Inspired by the song Under The Sheets by Ellie Goulding. Helped along by mrstotten over at LiveJournal.

It wasn't much. Nothing in fact, but Eli couldn't take his eyes off it, the small fading bruise a marr against the delicate skin of his neck, the place where Matt had stripped him bare and bought him to his knees with words and touches. It was like an indelible stain that no amount of scrubbing was going to clean. Eli wasn't even sure he wanted to clean it. He wanted to look at it, remember Matt's broad expanse of back, glistening in the near darkness, slick with sweat, muscles rippling under skin. Wanted to look at that place and see it, because it was the only proof he had that anything had ever happened.

It had all began two days before.

Rush had been in a particularly bad mood, shouting at people more than normal, throwing things around till everyone but Eli had been thrown out. He kind of wished he joined everyone else though because Rush's mood had made the room uncomfortable. Matt had saved him, claiming Young needed him and Eli had heaved a sigh of relief the second he left the room, the swoosh of the doors sealing him off from Rush. Matt had smiled and help up a bottle of Mr Brody's finest rocket fuel.

"Young doesn't really need you. Thought you could do with rescuing."

"My hero." Eli had laughed, the mood between them lighter than it had been for ages, and taken a large mouthful, the liquid burning his throat on the way down.

That had only been the beginning. It wasn't Eli's fault that the liquor had brought out the feeling that he had tried so hard to stamp down, it wasn't his fault that right when he was beginning to think that maybe he'd had enough, Matt had reached across him to grab something and lost his balance, tumbling them both to the floor. As Matt laughed, Eli had swallowed hard. It wasn't Eli's fault that in trying to right himself, Matt's body pushed against him in just the wrong (right) way. Something dark had pooled in Eli's belly and his traitorous cock had stirred in his pants. Matt had frozen before looking down at him, his head cocked to the side.

"Huh." He had said, like something obvious had just occurred to him.

"Matt..." Matt had moved again, deliberately this time and grinned when Eli's eyes fluttered and his head hit the floor with a dull thud.

"I see." Matt had sounded far too calm about the whole thing, whilst Eli was panicking, blood pounding in his ears, brains grasping at anything to say that might make this better. But before he could think of anything, Matt moved his face closer, close enough that Eli could feel his hot breath on his lips and see the way his pupils were dilating, even in the dimness of the room.

Eli had felt like this was some elaborate joke, and he was yet to understand the punchline, the words falling on deaf ears as everyone else in the room laughed. But Matt had looked deadly serious, the playfulness gone from his eyes, replaced with something Eli had only ever dreamt about.

For a long time they had just looked at each other, so close they were out of focus, breathing each others air until Matt moved. Close the gap until his lips were millimetres from Eli's. Eli could practically taste him. All he needed to do was to lick his lips and Matt would be there, sweet on his tongue.

"You're gonna have to give me something Eli." Matt had said, his voice pitched low and suddenly Eli was stone cold sober, senses heightened, skin tingling where Matt still lay touching him, thinking more clearly than ever before.

Eli had decided that if there was ever a time to be brave, now was it and so he moved then, hands framing Matt's face, searching for any hint of hesitation before pulling him closer and kissing him. Matt had frozen just for a second but then had melted into Eli, body losing all tension as he kissed back. As Matt kissed him back. It was then that Eli thought he had died and gone to heaven. Matt's body hard and pressing down on Eli's, Matt's mouth over his, Matt's tongue flicking out just a bit, like he was tasting Eli.

Months of enforced dieting and yoga with Chloe, and running from Matt when Matt tried to get him to do PT, had left Eli slimmer than he had ever been, his face harder, cheekbones more pronounced and his jeans now hung off his hips. Eli had taken to wearing a makeshift belt of a piece of string he mad managed to ferret away from some store room. Matt's hands skimmed up his sides, fingers dipping under his, now overly large, t-shirt and Eli sucked in a breath.

Eli didn't even know how his t-shirt ended up on the floor beside him, and Matt's along with it, but then there had been skin on skin and he couldn't find the energy to care, not when Matt was still kissing him and Eli could practically feel his heart beating through his own chest.

Eli was thinking too much. He knew that. He knew that he should be feeling instead, feeling Matt's hands on him, Matt's warm skin next to his own, Matt's tongue in his mouth but thoughts kept flying around in his head, picking up information, snippets of images that it shouldn't see, that Eli didn't want it to see. Thoughts like, what is Matt thinking? And is this a huge mistake? Where do we go from here?

