A/N: This is just a little something I wrote for Steel (EdenEcho). I hope you enjoy it!

"Are you done yet?" Romac tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for Brainpod 57 to emerge from the store.

"I'm done, I'm done!" 57 wheeled out, several packages in his arms. "I think I've gotten everything on my list."

Romac folded his arms. "I don't see why we couldn't have done this on Trade World. Why did we have to come to Capital Planet? If you'd bought the spare parts on Trade World, I could have looked for potential clients while you were shopping."

"Exactly." Digging around in one of the bags, 57 took out a wheel, then unscrewed one of his own wheels and replaced it with the new one. "All you ever do is work. You need a vacation - we both do."

"I don't have time for a vacation."

"Oh, come on! Like one little day off is going to mess up your whole schedule! Let's have a little fun for once!"

"No."

"But -"

"No."

57 frowned. "Killjoy."

They made their way down the moonlit street, trying to attract as little attention to themselves as possible. Romac was about to get on his bike, which was parked at the curb, when he suddenly noticed a blue figure cross the street. Was that...? Could it be...? There was no mistaking the woman's beautiful red hair, and Romac had to resist the impulse to run after her.

"Hey, wasn't that Ranger Nova?" observed 57. Romac nodded. "Why don't we go say hi to her?"

"I... I don't think that's a good idea." The Grounder shook his head. After all, it had been some time since their last encounter, and he had left rather hastily that time, so perhaps she no longer wanted to...

"Hey, Ranger Nova, over here!" 57 called.

...see him.

Mira turned around, and she drew in deep breath when she spotted them. "Romac?"

Realising he should say something instead of simply staring, Romac flashed her a smile. "Hi. We didn't expect to run into you here."

"I-It was my day off, and - and I..." She trailed off and stepped closer to him. "What are you doing here?"

"57 needed some spare parts."

Nodding, she seemed about to say something, then changed her mind and instead wrapped her arms around him suddenly. "It's really good to see you again."

Romac slipped his own arms around her, brushing his fingers through her silky hair. "It's good to see you too. I've been thinking about you a lot, and..."

His sentence was interrupted by a crack of thunder, followed by a barrage of rain.

"Oh, craters, we'd better get out of the rain before we're soaked." Mira pulled away from him and hurried to the street corner, where a small tree provided some shelter. Cursing the weather's poor timing, Romac went after her, while 57 remained beside the bike.

"It's okay, my body is rust-proof," he called. "Why don't you two go to that café down the street? Don't worry about me, I'll stay here and watch your bike."

His sidekick was annoying at times, but at least he was tactful enough to know when two was company and three was a crowd. Romac nodded appreciatively to 57, then turned to Mira. "How about it? You want to get something to eat... and maybe talk a little?"

"Y-Yeah, I'd like that a lot."

It amazed him how easy it was to settle into a comfortable conversation with her after all this time, and after everything that had happened. Soon they were talking and laughing together just like they used to when they were young, as if they had never been apart. Mira told him stories about her life as a Space Ranger, and he told her about the things he and 57 had done. He left out the parts he knew might bother her, such as some of his more dangerous exploits, and the times he'd engaged in not-entirely-legal activities, focusing mostly on 57's amusing antics.

The atmosphere at their table was warm and cheerful, and Mira frequently broke into a fit of giggles as Romac told her funny stories. It was only when they'd finished their meals and were leaning back in their chairs, pausing for breath from all the laughter, that a feeling of awkwardness overcame them.

Romac stared down at his empty plate, avoiding her eyes. The fun part was over. Now came the part where they tried to have a serious conversation about their relationship. He could tell Mira wanted to say something, but she was chewing her lip in an effort to avoid spitting it out. At last she looked across at him and took a deep breath. "S-So, uh, y-you said you'd been thinking about me?"

"Yeah." He shrugged. "Sometime I just wonder... what it would be like if we got back together... and if it's even possible."

Mira sighed. "I think about that a lot too. You have no idea how much I've missed you. I wish - I wish it wasn't all so complicated! I wish we could just be together, and not have to worry about what my father thinks or if it'll interfere with our careers. I wish it would all just work out somehow!"

Stretching his arm across the table, Romac touched Mira's hand with his own. "I don't know how to make it work now, but I'm not going to stop trying to find a way."

"Thanks." She squeezed his hand. "And for now, we can still enjoy being with each other, right?"

"Right."

After paying for their dinner, the pair walked out into the rain together, hand-in-hand, and stopped under a street lamp. "It was wonderful to see you again," Romac smiled.

"Let's do it again soon, okay?" Brushing a strand of wet hair out of her face, Mira leaned forward, and Romac pulled her into an embrace. Their lips met, and they remained locked together until another clap of thunder reminded them that they needed to get out of the rain. "Goodbye," Mira sighed as Romac let go of her.

"Bye, Mira." He planted a soft kiss on her cheek. "I love you."

They parted ways, and Romac returned to his bike, where 57 was waiting. The pod greeted him with a dozen questions about how the dinner had gone, but Romac ignored him, his thoughts still lingering on the woman silhouetted in the light of the street lamp. She waved to him, and he waved back, then she disappeared into the dark of the night. "One day," the Grounder muttered under his breath. "One day I'll find a way."