Thank you as always to Penguin of Prose for phenomenal beta testing! I wish every writer had such a great beta.

About this chapter...As much as I love the fact that Mackson is an established couple, I've been wanting to return to writing something from when they were new together. I promise another Season 7 chapter soon, but for now it's back to Season 4 when Mackson first get together. So in the context of this fic, I've always said that each chapter stands alone but you could pretty much place this one chronologically right after "Matchmaking". I should add that it contradicts the scenario I wrote in the chapter "Hope" though; I've aimed to improve upon it!

Part I

"So, are we going to spend more time together again?"

It's the last thing Miller asks Jackson before the two men decide to return to the mission that they have temporarily paused: picking up Raven, Murphy, and Emori and driving them to the bunker. They have just gotten dressed, having finished spending far more time than they should have in each other's arms, in the back of the rover.

For Miller, the encounter had meant several things. Some really good sex. A potential new relationship. And possibly the last sex and affection he will ever have if – for some reason – he doesn't survive the death wave.

Who the hell am I kidding? Miller asks himself. I don't do casual when it comes to this stuff. I really really want this to be more than a hookup. If we live past the next five days.

So that's why Miller asks the awkward question. He and Jackson did a good job communicating their preferences in the sexual department just now, but they haven't talked about where this might go or what this even is. The words are awkward and Miller's heart catches just a bit as he speaks them. But he wants to know what Jackson thinks.

"I'd like to," Jackson answers simply, as he fastens his jacket. "Would you?"

"Yes."

With that, Miller climbs back into the front seat, behind the wheel and Jackson resumes his shotgun position. Before Miller starts up the rover, Jackson reaches for him and plants one more kiss on his mouth. Miller can't resist smiling.

The next several hours are a blur of constant activity. Murphy and Emori interrogate them during the ride; neither Miller nor Jackson tries too hard to deny that something is brewing between them. Jackson dozes off during part of the ride. Miller glances over at him a few times and feels his heart melt a bit – but as soon as they enter the bunker, there's no time for anything except a flurry of work. Sergeant David Miller hands his son a task list immediately and Jackson is off to med bay before they can do much more than exchange a look and a "see you later". Miller is put on a team organizing the bunker and finds himself at one point standing in the rotunda, directing members of the different Ark stations. At another point he's on guard duty, which unfortunately means guarding his friend Bellamy. He is eventually relieved of his shift, runs into his dad in the hall, and his dad practically begs him to get some sleep.

"I will. Eventually," Miller promises, though his insides are buzzing and he's far too keyed up for sleep. There's too much going on right now. A death wave that is just days away. A new home – drab, underground, utilitarian, and the only survivable place for the next five years. And Jackson. Miller has spent the past several hours, especially his time on guard duty, replaying his moments with Jackson in the rover. The man is a good kisser. And a good lover. Sure, it was awkward at times too like it always is your first time with someone new, but it was pretty wonderful once they'd gotten into a rhythm. Miller wants him back in his arms. He wants to be touching him again.

"There you are," someone calls, approaching Miller, her boots sounding loudly on the ground as she strides up to him. The guard member is holding a tablet and saying that she's working on roommate assignments. "We put you with Madrigal," she says. "If you want to switch or have any requests, we can try to do it now – or wait till the dust settles."

"Uh, that's fine," Miller manages. He wants to request Jackson but it's just too early. The two shared a sexual tryst and a promise of spending more time together but that, Miller reminds himself, is all. He wants to room with Jackson but doesn't want to be too forward or push things too fast.

His next stop is med bay, and his heart speeds up as he approaches it. He opens the door, scans the room, and again his heart flips a bit just at the sight of Eric Jackson. He's there, bending over some equipment. Miller spots Abby in the distance, peering at a tablet.

Jackson must sense his presence, and he turns around. Miller's heart thumps once more upon seeing the spontaneous smile spread across Jackson's face and the eager way that Jackson walks right up to him.

They don't get much time to talk. Miller understands how busy Jackson is, and it seems Jackson understands the same about Miller. "I heard," Jackson is saying, "that you did a great job organizing the stations. You really hit the ground running when we got here."

Miller's trademark sarcasm and wit are gone. He just grins, knowing he looks like an idiot. "Just – you know – doing my job," he manages. "How's med bay?"

"It should be fine," Jackson says, his gaze now moving from Miller to dart around the room. Miller wants Jackson's eyes back on him. "We're going to meet with Kara Cooper and check on the medicinal plants next, but all the supplies from Mount Weather are accounted for. The equipment here's not bad. Just old."

