A/N: Yes, Advena has been playing Halo, amongst other games. I'm glad someone caught that reference.
Jake pushed off the wall and sent a flying kick into a marine's head, crushing their skull between his sole and the wall, before landing, sweeping his feet beneath the closest soldier's legs, knocking them over and allowing Advena's claws to sink into their chest when she landed on the floor to take off in a sprint. The Xeno performed a perfect front flip, avoiding the wall of lead from a shotgun as her tail whipped through the air, cracking down on a foe's neck while one hand fired her rifle into two more enemies, a grenade flying out her other clawed hand.
Jake used her back as a launch pad, flying over her head and smacking into the rifleman who had been lining up a killing blow with his weapon. He whipped up his own Pulse Rifle and sprayed the group of soldiers approaching from the west corridor, covering his face with his arm as Advena's grenade went off in the distance, sending bodies flying in every direction.
"Okay, move up!" he yelled. Parker jogged out from his hiding place in a doorway and snatched up a shotgun. "Come on, we're going to drop you off in security station four, then we're going after the director. You stay put until we come get you, got it?" Parker nodded, seeing no reason to argue, and the three of them continued running down the endless identical corridors, only stopping abruptly when something caught their eye through one of the large windows they passed.
"What the hell…?" Parker muttered as they stepped closer to peer through the glass. Through the broad window, they could see into another part of the station, separated by an expanse of the cold vacuum of space. In the corridor beyond, they could see a familiar Marine general yelling soundless orders to a group of soldiers as they engaged another group of soldiers in a firefight. What surprised them most, however, was when Jeica stood and waved her arm in a chopping motion, prompting a flurry of midnight black bodies to shoot past her into their attackers.
"Well, we can scratch freeing the Xenomorphs off our to-do list," Jake breathed.
"It seems our friends are full of surprises. If Jeica has joined us, perhaps you were too quick to judge Tyler too?" Jake felt a pang of guilt churn his stomach, and only nodded weakly.
"Y-yeah. Let's hurry up and get this guy to the security station. Looks like we're going to need a bigger ship too."
"Actually," Advena put in, "I think I have the perfect one in mind. Forget Substation Four, I've got a better idea…"
~~~~~~~~~~()~~~~~~~~~~
"OORAH!" the cheer came up as weapons were thrust into the air. Jeica slapped a fresh clip into her Pulse Rifle and grinned. This felt damn good. As soon as she'd heard that Jake was rampaging through the station, she picked up a rifle and stirred up some trouble of her own. She had no idea what the Elite's plan was, but she sure as hell was gonna get in on it. But first…
She set her rifle down on the console of Substation One and plopped herself into the seat. Pressing her finger to the intercom controls, she input her override key and set to broadcast to the entire station.
"Attention marines, as many of you are aware, Sergeant Jacob Harlor is leading the fight against the Weyland-Yutani Corporation. With the Xenomorphs as our allies, we have a chance to strike down the corrupt bastards on this station, so if you want to give freedom a chance, take up a weapon and rid your armour of the Weyland patch. Everyone wearing blue is considered an ally of the cause, so fight by your comrades' sides and take this station!" She grabbed a length of blue cloth and tied it around her shoulder, before promptly smashing the console and rallying her troops. "Forward marines! Let's take the director's office!"
"Let 'em have it marines!" another cried, and the rabble of freedom fighters charged down the corridors, the combined might of their firepower and the Xenomorphs' natural deadliness had their enemies fleeing and attempting their final stand in Lenex's foyer.
Jeica rolled into a garden bed, covering her ears as a grenade went off, followed by the war cries of soldiers. Sniper shots rang out from concealed positions in plantations and gunfire rattled everywhere. All around her, Xenomorphs were leaping off vertical surfaces, flying head-first into the enemy, some getting torn to pieces by gunfire, others attaching themselves to groups of soldiers and tearing into them.
