I was ridiculously warm and comfortable and I could feel myself smiling like an idiot. Slowly I pulled my heavy eyelids open and blinked in my surroundings.

Axel slept beside me, his long eye lashes fluttered with his dreams. I poked his cheek and he pouted cutely so I poked it again and he slapped himself, opening his eyes wide.

"Ow." He complained, looking at me like I was the one who hit him.

"I'm in your bed." I stated the obvious.

"Shh, the alarm hasn't gone off." He rolled me over and threw his arm over me, pulling my body in close to his. I closed my eyes, unable to remove the stupid grin from my face.

There was a knock at his door and I felt his whole body freeze. He removed his arm and sat up, I rolled over to face him and he shot a worrying glance at me.

His lean finger placed over his lips, shushing me, then he grabbed hold of my hand and pulled me out of bed, dragging me to the door without saying a single word.

I shivered with the coldness, only wearing last nights grey sweat-shorts and a T-shirt. He opened the door after positioning me behind it.

"Commander, sir?" Axel questioned. I remained silent except for the pounding in my own heart.

He calls his dad 'sir' even when they are alone?

"I'm here for a progress report on your recruits." His voice sounded harsh and intimidating, it made my blood run cold.

"Right now, sir?" Axel's voice seemed shaky, I could almost hear the fear.

"We're at the halfway mark to the fitness test. Are they ready for it?" His father asked sternly, using his professional voice.

"Most are I believe." Axel replied.

"Most?" He shouted aggressively making me flinch even though I was hidden behind the door.

"If I were running this field they would all be ready to do it three times over, no complaints. This just will not do. Focus on the stronger ones. We will cart the weaker ones off to the judge, they're not making a mockery out of my boot camp just because the Lieutenant is an embarrassment."

"Sir, I have hundreds of recruits under my wing, nobody has given me a valid enough reason to send them away. I would need need to follow correct protocol, three disciplinaries."

"Then you force them into acting up, give us a reason to cart them off."

Jesus, that's a bit harsh.

"Forgive me commander, sir, but some of the recruits have young children or sick family members. Bootcamp might not be total freedom but they can talk to their family on the phone whenever they want, they have access to lawyers of their choosing and meet with them freely. For some of the recruits, bootcamp is a better mental fit for them.

You're asking me to back them into a corner here, force the least fit into misbehaving enough for a disciplinary against them?"

"I'm glad you finally understand how to run things around here Axel, took you long enough."

"You want me to lead in a corrupt way?"

The commander stepped closer and Axels grip tightened on the door, preventing it from getting it pushed open.

"I'm telling you not to make our boot camp look bad. I'm telling you not to make your leadership look bad. My son. You'll make me look bad and I can promise you, you don't want to do that."

He spoke his threat.

"Understood?"

"Sir, yes sir." Axel muttered without confidence. I heard his father tut loudly.

I mean I know we're all criminals but at least at boot camp we can hook up with the generals. We can sneak out and go to the bar. It was the better end of the bargain and Axel was smart enough to know that but it looks like pleasing his father was remaining the highest of priorities here.

"Axel you are a disgrace, comb your hair through and get into your uniform. I see your bed hasn't been made either. Do not be late to the field, let's see if you can do something right and lead by example."

"Sir, yes sir." Axel slammed the door shut and headed for his fridge, taking out a bottle of water and sipping from it without addressing what just happened. I watched him carefully. He wiped his mouth and placed the lid back on the bottle.

"I think you should leave." He finally spoke.

I thought about it for a second, thought about what I would want in that moment and then I acted.

"Come on."

I took hold of his hand and led him back to the bed, climbing in and dragging him with me, then I threw the covers over us both and snuggled into him.

"We're not going to let him ruin our morning."

It took only a few seconds before he relaxed, melting into me completely. Then he did something which surprised us both, he brought my hand to his lips and planted a soft kiss on the back.

His whole body stilled.

"Uh... I don't know... I didn't... I have no idea why I just did that." He stuttered looking a little embarrassed.

"Stop over thinking things." I simply suggested.

We lay in the pure bliss of each other's arms for fifteen minutes before the alarm went off and we were forced to start the day.

Axel rolled onto the floor and started doing push-ups, I spread my body in the extra space of his bed, watching him.

After he was done working out he put together two bowls of cereal and handed me one, positioning himself laying across the bottom of his bed.

"I hope it's okay I let you stay here last night you fell asleep on the sofa so I lifted you into bed." He said in between shovelling cornflakes into his mouth. I nodded enthusiastically.

"Food good. Bed goooooood. Company? Debatable." I earned the reward of his laughter. "You're not going to make me do the generals stupid punishments are you?"

He tipped the bowl to his mouth, drinking the milk. And then he peeked over the porcelain and smiled. "You need to learn to behave Williams and you're nowhere near ready for the fitness test. You can't fail. You fail, you're done."

"I think if I haven't learned to behave already I never will." I pointed out. He stood up and gathered up his toothbrush from the sink, loading it with a blob of toothpaste.

"I think you're right." He admitted before brushing his teeth.

I got out of bed, setting my bowl down in the sink and watched him make his pearly whites sparkle.

After he was done I hip bumped him out of the way and took his tooth brush, loading it with another blob of toothpaste and brushing my own.

This time he watched me, I could see his amusement but he tried to look angry about it.

"I gotta go shower and you gotta go change. What will you tell your roommates when they ask where you where?" He started making his bed, pulling it really straight like there could be no room for error.

"I'll tell them I'm sleeping with the Lieutenant and spent the night over at his place making mad passionate love." He dropped his pillow.

"What?" He screeched with maximum worry. As soon as I started laughing his body relaxed.

"I'll tell them I'm fooling around with one of the generals. They'll believe it, happens all the time." I walked up to the bed, watching his face screw up in annoyance because he couldn't quite get the sheet straight on the right hand corner.

"It does? Which ones? Who?" He asked in disbelief.

"I'm not a nark." I pointed out with amusement.

He continued pulling the bedsheet straight, eager to please his dad even though he wasn't here. He skimmed his hand over the flat service ridding any bumps in the material.

"Axel?" He looked up from the bed sheets.

I grabbed hold of the edge and pulled the whole duvet back, messing up all of his effort. He stared at me, unable to comprehend what just happened. I sucked in my lips to hide my smile. The look of pure bewilderment on his face amused me to no ends.

"It doesn't have to be perfect just because he says it does. For once in your life just do something wrong, you'll feel good for it. Leave it a mess." He started re-straightening the sheets again immediately.

"Get out of here Harper, you're a bad influence!" He joked and shooed me away with his hands. He watched me cross his living space and head for the door.

"Oh and by the way, you're doing the generals extra punishments." He informed me, I groaned and threw him the middle finger without actually turning around.

"You've just added on another three!" He called out to me and I left him with just the slamming of his door.