'Piper.' A hoarse, deep voice whispered.

Piper looked up in sudden shock, as Stork's angular face peered down at her from an air vent.

'Stork?! What are you doing?' She put her book down, and he gave a smile.

Piper had never seen Stork smile. Co-incidentally, it was quite a stunning thing to behold, despite the fact his face was sharp and his skin was emerald green.

'To quote Finn, 'busting out'. I have a good idea of how to convince him that being acting team leader isn't the most fun position.'

'You're actually crawling in the air vents.' Piper's tone was sceptical.

'No doubt I'll develop a rash later… so much bacteria in air vents.. but all the same, it would be of great enjoyment to see that blonde idiot freak out.'

He swung himself down into her room before she could protest, landing nimbly with leonine legs, and she absently noticed that she could see his muscles rippling.

'Quite the room you have here,' he said slowly, and smirked, observing the piles of dirty clothing and books spread out across the room beneath his long black hair.

'Don't make me push you into one of my dirty clothes piles. The bacteria's been sitting there for months… festering… building up…' all the while, she moved closer and looked at him in a seductive fashion, until she was suddenly next to him, and let her long nails scrape along his arms. He shivered, from either her sentence or her nails, or both, and she leaned teasingly closer so he could smell her perfume.. freesia and lavender…

Then she flicked him on the nose, and swung herself into the air-vent.

'Not all of us can be neat freaks like you, Stork,' she laughed, and he frowned, pulling himself up and following her.

I often found myself combing through memories while I steered the ship at night, watching the stars and clouds rush past me.

Only recently had I begun recounting experiences that particularly involved Piper…

I absentmindedly scratched my ear, making a note to later take out my earrings and thoroughly wash my skin. The bacteria had been building up for a good two weeks or so..

Putting my hand back to the wheel, I sighed, knuckles straining white as I clenched the leather cover harder, before remembering the germs that would build beneath my nails.

Piper often infiltrated my thoughts.. often her eyes appeared behind my eyelids, or her scent would suddenly come to mind.

It was frustrating, irritating and downright mad.

Yet, when I saw her, nothing was mad, everything was right and perfect.

I groaned again, and let my head rest on the wheel.

'S-Stork?'

My head immediately shot up.

And there she was. Clothed only in sweat pants, a tank-top and a fleece dressing gown which she pulled around herself, rubbing her eyes with an elegant hand.

'Piper,' I greeted her, ignoring the fluttering that my heart produced, 'why are you up?'

'I couldn't sleep, and I thought you might be lonely…' she looked at me, and I smiled.

'Yes.. it sometimes is lonely.' I said softly, turning back to the wheel, noting that she turned the slightest shade of reds.

I heard her sink down next to the window, and she begun to sing to herself softly, tenderly, quite forgetting herself. I couldn't make out the words, but the sound was melodious.

'You sing?' I asked softly, and she stopped and looked up, turning a bright shade of red.

'I was singing? Sorry.. I wasn't disturbing you, right?'

I gave her a crooked smile. 'No, it was quite pleasant…'

She smiled back, sending my pulse into a hammering pattern.

'Thanks. The only other person who knows I sing is Finn, and he just walked in without knocking once.'

'Finn isn't the brightest of bright.. what did you do to keep him quiet?'

'Oh, the usual.. standard knee to the groin and what not.'

I laughed, noticing how foreign the noise sounded to my ears.

I heard material rustle, as she came up to me, and her scent wafted by- my memory had not done it any justice, as I eagerly inhaled it.

'Stork..'

'Hhm?'

'What word describes me best?'

'Why do you ask?'

'Well, Finn's been asking everyone what they think, and then Aerrow asked, and then Junko… mostly it was 'cool' or 'stupid'.. typical male behaviour.'

'Well.. if you must know…'

I flicked to auto-pilot, avoiding thinking of the bacterial effects of what I was about to do, and placed my hands on her shoulders. They felt slender and smooth beneath my calloused palms.

She looked up at me in confusion, but slowly turned a bright red as I leant closer.

At this distance, she was blindingly perfect. I had been in denial all along.

As my lips were mere millimetres away from hers, brushing barely, not enough to be called a kiss, a butterfly's embrace, I smiled, feeling my long black hair brush her face.

'Indescribable,' I murmured, feeling the places where my lips touched hers tingle, and then leant back, walking out brusquely, after giving her a soft smile, and she looked after me in confusion, her face the slightest of rose colours.

I inhaled again- her scent would never be compared.

But first, I had to go bathe myself thoroughly- who knows what bacteria her dressing gown had carried on the way…