The death of Roland and capture of his female counterpart -Lilith- had not gone unnoticed by the rest of the gang, eagerly awaiting the day to strike back. They had a plan, but the time to put that plan in motion had not yet arrived; they waited until it was time to strike back at Handsome Jack. Every hour they waited in sanctuary, their floating city, felt like days to them so it wasn't long before they found more distracting ways to kill the time. Brick and Zero Decided to sit on the landing in front of scooters garage, shooting Rakk and laughing when they smacked into the force field. Axton and Salvador travelled to Marcus' to upgrade weapons, but mostly ended up arguing about who's gun was better and Mordecai sat at a lone table in the bar, avoiding any interaction with people, especially Moxxi.
Mordecai was too busy flicking a bottle cap around the table and caught up in his own thoughts of his missing friends that he didn't even notice Maya sit down two tables away and order a drink. Still deep in thought when Moxxi arrived at his table with a large bottle of what looked like brown sewage water and two glasses.
"Here you go honey" Moxxi spoke in her sassy voice that sent shivers down his spine.
Mordecai stared blankly for a moment before registering "I didn't order anything …"
Moxxi laughed "No, but she did" She pointed towards the back of Maya a few table over engrossed in some sort of echo "she asked for the strongest thing I had, thought you might need it. Between you and me, you look like you need it too"
"Thanks, now I know I look like shit too" He gave Maya a quick glance before he motioned for Moxxi to leave it on the table. She did as he wanted.
"you kiddies have fun" she winked and walked back to her now crowded bar. Mordecai let that one slide, he was probably a few years younger than her, but not by much.
Mordecai began flicking the bottle cap around again when it hit the side of the bottle Moxxi left, he looked back at Maya again, picked up the bottle and two glasses and sat opposite her. "Hey."
Maya looked up from the echo device in her hands "Hey"
"Thought we could share, cuz' let's face it, you're no ray of sunshine either" He looked dead serious but Maya could see past his stone like façade. She laughed, she always laughed when people thought he was dead serious. He smirked at the fact that she could read him like a book, always knew when he was joking or more solemn. "Thanks," He tipped the bottle in gratitude before pouring the foul odoured liquid into two glassed. "You ever tired this?"
"I lived with monks for my entire lifespan, It was definitely all parties and alcohol at three in the morning, You should have seen Brother Sophis, Boy did he know how to shake it…" Her face dead serious but oozing with sarcasm.
"I hope that's a joke…" He toasted Maya, glass in hand and threw the glass down in one hit. He sat still waiting for his company to take a drink. By Mordecai's reaction it can't be that bad, she took a large gulp of the brown liquid. She winced, her eyes tearing from the burning sensation running down her throat. Taking gasps of air only to realise they made it burn ten times worse. Finally it stopped burning but she could still feel the throbbing at the back of her throat.
"Well that was.." Mordecai paused to find the right word "unpleasant….."
"Unpleasant?! Unpleasant is when you stand on a small rock or your breath after you wake up in the morning or the grime underneath your fingernails from this god damn planet ….This was more like stabbing sharp pointy things into my eyeballs!" she took a long sigh.
"So… you wanna help me finish the bottle?" he started pouring his own glass.
"Yeah ….Load me up" she pushed her glass his way. She could tell this could take a while, finally a good distraction.
The night went quickly, they talked about their greatest kills and how they ended up on Pandora, stuff you would tell a close friend. It must have been well after twelve o'clock when they took the last sips of their brown sludge and the entire crew had finally joined them. They weren't at their table, they hadn't even seen them; they were up at the bar ordering as many beers as physically possible. They seemed in relatively good spirits.
"You wanna join them?" Mordecai asked gesturing with his head towards the gang as he stood up.
Maya considered for a moment and decided against it "I think I'll pass, I don't think I could drink anymore" a small burp escaped her mouth "excuse me." Maya went to stand up and excuse herself from the room, but when she took her first step she cascaded towards the floor. Mordecai quickly grabbed her waist before she fell completely. He lifted her arm around his neck and helped her up.
"if I didn't know better, I think the floor just jumped up" He covered quickly
"Or I had too much to drink and almost fell on my ass"
"that too…." He looked at the state she was in "I think you should lie down, let me help you back to the base." Maya did not disagree. He helped her down the steps and around the various amounts of twists and turns, Holding her the whole time. They finally got back to H/Q and Mordecai had to carry her up the stairs to the second floor where her bunk was. He sat her down on the bottom bunk and sat on the bunk opposite her.
"Remind me never to drink that again…" She kicked off her boots and socks then sat holding her head in her hands.
"Deal" He said half muffled by a yawn. He stretched his arms and leaned against the cement wall.
"I miss them." Maya trailed off "I don't miss anyone. Ever. But I miss them."
"We'll get 'em back. Don't worry."
"Her."
And it hit him. Roland wasn't coming back. He sighed "We'll get her back." They sat in silence for a few moments, staring at the floor.
Maya's nose twitched, She sniffed the air around her "What is that smell?" She groaned "It smells like a dead skag"
Mordecai took a whiff and laughed "oh god, I think it's me" He stood up and reached into the trunk at the end of his bed and pulled out a can of deodorant and a semi clean shirt. He took his current shirt off over his head, threw it on the floor and sprayed the deodorant under his arms.
Maya looked up at the sound of the deodorant and took a moment to focus her eyes. Was Mordecai shirtless in front of her, in the same room? Mordecai didn't feel that changing a shirt would have been considered a crime; he didn't realise the impact it would have on Maya, but the again she was raised by monks. Sure she had seen shirtless men before, but they were psychos and they were running at her with sharp blood covered instruments of death. She stared at his thin frame for what could have been hours, His muscled arms that just carried her up the stairs and caught her when she fell.