"I-I know you're busy. Just wanted to stop in and say hi," Miller says. He truly doesn't know how long he can or should stay, but he guesses that Dr. Griffin is going to call out "Jackson!" any second now.

Jackson takes one more step closer to Miller and touches his hand to Miller's arm. "I'm glad you did. Someone came by and told us that dinner's in two hours. Maybe we can eat together. If you're off duty by then."

"I'd like that."

It is Jackson who, again, initiates things, placing a hand on the side of Miller's face and pulling him into a kiss. Miller happily returns the kiss, touching a hand to the back of Jackson's head. Many delicious memories from their night in the rover flood back, and Miller wishes the kiss would never have to end.

Miller sits next to his dad in the mess hall. The other guardsmen and women give them space, perhaps recognizing that the Millers have hardly spent any time together since Nathan departed for Becca's island and they need to catch up. The Sergeant does share some news that momentarily jolts Nathan: his ex Bryan has died. Apparently he was one of the victims of the black rain. "I know you two split up and I do think that was for the best," the Sergeant is saying. "But he was a good soldier and I wanted to let you know."

Miller nods somberly and allows the news to sink in. Death is an everyday occurrence for him, and it has been since the moment the dropship was cast out from the Ark. It happens all the time and there is not much to be done about it other than taking a moment to reflect upon the latest loss. Miller has been told that Jasper, Monty, and Harper chose to stay behind in Arkadia and he hates the fact that he didn't get a chance to say goodbye. Raven chose to stay on Becca's island, and Octavia is locked out on the other side of the bunker's door. Untold numbers more will perish when the death wave hits. Of course it's different and strange thinking of the death of Bryan – they used to love each other but they broke up, having spent their last several encounters doing nothing but irritating each other.

"I hope he didn't suffer much," Nathan says sincerely. He takes a sip of his drink and is glad for the meal in front of him. The food is hearty and the portions decent-sized. The adrenaline surges he's been having seem to be winding down, he's almost feeling tired, and so he appreciates the energy he's getting from the food.

"I don't believe that he did." The Sergeant's voice then switches from grave to positive. "I heard that you and Dr. Jackson might be starting something up?"

Miller laughs and shakes his head. "Word travels fast here. We really need better distractions – like a TV show or tablet games like they had before!"

"Can't argue with that," the Sergeant says, smiling. "Well, in any case, I've always been a fan of Dr. Jackson so that was one piece of gossip that I hoped was true. You-" The Sergeant looks up and breaks off his sentence. "And speaking of that," he gestures and waves at Jackson who indeed is entering the mess hall and has spotted the Millers.

Miller turns his head and once again his heart just dances as Jackson walks over to their table. I think I need to forget about playing it cool, Miller realizes. I really and truly can't do it.

Jackson sets his tray down at their table and the three men talk for a bit. After not long, the Sergeant fabricates a blatantly flimsy reason to leave, directing a knowing smile at his son.

Miller then sits facing Jackson, his emotions still skipping around a bit, and he starts with, "My dad likes you a lot."

"Well the feeling is mutual," Jackson responds. As usual, he sounds sincere and serious. "I'm very honored to hear that he likes me."

Miller decides to throw caution to the wind and adds, "He heard that we might be starting something up and he's all for it."

It is the icebreaker they need. Miller knows it was a risk to bring it up; it's presumptuous and bold. But Jackson voices no objections, and they share a laugh over Skaikru's love of gossip. They need a laugh - there's not much to joke about right now, knowing the death wave is coming, knowing that every grounder on the face of the planet except for Emori and Niylah is about to burn. The guilt alone is almost paralyzing. Yet conversely, Miller feels almost cozy down here inside this ugly bunker. He knows if he can accept the fact that some of his friends are dying – and that Bellamy is furious and heartbroken and might never speak to him again – then he has to at least appreciate the fact that some of his friends along with his dad and his maybe-boyfriend are alive and safe.

They find a few more things to smile about as Jackson finishes up his meal. Someone brought a guitar to the bunker and has whipped it out and started playing – while another man sings along, off-key. Despite the poor quality of the singing, the song itself isn't bad though. It's hundreds of years old, and when Miller can bring himself to listen to the lyrics, he thinks it's about young love. He hears phrases like "impetuous fire", "ice and desire", and "Cupid he rules us all".

