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It wasn't as late as he usually left the infirmary, but it wasn't exactly early, either. The sun was going down, dinner had been served and cleaned up, and the island was on it's way to quieting down. Fortunate, since Ezekiel really wasn't in the mood to be ambushed for another spar by a feral ginger. He didn't mind going head to head, but there were times when he would simply prefer not.

Lagertha rumbled in his head about not always having the choice, but the Mist ignored her with practiced ease.

She was still nagging at him as he let himself into the dorms and started heading down the hall with only a brief glance at room 4 as he passed it. Ever was back, but Zeke didn't know where he was, and the Life had made no attempt at contacting him. While he would have liked to see the other man--it had been over a week now, and before he'd left the frequencies of their trysts had been ideal--he wasn't going to go hunt him down.

That being the case, catching up on sleep sounded like a grand plan.

Things had a funny way of working out sometimes.

The door to the men's showers opened and out walked Ever in nothing but a tower, hair plastered in heavy waves against his head and neck. Zeke blink ed at the other man, surprised, before a slow, leering smile crept along his lips. Heat in his eyes, and something that came close to irritation. While his busy schedule could account for some of the subtle changes in their routine, it couldn't explain away everything. Subtle differences, easily missed at first, but Zeke was starting to see a pattern.

Whether on purpose, or absent-mindedly, Ever seemed to be trying to avoid him. Zeke wasn't sure why. The time they did spend together was certainly enjoyable.

"Well aren't you a sight for sore eyes." His tone, at least was neutral, warm even. He didn't stop, but his pace slowed into something deliberately leisurely.

At least the tone was the usual. Dry, dismissive, though it lacked that playful edge it often held. Zeke's head tipped slightly to one side as Ever went through the hassle required to gain a firm hold on the towel, and a brow twitched minutely upward.

"Generally speaking." That pale gaze drifted up slowly until he met dark eyes. Ever was still Ever. Still the pale, almost gangly man he had always been--Messy, pale hair, nose a little on the large side. Not the traditional ideal of 'handsome', but Zeke, at least, had always found him very appealing. Distance didn't make him less attractive to the Mist. If anything, it increased it.

The leer intensified as they drew level, and there was still that sharp edge that spoke of more than just rough handling and rougher sex, but his tone was level, amicable, even friendly in that way they usually spoke to each other. Light, teasing, baiting. "What ever do you mean?"

Ever stopped, and so did Zeke. His hands were still in his pockets, but they'd closed in loose fists. A concious effort to keep them where they were, for now. "Yes. Earlier than expected."

He caught the soap automatically, and the smile faltered a touch as Ever started walking again, leaving Zeke standing in the middle of the hall with a bar of soap in one hand like an invitation. Or a possible invitation. When had it become so hard to read what Ever wanted? "Seems to be my default these days."

Brows dipping, he frowned after that pale figure, watched the roll of muscles in his shoulders and followed the lines of his body. The nail of thumb left little crescents as he tapped it against the side of the soap, but after a thoughtful moment he started moving again, following the other man.

The banter might have been familiar, but the body language was not. Zeke came to a slow stop outside Ever's dorm, the Life himself baring entrance to the room beyond. It had brows pinching slightly, a little of that underlying annoyance peaking through as pale eyes flicked from his face down to his hand, then back again.

He thought about just walking away, taking the soap with him. It'd already been a long day, a little sleep really did sound fantastic, but something kept him from making that first move.

Instead he lingered, and the vial of neutrality slipped away from his smile to leave it sharp. "I guess your shower warmed you up just fine, hmm?" A brow cocked, voice heavy with innuendo and something warmer as his gaze dipped to take in the large amount of pale, bare skin. "Alright then." Straightening again, he moved to drop the soap into Ever's waiting hand.

He'd half turned to leave, even as his gaze lingered on the other man. Watching the shift of his foot, the fidgeting, and quick flick of tongue moistening dry lips. That was a familiar reaction. It tugged Zeke's lips up in a satisfied way that would have been a smirk if he hadn't schooled his features.

"Maybe they thought you'd blend in with your surroundings." It wasn't entirely nice, but there wasn't any real malice behind it. As if Zeke had any complaints regarding Ever's body.

The towel slipped, by accident or design, and pale eyes dropped to stretch of newly exposed skin, following the line of the scar that was visible, then slowly returned to Ever's face.

Mixed signals. So many mixed signals.

"So just how cold was it?"

"Sounds awful." Cold was one thing, but frigid was quite another. Ezekiel preferred warmer weather, always had, even before he'd let Salt Lake City four years ago. Florida, then Deus, tropical and warm. It was hard to imagine Ever thriving. Skinny, pale man that he was, he'd probably had to employ countless layers just to keep from succumbing to hypothermia.

Everything Ever was doing or saying within the last few minutes was contradictory. A dismissive comment, followed by a question to keep him close. Blocking the door, only to flash an ever widening triangle of pale skin. Even now, within the same breath. Zeke's lips twitched, tugging briefly to one side, and he drew in a breath as he rolled his head to loosen the muscles in his neck, stopping as he heard the soft satisfaction of a pop.

The game was growing tiresome. "Do you want me stay and help warm you up? Or do you want me to go?" That thin thread of annoyance was back, Zeke's patience running thin.