Cut and Run 1 - Cut and Run

He stared for a moment and then closed them again. He sighed and shifted slightly in the bed, then opened his eyes again. They were clear when he met Zane's eyes. “Shut up,” he muttered sleepily.
    Zane chuckled. “You'll be crankier than you were when you went to bed."
    "I'm not cranky,” Ty insisted drowsily as he closed his eyes again and rolled onto his back. He stretched with relish, yawning and curling his toes contentedly. “I was dreaming,” he muttered.
    "Mm hmm,” Zane agreed, shifting to sit on the edge of the bed and lay his hand lightly on Ty's abs. “Dreaming of?"
    "The desert,” Ty answered in a mumble. He shifted again, arching up into Zane's hand like a dog getting his belly rubbed.
    Zane started rubbing agreeably, watching Ty move. “Desert, huh?"
    Ty inhaled deeply and then sighed, opening his eyes again to stare at the ceiling. “Makes my trigger finger itch."
    "Sand does itch,” Zane replied blithely. “One of the reasons I chose Miami over western New Mexico."
    Ty turned his head slightly and looked up at Zane in confusion.
    Zane raised a brow. “What?"
    "What?” Ty asked in a lost voice.
    Zane shook his head. “You're definitely not awake. One of the reasons I refused the assignment in New Mexico is because I hate eating sand. And I don't like rattlesnakes."
    Ty blinked at him rapidly and then looked around the room before pushing himself into a sitting position. “What assignment in New Mexico?” he asked as he rubbed his eyes.
    Peering at him in amusement, Zane decided to explain even though Ty was still out of it. “The one I was offered before they stuck me in Miami. Bilingual agents are scarce lately,” he said.
    "Oh, yeah,” Ty responded flatly with a little nod as he moved. “That's very important,” he assured Zane gruffly as he flopped back onto his side and buried his head under his pillow.
    Zane chuckled and pulled away the pillow. “Cranky?” he teased.
    Ty groaned softly and then huffed in irritation. “Can't a man sleep in peace around here?"
    "Apparently not when he dreams of the desert,” Zane drawled. He leaned to press his lips to Ty's temple. “Sleep, then,” he murmured.
    "I always dream of the desert,” Ty muttered sulkily as he pressed his face against the mattress, refusing to be roused.
    Zane's lips drifted to the corner of Ty's eye. “Why?” he murmured.
    Ty twitched and turned to elbow Zane in the ribs. “That's where I lived,” he grumbled.
    Zane smoothed his hand over Ty's arm in a soothing motion and turned his face to lay his cheek against Ty's for a moment.
    Ty sighed again and relaxed under the pressure of Zane's body. “You're very high-maintenance,” he mumbled against the pillow.
    Grinning, Zane curled his arm over Ty's back and rubbed slowly over his hip. “Yeah, so I've been told."
    "Shut up,” Ty ordered.
    Zane coasted his hand over Ty's cheek and rolled away. “Sleep, oh cranky one."
    Ty groaned and rolled back onto his back. “Well fuck, Garrett, I'm awake now,” he muttered disconsolately.
    "Sorry,” Zane murmured, letting his arm fall between them and looking down at Ty.
    Ty looked up at him in irritation for a moment before letting the façade fall away and smiling slightly. “You're a damn sight better to wake up to than what I usually do,” he admitted.
    Zane smiled crookedly. “And what's that?"
    "You don't really want to know, do you?” Ty asked dubiously.
    "I already know about the woman who was screeching on the phone,” Zane pointed out.
    Ty cleared his throat and looked away, staring up at the ceiling with a frown. “Usually,” he finally said with a scowl, “I don't wake up to anything. So, I guess you'll have to do."
    "Is there a compliment hidden in there somewhere?” Zane asked mildly.
    "Beggars can't be choosers,” Ty muttered with a small smirk.
    Zane whapped Ty's hip. “I don't beg,” he asserted.
    Ty jerked and laughed softly, turning slightly away in case Zane decided to smack him again. “I beg to differ,” he snickered.
    Zane smacked him again, a little harder this time. “I can't think of an instance. Not a legitimate one, anyway."
    "What's an illegitimate reason to beg?” Ty asked as he continued laughing softly.
    Zane's hand stilled, as did his face. His eyes shifted across the room blankly. “They exist,” he said vaguely.
    Ty narrowed his eyes up at his companion and then rolled them as he looked away. “Moody,” he accused as he sat back up again and