“Hey! Where’s the fire?” Skinny yelled as Zero passed him at a run.
“Sorrycan’tstopthanks!” Zero called over his shoulder, turning the corner and almost running right into Talent helping Eris walk through the medbay doors.
“Hey, beautiful! What are you doing on your feet?” he asked, scooping her up and glaring at Talent. The little human had just been severely injured, and Talent had her walking around?
“Hey.” His ire disappeared. When she looked at him that way, her eyes all dark and soft, he struggled to focus on anything but her. “Talent just finished my treatment. I can actually feel my legs!”
“That’s awesome.”
He nuzzled her nose with his. He didn’t care about the display of affection in front of his shipmate. Not with what Red had just said to him. “But should you be walking yet? Shouldn’t you be resting up?”
“Actually, gentle movement is the best thing for her right now,” Talent broke in, a knowing smile on his face as he leaned against the wall with his arms folded across his chest. “I had to repair a lot of her neural pathways and synapses, but they need sensory input to embed correctly.”
He shrugged at Zero’s curious look. “Had to do a lot of replacement calibration in the healer’s hall. It’s more engineering than healing, so they left it to me a lot of the time. Was beneath the healers...” The curl of his lip gave an indication of his feelings on imperial healers. “This was just the same but connecting nerves back to nerves rather than cybernetic constructs.”
“Oh?” Eris asked, interest in her eyes as she looked between them. “So you’ve worked on people like Zero as well?”
Talent chuckled and shook his head. “No, they broke the mold with him. I worked on Latharian warriors who’d had cybernetic replacements. Now… if you’re going to wrap her in cotton wool,” he said to Zero, “at least make sure she gets up and uses the facilities herself. Even a slow walk around the primary deck corridors if she feels up to it. Gentle exercise is good.”
“Got it, doc.” Eris patted Zero’s broad shoulders. “I’ll make sure he takes me out someplace nice or something.”
“I hear El Cantina at the rear of the ship is nice,” Talent’s lips quirked a little as he fell into the game. “Service is a bit trall, though. You have to cook your own meals, and the waiters are often rude. But it has a nice view of the …. Err… aft bulkhead. The reflection from the overhead lights is lovely in the evening.”
“Can’t wait,” she smiled at him over Zero’s shoulder as he turned and stomped away up the corridor. “Hey, I was still talking!”
“You need to rest,” he told her gruffly, his expression tight. He wouldn’t meet her gaze and barreled through the third door down the corridor. She winced as he caught his shoulder, feeling the impact even through his bigger body.
“Hey… slow down. It’s okay. I’m okay,” she reassured him, putting her hands on his cheeks and making him look at her. He still wouldn’t look at her, his adam’s apple bobbing. He sighed, closing his eyes and leaning into her touch.
“I hated it,” he admitted. “You being in pain. I can walk through a hail of bullets and control a ship without touching it, but I couldn’t help you. It tore me apart inside. I know we’ve not known each other long but… you’re important to me, Eris. I can’t explain it.”
“Then don’t,” she whispered, moving her hand to run her thumb lightly over his lips, tracing them. “Don’t talk… don’t analyze. Just feel. That’s all we need. Just the two of us. Together. Okay?”
He nodded, the movement jerky.
“Together,” he replied, his voice husky.
Walking across to the bed, he laid her down gently and then stood, running a hand through his short hair, which turned it into a mass of ruffled spikes. He looked critically at the bed.
“You might get cold. I should get you more blankets.”
She laughed and grabbed his hand as he began to turn away. “I might… so you should get down here and warm me up. Shouldn’t you?”
He didn’t resist her, letting her pull him down. She sighed as she curled up in his lap, her head against his shoulder. It was hard to explain, but she felt better with him around. She felt safe, secure. After years of having to rely on herself rather than run the risk of having to return to her family, tail between her legs, it was nice to have someone. Even if it was an illusion.
She was more than familiar with the rush of battle and the closeness it could forge. She’d seen more than a few of her comrades fall for each other in the heat of battle, only for their marriages to fall apart in the cold light of a peacetime day. But for right now, she’d take the comfort, even if it was fleeting.
Silence stretched out between them. Comfortable, but charged. His hand swept up her arm, and her breathing caught, heart starting to thunder as the fine hairs rose in the wake of his touch. She tilted her head back as his hand cupped her nape, her entire body flooding with warmth at the dark heat in his eyes. His gaze flicked down to her lips. His tongue darted out to wet his lips and she almost groaned.
She wanted him. So badly she ached. She wanted him more than she’d ever wanted a guy in her entire life.
Surging forward, she kissed him, a shiver of pleasure bursting through her body at the first contact of their lips. Her hands weren’t idle, spreading over his chest… every
