He woke up in the motel bedroom facing the wall. There was a dim light to the room, of daylight sneaking in through the curtains as well as a whirring sound Emmett wasn't familiar with.

He turned in bed to see Tab at the desk in the room using a sewing machine. "Do you sleep?" He called out above the sound.

"It's not that early." Tab didn't turn from his work.

Emmett glanced at the clock. 7 AM. It was better than yesterday but it was still too early. He turned in bed again trying to ignore the noise but it seemed to get louder. Is he doing that on purpose?

"You work too much." He complained.

"You work too little."

Emmett looked over his shoulder again. Despite the snarky comment Tab's focus was still completely on the task in front of him.

"No, you definitely work too much."

"Will you try a couple of these on? They're the things we got for you yesterday. Make sure they fit."

"I'm sleeping."

"You sound pretty awake to me."

"I'm not awake until I've had coffee."

"I left some on your side table."

Emmett glanced over. Sure enough there was a can of gas station coffee waiting for him. What's he playing at today? Emmett sat up in bed taking his pillow in hand. "Hey Tab?"

When the kid turned around Emmett sent the pillow sailing into his face. It made a satisfying thud as it made contact. Tab sputtered as he pulled the pillow from his face and when he could see again Emmett showed him the middle finger. "I need a moment to wash up as well." He didn't wait for permission, only grabbed some of the clothes off of the pile and shut the bathroom door between them.

Feeling petty, Emmett made sure to take more than a moment in the shower. If Tab was going to be rude he could easily be rude right back.

When Emmett stepped out of the bathroom Tab was no longer at the desk. Instead, he was lying on his bed, staring up at the ceiling.

Emmett crossed over to him, a towel draped like a hood over his wet hair. Emmett had decided to wear the poppies and black denim. He'd hoped to see that ridiculous blush from Tab, but the kid still wasn't meeting his eye, even when Emmett held out an arm for him to check the fit.

Tab rolled over to sit on the edge of the bed, plucked absently at the hem lines along his thigh and waist. Emmett’s skin prickled.

"Does it feel alright...The fit?" Tab asked as he stood up and circled Emmett to take a better look at the shirt.

Emmett frowned to himself. Tab had saved himself from the potential double meaning of his first question but it did make him more conscious of his touch. "I don't know. They're still a little loose."

"Yeah, I did it on purpose… in case you decide to put on a little weight." Emmett felt Tab's fingers pinch the fabric at his back, pulling it slightly tighter. "I could add a few stitches that you could take out later if you need to.

'If you decide to'... not 'you need to'. Jesus, he's killing me. Emmett tried to shake the fluttering in his chest. He just knows how to actually talk to someone like you. "It's fine like it is."

"Ok." Another moment of silence as Tab pinched the line from his shoulder down to his wrist. "I'm glad you like this one. I think it's the best one we found there." His touch dropped away for a moment but Emmett could feel him still standing back there.

His heart jumped again when he felt a fingertip trace down the center of his wrist, along his palm to the end of his middle finger. If he'd been hard he would have come.

Emmett felt shaky all over. "What's going on with you? I can't figure out what you're thinking and it's freaking me out."

Another moment of silence. Their fingers were still touching. "When you asked me if I would fight that guy off of you last night… If you'd said to, I would've done it."

No, now I would've come.

"He would've beaten the shit out of you. I'm glad I didn't make it happen."

Tab's touch left again and this time he turned away.

"We should get on the road. Do you mind taking my things to the car? I'll go check us out." Tab asked as he retrieved phone, wallet and charger from the bedside table.

"No problem. I'll meet you out there."

The door opened and closed, Tab disappearing behind it.

Good, cause Emmett needed to catch his breath. He gathered the couple of remaining bags in the room and stepped out as well, lighting a cigarette as soon as he could. He looked down at his free hand as he drew in the first drag. It was empty but he could still feel Tab’s touch tingling his skin.

"Shit. He's got me."