A Xenomorph drone slid to a halt beside her and seemed to stare at her for a few seconds amongst the chaos. Slowly, it reached out and touched her chest, bowing its head to her. Jeica felt her heart flutter as her open palm gently touched its domed head. No, his domed head. Jeica shook the unsettling feeling of déjà vu from her bones and hurdled the low wall, thumping into the mulch below. The Xenomorph leapt onto the roof, following along above her. Suddenly, a rush of energy flooded her body, her heart thumped wildly and time seemed to crawl to a snail's pace. She could hear the blood thumping in her veins, see the vapour trails from bullets whizzing around her, smell the acrid scent of spent gunpowder and super-heated lead.
She spun a circle, kicking two enemies in the face, planting her foot and using her momentum to pivot, letting loose a torrent of bullets into a crowd of enemies. She suddenly dropped into a crouch, the Xenomorph from earlier landing above her, inches short of slamming into her painfully. The Xeno's tail whipped out, smacking a Pulse Rifle out of a nearby marine's hand, which Jeica caught and handed to him lightning fast. Unthinkingly, she grabbed his hand and allowed herself to be twirled gracefully out of the path of a sniper shot, following up with a burst of gunfire at her assailant when the movement ended.
"Mozart," she whispered. She could feel it. This Xenomorph was the voice from her dreams, the one who liked to play soft classical music in their little dream cottage, earning himself the nickname. The Xenomorph gave a single nod, slipping her pistol out of her holster and shooting a marine who had been sneaking up behind him through the heart without even looking.
Jeica tensed as she prepared to be grabbed by the hand and spun in a wide circle. Her enhanced senses allowed her to fire off quick, accurate bursts between her legs even as she was spinning fast enough to keep her body on a horizontal. Mozart suddenly let go, sending her sailing towards the other end of the room, where she grabbed someone's head on the way past, snapping their neck with her momentum and causing his shot to go wide, hitting one of his own teammates. Then Mozart reappeared next to her and cradled her in his arms before she could collide with the wall, setting her down gently next to a small, out-of-the-way door. Lenex's office. Jeica tilted her rifle, which she promptly dropped after reading the twin zeroes on the ammo counter. She accepted her pistol back from Mozart, slipping a fresh bullet into the cylinder of the revolver to replace the fired shot. As her adrenaline wore off, she was suddenly left with a rather empty feeling, and the noises bled into one another once more, time returning to its frantic, chaotic mess of activity.
Shaking the feeling of longing from her heart, she smashed the door control panel open, and hurriedly ran a bypass, ignoring the screams of pain as Mozart flung the bodies of potential threats into the walls, floor and ceiling violently. The door swished open, and with one final nod to her friend, she stepped inside the lavish office.
She was startled when all the ruckus of the battle outside seemed to dull. Soundproofing. Advanced stuff judging by the fact the door was still open. It was for this reason that she could hear the quiet voice of Director Lenex as he greeted her.
"Ah, hello General Smith. I see you've picked your side." Jeica's arm snapped up, and she trained her weapon on her antagonist.
"A side I should have picked a lot sooner. Guess I was just scared to do what's right – but now I've got Jake around. Him and the Xenomorphs, with them we have a chance to stop you and the people you work for." Lenex chuckled and stepped closer to her. Jeica shook her pistol threateningly, but Lenex just shrugged it off and stooped down to retrieve a crystal decanter from the coffee table between them, pouring himself a glass of whiskey.
"Want some?" he inquired. Jeica's face contorted in disgust, not caring for the game he was trying to play. But she was caught off-guard when that fancy glass was hurtling at her face, shattering against her cheek and leaving dozens of tiny cuts on her face. Before she could recover, the coffee table was slamming into her shins, and she toppled over, her gun flying from her grasp. Lenex dived for it, but Jeica rolled over and grabbed his leg, yanking him back and causing him to thump onto the ground painfully. He grunted and kicked her, squirming out of her grasp and snatching up his decanter. He smacked her across the face with it, then his next strike was caught by Jeica, who smacked his pseudo-weapon into his own chin and kicked his stomach with both feet, making him flop onto the floor a couple of metres away.
