He laughs at that, not half as bright as it had been last time, but still there, still something. "I dunno. I think you managed. Maybe something more manly, like red?"

He can hear the return of the troops, and Wash is just about to push York away, put some distance between them before he way York says his name makes him scream.

And then York is kissing him. It's a soft little thing, sweet and more forgiving than Wash deserves. He's a monster and York already said, even unknowingly, that he's crossed a line he can't come back from. But it feels too good to reject it and maybe he's always been this weak.

He lets York pull him up, keeps his head ducked while he composes himself. He can already hear the whispers and rumours.