, reading her expression and taking his hands off of her.

“Too much?” He offered, sensing that she was at a loss for words.

“A little” she breathed, relief flooding over her as she realized that she hadn’t been ready for whatever he wanted to do.  He had known it before she had and that was as comforting as it was perplexing.  She opened her eyes and looked up, meeting his honey brown gaze.  For a moment she could imagine what it would be like to be with him, tangled together in bed chasing down the pleasure in each other's bodies.  It wasn’t a bad dream at all.

“K-”

“You’re beautiful” he said, uncharacteristically genuine.  She didn’t even remotely know what to say to that.  He traced the curve of her face delicately with the tips of his fingers.

“Kepler…” she wasn’t sure how to say it but, well, it felt important.  “You’re bleeding on my leg.  A lot.”

That night, Maxwell took the spot in the middle.

Chapter Text

10.

Maxwell shifted her feet in discomfort, realizing that everyone had stepped off the elevator.  Everyone, but Kepler and her.

He was in a suit today because of their meeting.  Clean shaven, the faint scent of a barely-there cologne, and he looked nice.  Very nice.  A little hot.  Mostly nice.

She hazarded a glance at him, ( should I say something?) .  Jacobi would certainly have some sort of quip to fill the silence but she had never had the gift of gab.  Even after all their time together she struggled with him.  Whenever Jacobi left the room they usually settled a peaceful silence.  

Except that one time.  “ You’re beautiful.”  ( Why would you say that only when there wasn’t anything to gain? )

Kepler was completely absorbed with typing something on his phone, his brow furrowed slightly, reading a response.  She had seen that same face tense with pleasure, lips parted, moaning as Daniel-

Her cheeks burned and she snapped back to face the elevator doors.  This was not the place to start thinking about that.  This was the last place she should be thinking about that.  And yet here she was, thinking about it.  Constantly fucking thinking.

( I always assumed Daniel would be the girl )

It didn’t fit Kepler's personality, in fact it defied everything she knew about him.  Clearly it wasn’t their first time in those roles, not with the ease in which Kepler let himself be lavished, or how comfortable Jacobi felt saying all those things to him as if knowing he’d enjoy it.

Come to think of it…

Oh.

Oh.

She’d never seen them have sex before.  ( The hotel was too dark, and at the cabin they did it a different way, so maybe that’s the normal arrangement ).

Suddenly every interaction she’d had with either of them flashed before her as she reorganized and reinterpreted information.  Kepler bossing them around only to disappear with Jacobi, letting himself be pinned down and fucked senseless.  Coming back with a persona that made the very idea laughable.  The two of them high off the secrets of their own little world.

Of course it would be easier for both of them to find other people to sleep with, but they didn’t want other people.  Kepler was somehow more in control by being less in control, and Jacobi… just liked getting to have him?

It was insane, and yet it made complete sense now.  ( These people are idiots ).

She studied his face, his features suddenly foreign and unfamiliar, as though she had blinked and he’d been swapped out for an understudy.  ( Who the hell are you? ).

“Doctor Maxwell” he cut through the silence, still staring at his phone.  She nearly jumped from the whiplash of being pulled from her thoughts.

“Yes, sir?”

“Have you ever heard of a poker face?”

“Uh-” her face steamed red, mouth opening but no sound coming out as embarrassment consumed her.

“You should get one” and when the doors opened on their floor he stepped out first, smug as shit.

As always.