Jeica quickly got onto all fours and stumbled over to where her weapon was lying on the floor, but was cut short when a gloved hand beat her to it. Soon, she was staring down the barrel of her pistol, raising her hands in the air and backpedalling against the far wall. And there he stood, in a full EVA Space suit, minus the helmet, sweaty hair matted to his forehead and a hurt scowl on his face.
There stood Tyler Doelle.
"T-Tyler, I'm on your side. Quickly, kill Lenex before it's too late." Tyler shook his head and bit his lip sadly.
"You know, I don't think that's true. I think you're on his side."
"I'm not with Lenex!" Jeica insisted. "I'm –"
"Not Lenex you idiot!" the young scientist snapped. "The guy who tried to kill me. Your friend, Jacob Harlor."
"Tyler?" Jeica was pleading now. It couldn't be true. After all he had been through, Tyler was still taking Weyland's side on this? Lenex laughed and clapped his hands together heartily, stepping towards him with a beaming smile.
"Ah, my dearest Tyler, I'm so proud of –"
"Stop!" Tyler screamed, snapping the gun in his direction. Lenex did as he was told, stopping dead in his tracks and thrusting his hands into the air immediately. Tyler's chest was heaving; he was stressing. Stressing and mentally unstable; not a good combination for anyone. Lenex took a couple of steps back, exchanging a nervous glance with Jeica. "You are a vile man. Don't get me wrong, I hate Weyland-Yutani, I hate everything you stand for, I hate this god-damned station and I hate all the people on it. You corporate bastards are disgusting and evil; I would like nothing more than to see you all wiped off the face of the galaxy."
Lenex's face fell. Suddenly, he wasn't feeling so confident. "But, Jeica… Jeica you idiot. Do any of you realise what you're doing? This doesn't just magically end when you leave this station. You're starting a war. A war in which people will get hurt and die. You're taking away lives with your stupid games, and all it's going to get you is more death and destruction. You can't beat Weyland. You will fail eventually, maybe in one year, maybe in ten, but you're all going to die. I for one am not going to join such a pointless cause, even if it is the right thing to do. The smart thing to do would be to stick with Weyland, and just let them do their thing. That way, nobody gets hurt, see?"
"Tyler, people are getting hurt, by Weyland. In experiments, as test-subjects, as a method of removing competition," Jeica argued.
"We can change that," Tyler insisted. "Things can change, maybe not drastically, but little by little we can make the difference. We don't need to throw people's lives out the window for this. There is a peaceful solution here, I can feel it."
"Listen to your heart Tyler!" Jeica cried.
"You're a smart man Tyler. Listen to logic – the Corporation can always use more bright minds like yours."
Logic. Righteousness. Logic. Righteousness. Tyler felt himself trembling slightly as the barrel of his weapon darted from individual to individual. Suddenly, he froze, his internal dilemma ceasing.
"No!" he screamed. "Not now!" He clutched his head, and Jeica and Lenex's eyes met for a second. They both dived at Tyler, going for the gun, but the young man suddenly sidestepped and kicked Lenex away. He stepped over the director's body, mouth set in a hard line, and aimed his pistol. The ragged, stressed breathing had slowed to an even, calm pace, and the wild uncertainty had faded from his eyes. This was not Tyler anymore; it was Sal.
But just as his finger squeezed the trigger, his arm flung out to the side, shot going into the wall a metre away from its target and Tyler stumbled across the room, gun arm waving around wildly and cracking off two more shots.
Finally, he found his footing and immediately put Jeica in his crosshairs. The frantic, crazy man was back, looking even less sane and even more dangerous than ever before.
