Gravity

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

Chad gave a nod, shoulders still tense but the Fondorian knew it ultimately wasn't the Wraith's Commanders fault. Janes meant well and he truly never did any purposeful ill. It was just the way the cards fell. A roll of his shoulders and then Chad leaned forward, arm extending his arm to take the deck of sabaac cards in hand.

"Another round?" It was as much as an olive branch as Asmus was going to get. Much like Chad had turned the other way when he'd caught the pilot and his agent in the kitchenette. Easton was always good at moving things along.

"Double or nothing?"

 

[Asmus Janes]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

Asmus took it for what it was with a slow, affirmative nod. The palpable tension eased away. Wilson complained about his shin.

"Look you've already taken my desserts for two weeks. What can I put on the table to try and get them back?"

It was a foolish move. Kaile still occupied most of his thoughts leaving him vulnerable to the pair teaming up on him to clear out their SL. He could live with that if it cheered up Chad.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

The sound of that immediately perked up Wilson. There were a few things that the Eriaduian indulged in that was of particular interest to the pilot. More noticeably, the ongoing rumor that perhaps he had a method of being able to project holofilms in his cabin. There might have been a comment or two from the annoyed ensign that had been Janes' last bit of entertaining fluff. Of course, he hadn't taken the break up very well.

"Yeah! Is it true you have some sort of holofilm projector?" that caught Chad's attention, although he wasn't surprised. Asmus had a thing for spending when they were on shore leave. Their last had amused all at just how easily the pilot went through his pay. Although to be fair, what else were they supposed to spend it on while assigned to deep space missions?

 

[Asmus Janes]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

"Not to leave these walls," Asmus replied, narrowing his eyes comically. "If I lend it, it shall be delivered in an unmarked case. There shall be no group showings, no onward lending and any damages paid for. Especially no blabbing to our Zeltron friend."

"Works for me."

"Yup."

"Well then," Asmus replied. He took the cards from Chad. Dextrous fingers had them dancing as he shuffled the deck. A mischievous grin had appeared. "One week of desert rations to a whole day of the projector. Two days of rations gets one film."

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

"Fine, a weeks worth of dessert rations." Wilson was apt to push his luck. Normally the Wraith Commander was fantastic with numbers and odds, but with his mind distracted it was best to take advantage of the rare situation. All in good fun of course. And for Chad's sake.

Right.

"Deal 'em out. See how far your luck goes." youthful exerberance shone from his expression, the pain on his shin already fading. To a degree, Wilson had the same bouncy nature as Asmus had back when he was younger. There wasn't much that would dampen his demenor. He could be serious when warrented, but Wilson was more apt to follow along with Omar's shennaigans than tone it down like Chad.

Cards dealt and they each warily eyed each other. In the meantime -- Wilson popped in another song.

https://youtu.be/Oextk-If8HQ​

 

[Asmus Janes]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

Physical displays of how badly things were going were becoming more apparent. It would have worked in his favour if he could have bluffed but the damn cards coming his way were just appalling. Couldn't call anyone for cheating when you were dealing either. Only a few rounds in and not only had he failed to win back any desserts but he know owed his projector for two days to Wilson and one to Chad.

"Change the playlist would you?" Asmus asked as he shuffled the cards.

A smirk crossed Wilson's face. "What, you mean the one that you listen to when the whiskey comes out?"

Asmus stopped shuffling the cards and turned towards his squadron mate. "You tit, you've been playing that on purpose?"

Even Chad laughed. Asmus refused to continue shuffling until the music was changed. Fortunately no one had specified when they would get the projector. It was a damn good excuse to watch the rest of the series in privacy and he didn't want to give that up soon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-SQGOYOjxs

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

Just then Odennus came. Couldn't miss the whoop of glee coming from Wilson.

"What? Did you win another two weeks worth of dessert?" He joked, coming to a pause just beside Chad. He crossed his arms across his chest, spreading his legs slightly apart. It was the mark of the end of their shift. The next rotation would be coming in.

Seeing as the deal was not to tell anyone else, both Chad and Wilson gave a nod.

"Looks like the only casualty this time around was Janes' dessert rations!"

 

[Asmus Janes]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

"You know on Thursdays when they have those little chocolate orange sponges?" Asmus asked, idly playing with the pack of cards.

"The ones that are all gooey inside?" Wilson asked.

Asmus point at the junior pilot. "Those are the ones. Just know that every day I don't get to eat one of those I shall be further plotting my glorious revenge."

"Nothing that will have the Captain asking me why I don't keep my pilots in check!" Odennus protested.