He managed to push Matt off enough to take a breath, but Matt's mouth attached itself to Eli's neck, bit gently once then sucked, hard and the breath got caught in Eli's throat.

"Matt...wait a minute...stop." Matt didn't stop, just paused long enough to let out a muttered "huh?"

"What's happening here?" Eli had asked and he could feel the words sticking in his mouth, could hear how stupid they sounded when he should just have been giving in and letting go but Eli had never been the one to give up, it's what got him stuck on this stupid ship in the first place.

Matt pulled back, his eyes were heavy, his pupils blown, his lips were swollen and suddenly talking to Matt didn't like such a bad idea, not when he could look into those eyes and see that look on Matt's face.

"Can't you work it out for yourself Math Boy?" Matt had asked. Eli had swallowed hard at the use of the nickname, it had always been funny, slightly derogatory but then Eli knew he would never be able to hear it again without thinking of Matt half naked on top of him.

"Yeah, I get that, but..."

"Eli, anyone ever tell you that you talk too much?" Matt had asked.

"Yes, actually people tell me that all..."

"Shut up." Matt had kissed him again then. Harder this time and Eli had given in, given into the way his hip canted upwards, crashing into Matt's causing Matt to groan, the sound pulled right from his toes before grinding back.

Somehow Matt had managed to get his hand in between them. The heel of his hand pushing just the right side of hard into Eli's crotch, fingers cupping round Eli's cock through his jeans and Eli hadn't cared if he had died then and there.

Matt's hands were sure, knowing and Eli had tried to shake the sick jolt of jealousy at the thought that Matt had done this before with another guy as Matt had ground his hips into Eli's thigh.

Matt had come first, shaking above Eli, breath hot on Eli's neck with a whispered "Eli" escaping his lips. It hadn't taken Eli long after before he was shuddering along with Matt.

Long before Eli had been able to move Matt had been up on his feet, t-shirt pulled over his head and out of the door, muttering something about having to be somewhere and Eli had been left wondering what the hell he was meant to do with dirty jeans and a bruise on his neck.

Which leads him to where he was now, wandering the halls of Destiny, his hoodie done right up so no one could see the rapidly fading bruise on his neck. Eli had taken to pushing against it when he was by himself, just to remind him that it had actually happened.

He had been walking past the shuttle when he had spotted Matt alone. Matt always sat in the shuttles when he needed to think, Eli had interrupted him once, spouting nonsense when Matt needed to be alone. But Eli hadn't cared what Matt wanted and walked right in. Matt had obviously heard his footsteps and turned, just like last time only there was no easy smile to greet him this time.

"Eli...I was just going to come find you." Matt said.

"Really?" Eli snorted, "Cos it felt like you were avoiding me." Matt looked back at him, his eyes meeting Eli's. Eli couldn't seem to help it but every time he looked at Matt now it was like he was looking at him underwater, the image shifting and distorted until all Eli could see is Matt half naked and shuddering his release against Eli.

"I was trying to figure...out what to say to you." Matt admitted, looking back at his hands, hands that two days previously had been touching Eli. Eli remembered Matt's hands skimming down his sides and dipping into his jeans. The quiet you're loosing weight, like it was a bad thing, that Matt had muttered against his neck when his hands played over his ribs. Matt looked at Eli and clenched his hands, knuckles turning white as if he could read Eli's mind

"Matt...listen, we'll blame the alcohol and never talk of it again, ok?" Eli took one for the team, because there was no way anyone could have anything secret on this ship for long. And they were stuck here, forever probably if he and Rush couldn't figure out a way to get home.

"Is that what you want?" Matt asked. Matt had a bad habit of being able to mask his emotions leaving his face blank and hard to read, so Eli had no idea what Matt really wanted.

"Is that what you want?" Eli asked, tired of the skirting around the issue. Matt suddenly stood, forcing Eli to stand as well. They were face to face yet still Eli had no idea what Matt was thinking. Matt scrubbed his hands over his face before raking them through his short hair.

"Christ Eli, no. That's not what I want." Matt looked at Eli again and this time his face was open, full of hope and hesitation and fear and there wasn't much Eli could do except smile back.

"Good, cos I don't want that either."

Matt grinned as the shuttle doors slid shut. He reached for Eli and Eli shot a worried glance at the closing doors.

"You do realise people can still see us, right?"

"I don't care. Do you?" Matt asked. Eli didn't get a chance to answer because Matt hooked a finger at him. "Come here Eli."

Eli returned the grin as he complied because even though he wasn't military when Matt gave him an order Eli found it hard to disobey.