"You-you-you LIAR! TRAITOR!" he screamed hysterically. "You-you knew! YOU KNEW! YOU AND JACOB KNEW ALL ALONG!" Jeica tried glanced behind her, realising she was a quick dash away from the door. She made her escape, but was cut short when a searing pain shot up her leg. She collapsed onto the floor, ears ringing in the aftermath of the gunshot being discharged in such a confined space. "YOU CRUEL, DISGUSTING MONSTERS!" He sobbed uncontrollably, shoulders shuddering with emotion as he advanced on Jeica's prone form. "You let me think that I was fucking crazy this entire time. You made me think that the voice in my head wasn't real… you… you knew all along that Sal was a XENOMORPH!"
Jeica's breath hitched as she stared up into those hurt, betrayed eyes. Tyler's finger tightened on the trigger, and Jeica thought she was gone. But Sal came back with a vengeance, attempting to body-switch once more. Tyler's arm jerked off-target, the bullet hitting the durable, bullet-proof door, causing the bullet to ricochet and slam into Tyler's side. He gave a choked yelp of pain and hit the ground hard, rolling across the cold floor and clutching his side.
Jeica groaned and picked herself up, cursing when she spotted Lenex fleeing out the door. She tried to sprint out after him, but gritted her teeth and slowed to a halt just outside his office, the pain in her leg leaving her immobile as she took deep, troubled breaths. She shut her eyes for a moment, blocking out the sounds of battle in her isolated corner of the foyer. When she opened them again, she cursed foully and could only watch Tyler limp out the door into the corridors beyond, gun hanging loosely at his side. The six-shooter only had one bullet left in it, but the scientist had surprisingly good aim. Jeica prayed he wasn't going after Jake with that last shot.
Jeica just sat and watched for the next few minutes, as the battle wound down with only a few loyalist survivors kneeling in the centre of the room, unarmed with their hands clasped behind their heads firmly. She felt a warm, comforting presence approach, and outstretched her hand. Mozart arrived on the scene a second later, and nuzzled her open palm warmly, giving a purr of greeting. He then picked her up gingerly, clutching her to his chest bridal style, and carried her to the centre of the room, where the Resistance fighters and Xenomorphs were gathering.
"Damn, guess I missed the party," a smart-ass, unmistakable voice remarked. Jeica sighed and smiled, turning to give her friend a hug.
"Jake," she greeted him. "Advena." The Xeno nodded back to her politely, before returning to her survey of the room. "Lenex got away. So did Tyler – he's real pissed too, by the way. Apparently Sal was a Xenomorph this whole time, and he thinks we were lying to him."
"Shit," Jake cussed, running a tired hand through his hair. "Advena…"
"You kept insisting that it was a normal thing for humans!" she protested angrily. "Besides, nothing about this makes any sense. Sal shouldn't have been able to manipulate their Bond like that, and he shouldn't have even wanted or needed to. I don't understand how or why he did it."
"I can explain later," an unfamiliar male's voice cut in telepathically. Advena and Jake both turned as a Xenomorph Runner strode over to them, fidgeting uncertainly. Advena suddenly lowered on her haunches and growled, bristling aggressively.
"Sal!" she snapped. "How dare you! You sit down right now and explain to me –"
"Not now," Sal, the newcomer, argued. "My Host is still out there, and I need to find him before we leave this place."
"We're coming with you," Advena growled. Then, in a voice that seemed quieter, whisper-like, "This vermin doesn't deserve our trust, Jacob. We must keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't hurt Tyler." Jake blinked, then realised what had happened. Advena had done one of them private conversation things, where only he could hear her. He took careful note of how that felt for future reference, and followed placidly along behind his seething Xeno, with Sal leading the way. It was obvious that Advena was highly offended by the way Sal treated Tyler, and Jake felt like he could only understand the very surface of why that was. Before he could step out into the corridors beyond, he remembered to quickly toss over his shoulder:
"Jeica, head to docking port eighteen – Lieutenant Parker has us a ship there." Jeica arched an eyebrow in surprise at his choice of ship, before shaking her head and turning to organise her troops.