"Right then. I look forward to sitting in cockpits talking shop to you all whilst the bridge crew ineptly scans space dust on another day!" Asmus said, pushing himself up from him chair. Normally after being suited up for a few hours he'd take a quick shower. But the anxiety had slowly built through the shift. Time lost with Kaile. Would everything feel back at square one again? Would she retreat back into her shell? Asmus headed for his room to consider what to do next.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

The air recycler gave a soft, low hum. Four hours later allowed it to do its job; fresh cool air had filtered through any lasting remnants of their lovemaking in the air. On the bed on the other hand, left in the shadows of the automatic shut off of the lights was another story.

Kaile lay slumbering on her side facing the bulkhead. Her hair was a scattered mess around the pillow, the blanket tangled around her slender body. The bare curve of her shoulders and the delicate ridge of her spine lay bare, and both of her hands were lightly curled against her face and by the crook of her neck.

If there was ever a sight that could take the Wraith by surprise once he stepped into his cabin and the lights came on it would be that.

 

[Asmus Janes]

Standing stock still on the threshold, he watched the slow rise and fall of the sheets. Not even the welcome sight of the continents of Eriadu after the most taxing campaign could elicit such joy. Asmus closed the door behind him softly, returning them to near darkness. For a time he simply waited there until his eyes adjusted, not wanting to disturb her.

The return of her silhouette in his sheets made his heart swell in his chest. Perhaps it was a foolish thing. Just a tired, exhausted espion oversleeping as he had known before. But it didn't feel like that to Asmus. It felt like...he didn't know what it felt like. But it was overwhelming. Made him want to shout in happiness, but a slow pressure brought an uncertainty to his expression, made him feel like shedding tears.

He did neither of those. Instead he very slowly and carefully undressed. A notion struck him. He padded to a drawer beneath the bed. A small wooden box held a number of bottles. He pulled the cap of a half empty one and drew deep. Lavender. A mix of oils not unlike the one he had made years back. He let the scent waft for a few seconds and then put the cap back and placed it on a shelf.

Without a word he slipped under the sheets beside her. He kissed a bare shoulder through strands of hair, wrapped an arm over her and drew himself close.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

There was an odd sense of half-conscious surrealness to it all. Exhaustion had given a heavy hand to the agent and enhanced by the emotional and physical rollercoaster of the week before.

Warmth left only to be replaced by a solid heat at her back. A heavy weight settling over her waist only to press her close. Kaile gave a slight stir, shifting in the unfamiliar press of another body beside her. Breathing in deep brought with it a familiar medley of scents.

Asmus. Lavender. Him. Me.

Her eyelids rose only to flutter shut again, a little rush of goosebumps rushing down her shoulder. Lips barely grazed across the skin there, breath fanning stray strands of her hair as the pilot nuzzled close. The Lorrdian made a tiny sound at the back of her throat, a half humming purr that waned as she settled down again.

Legs slid against one another then came to rest. It was such a tiny bed, but at that moment it didn't matter. As their breathing slowed to a matching rhythm, for a little while those doubts and fears and anxieties were placed to rest.

 

[Asmus Janes]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

His eyes widened as she stirred. There was no need to murmur any soothing words. Asmus felt the soft purr reverberate through her chest. She settled in against him on the cramped space, shifting just enough to find a comfortable spot.

Slowly his eyes blinked closed, but the smile on his lips lingered. Not for all the dessert rations in the world would he be anywhere where he couldn't have the soft warm press of Kaile against him. Breathing became shallow and slow, but his consciousness refused to let go just yet.

There was just a touch of lavender in the air, and Kaile was becoming a familiar scent. He tried to quiet his mind, but it kept dancing between memories and ignoring his pleas. The memory of soothing the knots out of her back, before tentatively slipping under the sheets next to her was particularly vivid. She had been so delicate, craving any kind of affections and contact, but it wasn't that which had drawn them together. His layers of charm had been stripped away and she'd found something she grew to like there. And in return he'd coaxed her back out of her shell. It had been a painful thing to watch her recede back into it.

It took time, but he settled into a deep sleep tangled up in her.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

Consciousness came in degrees. The first thing that registered for Kaile was the deep, comforting warmth that surrounded her. It clung to her like a heavy weight, wrapping around in a cocoon of heat. It took a few seconds to realize that the cocoon was actually breathing and that the heavy weight was a very male arm slung around her waist.

The scratchy military issue blankets had been brought up just to her shoulder, but the heat Asmus radiated would have been enough to keep them both warm under the chill of the air recycler. Some time during the night Kaile had curled closer against the pilot, their legs entangled as if their limbs were resistant to the idea of even being an inch apart. In slumber the most honest of reactions could be found between them.

It was dark in the cabin, the automatic lights shut off. Opening her eyes, Kaile would blink slowly trying to make sense and recall what got her here. The flashback of the series of events made her cheeks flush. Pleasure and joy collided with confusion and anxiety. Pleasure at finding that joy in his arms, to feel him breathe and nestle at her back. Confusion and anxiety on what was to come. What she should do.

