Sometimes
Sometimes he asks himself if it is fair of him to put her through all of it. Both of them know the risks of his job; going off-world in an unknown galaxy isn't exactly a safe occupation. And putting her through the worry of all the 'what-might-happen' wasn't really something he liked.
From time to time he thinks that maybe he should cut her loose. Just let her fly. But when she looks at him with a smile on her lips and her arms around his neck he knows he could never let her go because it would hurt them both even more than being together. And then he just tightens his arms around her in order to pull her even closer and to softly whisper into her ear: "I love you!" She snuggles deeper into his embrace and places soft kisses against his neck before replying: "I love you, too!"
Some nights when they lay next to each other in bed and she sleeps, he watches her. He carefully traces the contours of her face trying really hard not to wake her. But when she does she never complains or questions him. She simply holds him tightly and waits for him to be ready to talk to her. He appreciates the offered time.
"I don't want to hurt you nor put you through all the worry of me going to get hurt or worse off-world," he whispers against her skin. "No regrets," she softly remembers him. "I certainly don't have them when I'm with you. And no matter what happens, I won't start to regret us. Or even give us up." - "I don't regret us. I just don't want to hurt you." - "The only thing that would hurt me would be if you'd tell me to stop being with you. And as long as I know you'd try your best to come back to me… I will eventually be okay." He faces her and smiles softly at her. It's times like this when he asks himself how the hell he got so lucky.
When they have more than a few hours to themselves the two of them are sitting together in an embrace, stealing an occasional kiss in between. He'd like to be able to stop time because he wants to stay in this moment forever. Her being in his arms is all he needs to feel complete. And he knows for sure that he will do his best to never cause her any pain. He will do his very best to come back home, come back to her. Cause she is home to him. And he simply loves her.