Time finally snapped back into place when she noticed Mordecai's eyes on her. 'Shit' she quickly look away, 'there is no way he didn't notice me staring just then' she thought 'what do I do?' Mordecai shook his head and silently laughed to himself. Their eyes met again and Mordecai had a coy look on his face with one eyebrow raised. She chuckled a little, he had obviously noticed "I'm sorry, My head is still spinning from that drink" Maya stood up and as soon as she did Mordecai grabbed her arms "I don't think you should stand if your head is still spinning." They stood, their eyes locked. He raised his right hand to brush a few strands of hair from in front of her eyes then traced his hand down to rest on her cheek. His thumb traced her lips.
This was crazy, he was older than her by at least fifteen years. He was growing an attachment for Maya and he wasn't sure if it was the right path to take. He cared for her so much, but was it the right sort of affection?
Mordecai stood holding Maya in front of the bed end, one hand on her arm, one hand on her cheek. He leaned her back against the bunk bed frame and met his lips with hers. Mayas eyes closed and her breathing fastened. She ran her hands down over his chest and abs; she could feel his muscles ripple under every touch. This was the first time she had ever been so close to a man, the first time she had touched their bare chest or kissed their lips. He pulled her in close to his chest and she could feel his breath run down her neck. Her heart skipped a beat as a shiver ran down her spine. In the moonlight Maya could see every scar or mark or bruise on Mordecai's olive coloured skin. She glided her hand over them and she had to admit, nothing was more attractive to her than a few battle scars. Mordecai trailed his hands down her until they reached her waist; his quick fingers loosened her belt and unbuttoned her pants. He knelt down and kissed her thigh softly as he exposed the pale ivory coloured flesh. A sound of enjoyment slipped Mayas lips, Mordecai stood, picked her up and placed her on the trunk next to them. She lifted her shirt off and went for Mordecai's Pants as he leaned in to kiss her and unbuckled her bra. He pulled the bra straps off her shoulders, down her arms and then threw it aside. Maya was practically naked in front of him, except for her underwear. Her tattoos continued all the way down her left side to her foot.
He caressed her chest with one of his hands as the other pulled her closer for a kiss. Maya was in ecstasy, being with another was one of the greatest feelings she had experienced to date. She stood and put her hands around him. Mordecai trailed his hands down towards her underwear and slid them off, they fell to her ankles. He then grabbed her by the thighs and pinned her up against the wall beside them, her underwear slipped to the ground as he lifted her up. Mordecai reached down towards his lower half and moved himself into position. He looked her in the eyes; he could see she wanted it. Mordecai moved closer, slowly penetrating her. He could tell that even though she had never been with a man, there were some things she enjoyed doing herself as she experienced no pain. She moaned and her breathing got even quicker. Mordecai moved his right hand to hold her completely, his other hand moved to the wall above her head and then kissed her neck passionately.
Twenty minutes passed by the time they heard someone walking up the stairs they didn't take much notice of them until they realised they were at the door. Brick stopped dead in his tracks, Mordecai knew he was there but continued anyway. Maya looked up and saw him at the same time he turned around and walked back down, stopping the other three from continuing further. "Upstairs is occupied" Brick stood still in his place waiting for them to turn around.
"Occupied? There are only seven of us living here now and Tannis is passed out on 'her side' of the room. Trust me there is room up there." Salvador said ready to head back upstairs.
Axton Reached his arm out to stop him "Who else is in that seven?" he raised an eyebrow, knowing exactly what was going on upstairs.
"Maya and Mordecai" He said it plainly and then it took a second to register "Oh…"
Axton laughed as they both turned around and headed back to the bunks.
Upstairs Mordecai and Maya had moved to her bunk on the bottom, She lied face down with Mordecai above her kissing her back as he moved back and forth slowly. She groaned into a pillow, her back arched in pleasure; she wanted every inch of him inside her. Mordecai's pace fastened and Maya buried her head in the pillow to mask her sounds of excitement. She gasped a few times and then the whole floor started to rumble. They could feel it downstairs as they lay on their new bunks trying to sleep.
"Was that an earthquake?" a sleepy Salvador commented
"Nope, Maya" Axton said who has been unable to sleep from all the bumps and bangs in the middle of the night.
"Good, now we can finally sleep." Salvador said, rolling over while shoving his pillow over his head mumbling something about too much stamina.
Maya turned over and Mordecai moved next to her to lie on his back. Both staring up at the bunk above and panting, Physical exercise wasn't unusual to either of them but an hour of sex left both of them exhausted. Maya moved to get up,
"Where are you going?" Mordecai snapped back to reality.
"Getting dressed." Maya continued to get up.
"I don't think so." He pulled her back to the bed and onto his chest. "You're not going anywhere."
The sun started to rise and it bounced off of the cement floor illuminating the room. She lay there on his chest covered in sweat and started to drift to sleep.
Maya woke late that morning, covered by an off-white sheet loosely draped over her. She opened her eyes and noticed she was alone in the bed. Lifting her head and propping herself up on one elbow Maya looked around the room. Mordecai stood at the end of his bunk, one foot up rearranging the straps on his legs and gun holster.
"Hey" He said, not needing to turn around to know she was awake. "You ready for today?"
"What's today?"
He turned to face her "The day we get Lilith back." Mordecai smiled and Maya smiled back.
"You bet."