Disclaimer: I DON'T own Ace Combat. Got it?
Maybe it was the unexpected joy of being alive after the plane strafed their car.
Maybe it was the sheer relief that they escaped the Emmerian resistance thugs without a scratch.
Maybe it was a combination of the two things combined.
The end result was the same however. Ludmila kissed Melissa with gratitude. A kiss that soon deepened and before they were even aware of what was happening, they were removing one another's clothes in a frantic rush, a hungry desire to confirm they were still alive, that they could feel, that there was something more than just relief and fear and death.
"No."
With that one word, Melissa brought proceedings to an abrupt halt and without a word both of them got dressed. After a few minutes, Ludmila spoke.
"I'm sorry," she said in a low voice, clearly embarrassed by her actions as she stared at the floor. "I don't know what just…"
Melissa opened her mouth, trying to think of something to say when there was a sudden coughing noise from the engine and the car suddenly ground to a halt.
"Sounds like we ought to see to that," she said, cursing herself mentally for not having the courage to say something more.
"Yes, yes, you're right," Ludmilla replied, clearly relieved to have a distraction from what had just happened.
There was a moment of uncomfortable silence as Ludmilla tried to get the engine working, before she gave a huff of frustration and kicked the car.
"Utterly kaput!" she cursed angrily and Melissa stepped up to the car and frowned at what she frowned. The engine was a mess and riddled with bullets. It was a wonder it had made it this far. Walking over to the back of the car, Melissa opened the boot and hauled out her case and Ludmilla's.
"It looks like we'll have to walk," she said firmly and Ludmilla nodded before angrily kicking the car.
"Stupid plane!" she cursed. "That car took me forever to earn!"
"Yeah, but without him we'd probably still be in the hands of those damn resistance idiots," Melissa said and Ludmilla gave her a grim smile.
"There is that. Come on, we've got a long way to go."
The two women walked along in a companionable silence for a while, before Melissa began talking.
"I remember when I got my first car…" she said and as they continued to walk on, they talked about everything except love and loss and what had almost happened between them.