He glances at Jackson. His heart pounds. Jackson looks sweet and thoughtful. He didn't object to what Miller said earlier about the gossip surrounding them. Miller touches his hand to Jackson's. "Do you want to come to my room with me?" Jackson nods, and off they go.

The door doesn't lock, so Miller drags a chair in front of it to serve as a warning. "I don't think my roommate's going to be here for a while though," he says. "My dad mentioned that her shift starts after dinner."

Privacy concerns addressed now, the two men hungrily reach for each other, not wasting another moment. The sex, Miller muses, is even better now. They'd had a few awkward moments in the rover - a few elbows in the wrong place, a time when they had to change position due to an injured muscle acting up - but they handled most of them by just talking. This time each man starts with a basic understanding of what the other likes. Miller wants to take his time now, using his mouth on Jackson for a long, long time. He's been worried that Jackson in the rover did too much giving of pleasure rather than receiving it, and he wants to show his new lover that he can give too. But Jackson gently pushes Miller's head away after a few minutes and asks, "Fuck me again?" and Miller cannot resist an invitation like that. It's smoother this time, the bed is a better surface than the back of the rover, even though the springs creak loudly. Miller knows to – and wants to – take this slowly too, focusing on lots of kissing and touching and not so much on "pounding", at least not till the end when he gets close and loses most of his control.

They remain in bed for a long time. Miller kind of needs to get up and go to the bathroom but he doesn't want to leave this warm bed that has Jackson in it. He's staying in Jackson's arms, they're murmuring nothing in particular to each other, he's currently caressing Jackson's face. Miller vaguely wants to go for round two and figures they will gear up for it soon but mostly he just wants to relax in bed next to this man and continue touching him, continue looking into his soft brown eyes.

But their happiness is short-lived. Suddenly they hear loud noises and screams. They jump to their feet and throw their clothing on. More loud sounds, crashes, clanging – and the now-horrifying sound of the Trig language.

The door to the bunker has been opened and 1,200 grounders are storming in. They are rounding up Skaikru and dragging them to the rotunda.

Part II

The irony, Jackson thinks, is that he and Miller do end up becoming roommates after all.

When he'd first heard that he and Miller hadn't been assigned to the same room, he hadn't worried too much, figuring they had all the time in the world to figure things out and swap with someone eventually. But now they – along with everyone else – live 7 or 8 to a room, packed in, every single bed in every single room taken.

Jackson knows he has no right to complain, and so he doesn't. Three hundred and fifty members of Skaikru – including Miller's father – didn't make the cut for the bunker. There are young children, like Ethan, who are now orphans. There are newly widowed people, like Kara Cooper.

And Abby is suffering; Jackson's rock and center is distraught and horrified knowing - as they all do - that the crazy plan for Clarke and the others to go into space had just a ghost of a chance of succeeding. They can't communicate outside the bunker anyway, and Abby will either go for five years or the rest of her life without knowing her daughter's fate. Abby is also furious at Kane for keeping her inside the bunker. Jackson's heart breaks for Abby, knowing that she doesn't feel she deserves to live. He struggles to stay focused as his mentor flounders.

So Miller is without his father, Abby is without her daughter, and Jackson just tries to tell himself to take one day at a time, one moment at a time.

The crowded bedrooms do make life a challenge though. It can be hard to get a good night's sleep when one roommate is sobbing, another gets up to pace, and a third is snoring. And Jackson needs sleep, needs to be at his absolute best every single day for his patients. Because he has a lot of them.

Med bay is constantly a swarm of activity, and Jackson is lucky when he has time for a break. The grounders have sundry wounds, some old and some fresh. Not every clan had healers as great as Nyko, and some of these old wounds need treatment, broken bones that were never set properly, warriors too stoic to admit to years of physical pain. Skaikru needs med bay's services too. They are angry and terrified. They are experiencing everything from survivor's guilt to depression to anxiety. Jackson sees them all, talks to every person who comes into med bay whether they need a bandage or a shoulder to cry on. Grounders may be stoic but they, too, are struggling with the end of life as they knew it, with the realization that they won't see the sun for five years, with having lost loved ones. Jackson knows that they are human beings, same as Skaikru, they are in agony too over their loved ones who were not chosen to be clan survivors. They often lash out at each other, picking fights over nothing, and Jackson can barely keep up with treating their physical injuries let alone their emotional ones.

Jackson remembers his first dinner inside the bunker. He believes it was only five days ago but it feels like five months ago. Laughing with Miller over gossip and bad singing. Talking with Sergeant Miller…. may we meet again, Sergeant. Going back to Miller's quiet, unoccupied room and leisurely loving each other.