"He's injured," Sal whimpered as they jogged through the white-washed corridors, nose pressed to the ground so as to inhale the metallic tang of blood. They burst into the mess hall, which was in ruins due to a battle which had taken place there. Tables were flipped on their sides, bullet holes littered the walls, furniture and ceiling, and bodies and military gear littered the floor. Sal paused outside the kitchen door and threw a pleading look over his shoulder, receiving a cold glare from Advena. Clearly she had no intention of giving him the privacy he desired. The trio carefully nudged their way through the doorway, into the preparation room beyond.
The walls and a small 'island' in the centre of the room were lined with cooking facilities; sinks, counters, utensil racks and cupboards. From where they stood, Tyler was nowhere to be seen, so they took extra caution around cupboards large enough to conceal a body, throwing the doors open at random to avoid an ambush. They edged their way around the centre island, ready to check the other side of the room, and there he was. Sitting with his back pressed against the base of the workstations, Tyler resided with a knife clutched in his pale, shaking hands while his blood-soaked shirt dripped crimson liquid onto the tiled floor. He leapt to his feet when he was discovered, waving his weapon at them threateningly.
"L-leave me alone you bastards!" he sobbed. "Just leave me alone! I don't want any part in this stupid fighting!" Jake took a step towards him, one hand raised in a calming motion. Tyler took a troubled step back to compensate, not letting Jake get any closer than he already was.
"Easy, easy," Jake soothed. "We're here to talk."
"There's nothing to talk about," Tyler spat angrily. "I don't want anything to do with you lot."
"But you know the Corporation is evil, Tyler. You've shown it time and time again. What about your big 'don't trust the Corporation' speech you gave me a couple of months back?"
"What, that?" Tyler seemed genuinely surprised for a moment, clearly having forgotten he'd even said that. "That was just me panicking after I found out the outbreak which got me impregnated wasn't an accident. But after I actually took the time to think about it, I realised nobody got hurt. They took precautions, Jacob. They don't hurt people unless they do something stupid – like initiate a coup in one of their stations."
"And what about my parents?" Jake snapped, "What did they do to deserve getting murdered at their work station? What did my team do to deserve being sent on a suicide mission?" Tyler narrowed his eyes, but couldn't formulate a response to that one. "And what about Alex? Is this what she would have wanted? Did she deserve to –"
"You have no right to say their name!" Tyler screamed. Jake opened his mouth to reassure his terrified and enraged friend, but was cut off by the realisation that he had vastly underestimated the man's remaining strength. Tyler lunged, the glinting blade of his knife hurtling right for Jake's throat. Jake felt terror, and panic. His mind slipped into Advena's, and together they stared at the glinting blade, hearts racing as they were far too caught out by surprise to react fast enough. But before Tyler reached his destination, he suddenly crumpled into Sal's arms, weapon clattering to the floor uselessly. Sal gingerly shifted the human's weight so he was carrying him more comfortably, staring worriedly at his wounds. To Jake's disbelief, the young man was unconscious.
"Whoa – what the hell just happened?" he demanded, still blinking away the fact he was still alive. Advena let out a shuddering breath of relief and hugged him tightly, as if reaffirming herself that he was still here and alive.
"It's a… conditioning of sorts. He used to have trouble getting to sleep, so I'd give him a little help when he needed it. Eventually, his brain formed an automatic response to certain telepathic stimuli, so now I can just… put him to sleep. Whenever I like," Sal explained, visibly shaken by his Host's desperate act of violence.
"Why you disgusting, vile piece of –" Advena began snarling, but was cut off by a firm hand pressing against her chest.
"He saved my life, 'Vena. Show a little gratitude." Advena hissed in disdain for a moment, then hung her head and slinked out the doorway, leaving Jake and Sal to exchange a worried look, before they turned to follow her. They had a ship to launch, after all.
