Face is laughing. Ton has already forgotten the joke and which of the five pilots crowded into the tiny speeder for this mission had told it, but his wingmate is crammed up against his side, laughter loud in his ear. He can feel Face's shoulder shaking against his with mirth, his stomach contracting as his amused breath stutters in and out.

It feels good to be this close to him, Face warm and alive all up against his left side as his right leans against the door. The excuse for such closeness is welcome, and Ton is drinking it in all too eagerly. At the same time, he tries to swallow through his dry throat and keep the pounding of his heart from becoming loud enough for the entire team to hear.

He doesn't want this ride to end.

Face catches his eye with a grin, and for a heart-stopping second, Ton thinks of how easy it would be to duck in and kiss him. He's starting to think Face wouldn't mind that. Wouldn't laugh at him or brush it off as joke. Would reciprocate, would care-

No. It's too soon. It feels too much like wishful thinking. Ton would never admit to being fragile, but he knows how he would feel if he made a move and Face rejected him. The feelings he can't quite bring himself to name are frighteningly real and deep, things he hasn't felt for another person in a long time. To lay them at Face's feet and have them denied would crush him.

So Ton just smirks back and makes a saucy joke about how close he and Face and Tyria are together in the backseat and what they might get up to. Kell frowns back at them from the front as Tyria rolls her eyes. Face laughs again and puts his hand on Ton's knee in a ridiculously over-the-top display of seduction.

Internally, Ton's composure breaks all over again.