Her chronowatch would indicate it was just a quarter to 0500, about a little over three hours until she was expected to show up and meet with Vo again.

Did i really spend the night? It alarmed her that she did and did so easily. More so that she knew she should leasve but didn't quite want to. Nerves took root and a decision was made. Ever so carefully Kaile lifted her head. Strands of dark hair rose as she carefully attempted to slip out of Asmus' embrace without waking him up.

 

[Asmus Janes]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

There was just a soft murmur of protest as she unravelled herself from him. He grasped the pillow with both hands and buried his head in it as she slipped off the bed. She surveyed her clothes in the darkness. Not scattered far and wide as they had been in her cabin, but crumpled beside the bed. Nothing fresh to hand, but then the pair of them both needed to freshen up. She sorted them with her toes, finding the dark grey slip of fabric and leaning over to pick it up.

She took in a sharp breath as his fingers encircled his wrist. Having thought him sound asleep she was caught off guard. There he was, still prone and half covered by the sheets but wide awake. Even in the darkness his wide green eyes were bright. He didn't move, didn't say a word. His eyes conveyed it all.

Stay

Asmus wasn't forceful. The gentle grip tugged with an insistent need. One she couldn't resist. She canted her head to one side, almost pleading with him to stop. But he wouldn't. He couldn't let her go, not now. It was just a small thing, but it could be the start of something more. One little decision. One which could make it easier down the line for the espion to close her eyes, turn her back and walk away. His eyes never left hers, as she closed those golden flecks would dance with desperate need. His mouth opened a fraction, jaw quivered.

I need you.

As she relented his other hand came up, guiding her slender body towards his embrace. He made no room for her beside him, two bodies caught in their shared gravity, they would collide all the way once more.

"Kaile," he breathed, finally breaking his silence.

 

[Kaile Vera]

Kaile.

Stars why why did he have to say my name like that? Too look at me like that? The pleading question in her eyes turned to one of utter helplessness as he drew her astride his body, his hands trading the lock of her wrist to envelop her body in turn.

It was all in his eyes. In that needy and longing expression edged by fear. Fear that she'd leave, that she'd simply walk away and go. It made her weak. It made her knees buckle and struck a pang in her heart that wanted to simply wipe that expression away from his face.

They spoke more with longing expressions than words ever did even under the shadows of his tiny cabin. They were faint silhouettes crossing the line of fantasy into reality.

Stay. His eyes echoed into her own. Stay, the firm glide of his hand at her wrist and up her arm spoke. Stay, the hum of her name resonated with the true meaning of the word.

Stay, the word cried out in the heavy weight of her heart.

With the faintest of trembles in his hands, Asmus pulled her down against him, letting the heat of his body permeate her own. Didn't matter that the bedsheets were now tangled along their legs and pulled tight at the waist. He was taking what he could, what he could garner to hold the espion close, until her forehead rested against his and her hair fell forward in a ticklish curtain sealing them off from the verse.

Once he was sure that Kaile wouldn't turn away, his fingers wandered down her arms and back, caressing over her shoulders, along the center of her back to finally duck beneath the hem of the bedsheet and set fire to her skin.

Asmus was a magnet and Kaile a magnetized entity. One week was all it took to submit to the magnetic field that ship had become, and there were at least four more weeks to go.

 

[Asmus Janes]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

Despite his philosophy on life Asmus knew that at times things could be very complicated. But he also knew that sometimes they could be very, very simple.

His expression softened, lids fell over content eyes. The corners of his mouth twitched upwards. His right hand was received from beneath the sheets to gather stands of hair from her face between his fingers and attempt to tuck it back in vain. There his hand stayed as she nestled her cheek into it.

Warm air brushed her lips as he let out a long, slow breath. He hadn't even realised he'd been holding that in.

There, better, his body language said this time.

There was no need for her to go anywhere. Not yet. He had an eight hour shift ahead and as long as nothing came up to put the pilots on alert he was entirely at her disposal for planning.

It came so naturally that he was kissing her before he even realised their lips had met. Just a brief, reassuring kiss before he tucked her into his chest. Hands would gently stroke up and down her back as he kept her close. Beneath the surface embers were slowly being stoked. No plans for before the shift, just inevitable amorous intentions.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

There they lay for a bit, their heartbeats slowing and breathing finding a natural rhythm in each other's presence. Closing her eyes, Kaile felt a great swell in her chest. A pressure from before. Swallowing hard the woman found herself turning to hide her face along the crook of Asmus' neck. Tiny bits of his scruff trickled her nose and cheek. A fine rasp that reminded her of a brush.

The glide of his hands up and down her back were a warning balm that evoked a slow, burning response. As if they had a mind of their own, Asmus' fingers found the knots of her back, working them down with gentle pressure. Gentle, coaxing sweeps resulted in the trace of the delicate ridge of her spine, spiking her breathing and leaving a slight rush of goosebumps in their wake. He did this to her. That constant awareness of his presence, his body, his lips and hands.

