"Ah, Captain? They said you were in here?"
Harlock scrubbed his towel over his head and stepped around the shower into view, the second towel clinging securely around his hips the only thing he wore. "Yes." he agreed, looking at Yama and raising a curious eyebrow. "Am I needed?"
The Arcadia was quiet around them, so he doubted it, or if so it was not truly pressing. Despite that, he found he didn't particularly mind Yama's intrusion, though normally he would have been displeased with any of his crew venturing in on him like this.
"Yama?" Harlock prompted curiously.
"Oh. Ah. No, Captain, I. . . Sorry." Yama flushed, looking away, eyes fixing on the floor instead. "I was- That is." He fell awkwardly silent.
"Yama." Harlock said, amused, pushing the towel down around his neck and stepping down from the smooth flooring surrounding the shower to the grating of the main level. The metal dug into the soft soles of his feet, but he ignored it.
"Sorry, Captain, I didn't realise you were- I didn't mean to intrude." Yama's gaze rose, but he was still flushed a deep pink.
"You're here now." Harlock pointed out, cocking his head. "You were looking for me."
"I can wait." Yama said in a pitch a little higher than his usual tones. "I was just going to ask you a question about one of the empty decks on level seven."
"Much of the ship is empty." Harlock said, moving past Yama and raising his hands to his towel again. It was a big ship, and it flew itself for the most part - Harlock had rarely been entirely without a crew, but there were certainly many fewer than he had flown with under his command back before this had been the Arcadia. Probably most of the space on board was currently unused.
"I know, but I was, um," Yama paused, "I was exploring." he finished, almost hesitant.
Harlock nodded understanding as he moved around the counter, dropping the towel from around his shoulders and beginning to dry himself with it.
"One of the empty bays there. . ." Yama trailed off with a little hitching sound, and Harlock looked over his shoulder. Yama was just around the dividing wall, barely in sight. Harlock caught his eye, raising an eyebrow. "Ah, that is- I believe it could be set up as a greenhouse, with a little work, and I. . ." he trailed off.
"That is possible." Harlock said thoughtfully. "Tochiro," he paused, swallowing, "had wished to be able to continue his experiments on board, once we received the commission to the Deathshadow Martyr fleet. I approved his alterations to whatever he wished to work with as soon as we were installed on this ship. I am not entirely sure what he had completed, or even the extent of his plans."
Yama nodded silently, then drew back a little - further out of sight - as Harlock unwound his towel. "So what did you wish to ask me?" he asked more steadily, running the towel cursorily over his legs before pulling on his trousers.
"I. . . If the bay is set up the way I think it is," Yama said, a little louder now as he spoke from behind the wall, "I wanted to ask if I might . . . try and grow some things there."
Harlock stilled, surprised. He wrapped his shirt around himself and moved around the wall to join Yama. "You have the knowledge to utilise such a set-up?" he asked.
Yama ducked his head. "I was actually trained as a botanist, Captain." he said almost sheepishly. "I love plants." He smiled a little, his expression softer.
"If you think you can grow plants on board the Arcadia . . . you are certainly welcome to take charge of the space and make any changes necessary." Harlock said, feeling something thick in his throat. "I would be happy to see growing things again." he said softly.
Yama's gaze was warm and soft as he met Harlock's, something almost bruised hidden in it. "I- I think I can." Though his voice was unsteady he sounded very sure. "I might need help from someone who understands the Arcadia a . . . little better than I do, though. Perhaps Yattaran-"
"I will provide any assistance you require with the ship myself." Harlock said without thinking. Yama's eye widened. Harlock smiled slightly. He hadn't given it any thought before offering, but he would love to see growing things again - and to see plants growing on his ship. . .
Tochiro would approve, he thought with a fond, aching feeling in his chest. "Unless Miime can be brought to understand what you need, I can probably be of most help." he added practically.
"Did the Niflung not have plants on their home planet?" Yama asked curiously, looking a little distressed.
"The Niflung planet was a strange one," Harlock said absently, "and the Niflung themselves are strange. Miime controls the ship in different ways than anyone else may, even I. I do not know if she could assist you, in any case."
"Are you sure- Captain, you're . . . the Captain, do you really have the time to help me work on such a project?" Yama asked diffidently.
Harlock had little enough to occupy him, really, and the Arcadia hardly required him to sit in his throne on the bridge all day when his ship flew itself for the most part - and his crew was up to providing what little guidance might be needed, outside of battle. "I told you, I would be more than happy to see things growing on my ship. I have the time. Do not worry about it; if you are willing to take on the project, I am certainly willing to help you, however I may." he assured.
Yama brightened, straightening a little and smiling up at Harlock. "Thank you, Captain!" he said eagerly, and Harlock couldn't help a smile in return.
Their first kiss is totally going to be in the greenhouse deck, the first day it's up and running. Harlock may still not have figured out what he's feeling before that.