No more comfortable meal times now, no more reasonable lines and familiar chatter at the tables. Now you might find yourself standing for 20 minutes to get your meager portion, and every seat at every table is occupied. Grounders sit according to clan, speaking in Trig – which Jackson knows he needs to learn – and giving dirty looks to Skaikru's 100 survivors.

Jackson closes his eyes and takes a breath. He's inside med bay's supply closet now, one of the only quiet places inside this entire bunker. He takes another breath. He's just mentally recounted everything that's stressing him out and he asks himself if he's forgotten anything.

Well, one more. Bellamy's gone now too, off with Clarke on that mission that almost certainly failed – and Miller misses him too. He was the closest thing Miller had to a best friend. No loss can match the loss of the Sergeant though.

Jackson takes another breath but his heart rate is still racing. He's failing. Failing to think of anything meaningful to say to either Miller or Abby other than asking if they want to talk. Failing to stay calm and centered. The walls in this bunker feel like they are closing in on him, squeezing him, pressing him, and making him sweat despite the cold temperature. At least, he thinks, the Ark had windows. Even on the ground he rarely spent much time outside of med bay but a part of him is missing the sunlight and the trees as much as any grounder is.

He forces himself to focus, locates the item he needs, and takes care of his patient. A bleary-eyed Abby enters med bay, tells Jackson he's been here since breakfast and it's now the middle of the night, and orders him to get some rest. He knows that she's not had it any easier than he has today, but he's too frazzled to argue. He heads down the corridor towards his room, realizes he's made a wrong turn, backtracks, and finally finds the room.

The room is dark, with only the emergency lights along the floor glowing dimly. It appears that most of Jackson's seven roommates are here, some snoring, one of them tossing and turning. He approaches his bunk bed, undresses to his underwear even though the room is chilly, and sits down for a second. His insides are still a mess, the crushing and frightening feeling of anxiety swirling around his belly. He feels that he's made of nothing but fears and worries about spending the next five years down here.

He wants to do something but can't decide if it's wrong or right. Glancing up at the top bunk he guesses that Miller is sound asleep. They sat together a bit during supper as Miller had a 15 minute break to eat, and it was clear that Miller's day hasn't been any easier.

But Jackson takes a breath and decides to do it anyway. He climbs the ladder a few steps up, to Miller's bunk. "Can I join you?" Jackson whispers.

Miller sleepily grunts something which sounds like ascent, and he shifts his position. Jackson fits himself next to Miller, somehow finding a way to get two grown men onto one bunk bed.

"You okay?" Miller whispers. He moves slightly, turning over and placing his arms around Jackson.

"I'm sorry I woke you," Jackson whispers back.

"No problem. I'm off till midday tomorrow. You don't ever seen to get a break though, do you? You're pretty stressed, huh?"

"Yeah," Jackson admits. "Just trying to adjust."

He squeezes Jackson tightly for a bit. "You'll adjust. Look, it's not so bad here. We got each other."

"Yes. I feel like I'm a mess right now though. I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apologize," Miller says firmly, his voice a bit louder than it had been. "And you don't have to pretend. You can be a mess in front of me if you want."

Jackson takes a breath. How did this 18 year old Miller get to be so mature and wise? "Thank you," Jackson says. "I try to remind myself of the good stuff. Like how we have each other."

"Right? And I know it's weird with all the grounders here, but we don't need to worry about our places here. You're a respected healer. I'm close with Octavia. And I'm getting to know Indra better – we fought together in Polis against ALIE. I'll be tight with her soon, she'll see that I'm a loyal soldier. And Abby will come 'round. She's close with Kane, or she will be again, and he's our chancellor." Miller pauses. "We will survive this. We'll get along and adapt like we always do. And in five years, we get out of this place and get to live on the ground."

Jackson is quiet for several moments. The fear and worries swirling around his gut aren't gone but they feel a notch more manageable than they did a few minutes ago. "You're right."

They lay in silence for several moments. Jackson feels Miller relax and wonders if he's drifted back to sleep now. But then Miller speaks up.

"Hey. Are we officially each other's boyfriend now?" he asks.

"I'm gonna say yes," Jackson answers without hesitation. It's funny. Their romp inside the rover was only about 10 days ago, but it may as well have been in another lifetime, in another time and place.

"Roger that."

Miller's kindness and his words are enough of a balm for now. Jackson relaxes and falls asleep.

THE END

Thank you for any reviews and thoughts.