Before she knew it, Kaile had upturned her face. Lips found the smooth line of his neck and she drew herself close.

 

[Asmus Janes]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

She stayed. That mattered more than anything else in the 'verse. His grip hadn't been so tight that she couldn't have pulled free with a slight tug. Her slow, inevitable fall was very different from her rudely giving him a two-handed shove out the door despite his protests. A tiny part of him wanted to make a joke about that and C-Deck clearly being more amenable to her. A much larger part of him told that bit to stop being stupid. It wasn't the time for it.


His hands recalled where her tension tended to hide and did a job at trying to rub some of it away.


“I could do a proper job?” He asked, the suggestion rumbling through her chest. He had woken quite suddenly. Not with a start, but his mind immediately went conjured memories of his Kaile vanishing through the crowd at the sound of her stirring. It might have broken him if she'd turned away and walked out the door.


Now awareness slowly returned and it came with a growing sense of realisation at just how close she was. One didn't have to be a lorrdian to feel subtle differences in body language through touch. As his hands swept down this time his fingers splayed wide, his thumbs explored the groove where hips met waist. A very small change in the pressure of his touch, but it was full of intent and followed by a more insistent kiss. The soft press of her skin was responsible for a slowly building warmth that was only partially caused by the heat she made.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

His kiss was gentle but insistent, and the way that his bandaged hands gripped her hips and pressed her against him brought another fan to those embers.

Could do a proper job he said, the husky thrum of his voice falling over the shell of her ear. It was low, a little rough from being awoken with a start at her attempted departure. Now it was coated with a huskier edge. Kaile's breath caught in her throat and then he caught her lower lip in a nibble. Coaxing, tempting, mesmerizing her with his sugar sweet kisses and those hands of gold as they moseyed on over every soft curve.

They shared a breath before colliding again, tasting each other anew regardless of the lack of a sonic toothbrush and the shower they both needed. Then Asmus kissed her again, plundering her sweet, willing mouth until Kaile said his name like a prayer. Her desire for him, her need for him, had jumped into hyperspace right past this moment and into the distance as far as she could see. She opened her eyes and revealed how those tawny orbs gleamed, fastening onto Asmus', dark as the night.

Proper job indeed. This time it was Kaile shifting astride the scoundrel. It was her hair that went flopping over his face as she brought her torso up. Both hands came to sink against the sides of his head, dipping slightly as she gave a sway. His fingers went sketching down the side of her face, skirting under her jaw and down her throat. He traced the line of her collarbone to her arm and backed up again, traveling to count ribs and sink once again over those dips and valleys of his Whiskey girl. No longer just a figment of inebriated memory but one of flesh, blood, and bone.

Her hum of pleasure was his answer, as was the rush of goosebumps of awakening that ran across her skin. Now it was Kaile meeting him kiss for kiss. Touch for touch. Arching and shifting against the tangle of sheets, her hair a dark veil that smothered them whole. How he completely encapsulated her thoughts. Penetrated her defenses and sank deep into being. There was no rush to this. Nothing but a coaxing savor of the senses as Kaile let herself go.

A shift of weight, a tug of her arm at the nape of his neck, and Kaile brought him up until they were both sitting upright. Almost a mimic of days prior but none of the abrupt inferno that had claimed them before. Her hands sank up into his hair while those bandaged hands were free to drift and sail across constellations long thought lost long ago.

 

[Asmus Janes]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

His lips hers to a throaty protest. One that changed to a hitched breath of anticipation as they started to follow the course this hands had charted. as her head rolled back he was freed from the dark veil.


Bandaged hands explored the graceful curve her arched back. Up into the length of her hair and back down to find purchase. His lips spoke to the stars. Time spent over a litany for each constellation he found as any celestial body deserved. The stars burned as bright as the adoration that took his sensibilities, made him hers. His prayers altered to the sounds that came down from above. Sharp sighs and low murmurs, he responded to her needs.


All he could do was follow the path. He was overwhelmed by her. It had been the simplest thing really, for her to stay. Just to let him tug her back. Yet it meant everything to him. It struck him just how much it meant. In a way that only she would understand. He would give up changing his stars if he could share the ones before him with her. In hindsight he knew that as he'd told her that story, explained what his freedom meant, that she had started to fall in love with him. If he explained that he would willingly settle in one place, stay to one preordained path with her, would it be too much? There wasn't time for such a decision to be made. He needed her closer.


It was easy for his hands to slide from from their current purchase. A firm grip and shift and communion began. His lips stopped and held open. His eyes snapped shut and his jaw quivered. Still encapsulated by her warmth he leaned away. The end of that exploration made it easy for her to recapture his lips. She returned from the heavens to claim her disciple as her own.