It had always been a lighter touch with Elliot. The other man didn't need to be held, didn't need to be murmured to; didn't need the press of a kiss to his cheek every now and then. There was just something to be said for resting, now and then, on solitary nights at the Outposts--little bits of moments shared across the distance to hopefully help his old friend feel a little less alone.

Tonight is different. Tonight he needs to be almost-real, sitting down heavily on the edge of the bed with a crooked grin of his own.

"Just a little." Which, really, is the genuine truth of the matter, if also a comfortable way to crack gently at those last bits of tension. "You'd've heard me coming a mile away if you were awake, right?"