~~~~~~~~~~()~~~~~~~~~~
Soundlessly, the docking clamps released, detaching one by one along the hull of the ship. Airlocks slid shut and locked up tight, umbilical tethers retracting slowly, severing the connection which had held the ERRV Merciful Indictor to the Reveles station. And just like that, a military-outfitted Emergency Response Rescue Vessel was stolen right from the hands of the single biggest corporation in the galaxy. The thrusters flickered and ignited, causing the ungainly-looking oblong ship to veer away from its dock, slowly swinging its backside around so as to allow it to face the station. Its weapons systems glowed for a moment, before exploding into action, sending volleys of missiles and barrages of heavy shells. The station buckled and shattered, spewing out debris as it was torn to pieces. Then, the 'Indictor slowly twisted its bulky body in the opposite direction and abruptly burst forward, disappearing into the starry expanse of space.
Jake stepped into the bridge of the Merciful Indictor, making more than a few heads turn away from their stations in order to watch him stride down the middle of the room, right up to the enormous glass cockpit. Jeica stood at the ship's head, hands clasped firmly behind her back as she stared into the vacuum before them. However, she turned when she heard Jake's approach, accompanied by the soft pitter-patter of Advena, ever present at his side.
"Well, we did it," she announced, almost in disbelief. "We shoved the middle finger right in Weyland's face, stole their shit and blew up their space station. Though logic dictates that some of the personnel would have survived seeing as we only shot up one side."
"I'll take the victory nonetheless," Jake chuckled, resting an absent-minded hand on Advena's head, rubbing her dome gently. "Has our good friend given you the coordinates yet?"
"Yeah, but he says this hunk of junk could take days, maybe even weeks, to get there. So for the time being, the bridge is yours, Captain."
"Me?" Jake guffawed. "I'm hardly a leader, Jeica."
"Perhaps not, but you are an idol. People are looking up to you. The man who played Weyland's pet, then spat one of their suits in the eye. The man who befriended the Xenomorphs. The man who launched an attack against Weyland and got us free from their clutches."
"What low standards these people have." Advena snorted in amusement at his remark, and Jeica just rolled her eyes.
"Regardless of rank, people are looking to you for purpose; leadership. Just a heads-up for when we have to settle down on some planet as our base of operations."
"Do not feel so glum," Advena chided him. "The Xenomorphs of the space station have been without a queen for quite some time. As the first Xeno to make positive contact with humans, they're looking to me for guidance. Just know that you're not alone."
"Of course I know that," Jake cooed, rubbing her jaw affectionately. "I know I'll always have you at my side." Jake flinched suddenly when an insistent, whining beep began sounding repetitively, alongside a flashing red light on the console beside him. He groaned and checked the console, only to find a diagnostic informing him somebody was trying to access an all-purpose shuttle without clearance. He tapped into the camera, and got a good view of the shuttle's entry hatch, as well as the young scientist fiddling with its circuits.
The bridge door hissed open, and a panicked Xenomorph burst inside, screeching frantically.
"I've lost sight of Tyler! One minute he was sleeping, I go get something to eat, and then he's gone!" Sal exclaimed. "We need to find him before –"
"Calm down, he's right here, in the shuttle bay," Jake sighed, gesturing to the screen.
"The shuttle bay?" Sal screeched. "You mean you're letting him fly away?"
"Of course not. Those things are connected to the ship's mainlines; he can't release the shuttle without clearance from here, the bridge. No doubt he knows that, so my best guess is that he plans on setting up shop in there."
"But why would he want to claim that thing as his personal space? Wouldn't one of the single occupant quarters be more suitable?" Jake sighed and stepped over to the holo-table in the middle of the bridge area, bringing up some schematics on the projector. The rotating 3D image displayed a small vehicle about twice the size of a large bus and a plethora of features.
"It's built for long-haul missions as a mobile base of sorts. It's got everything you need to sustain yourself for months on end; kitchen, water storage, power, bathroom, bunk room – even a small recreation room. On top of that it has storage facilities, maintenance tools and some small all-atmosphere weapons. Right now it's hooked into the ship's mainlines, which means he'll have everything he needs as soon as he stocks up the storage area. Perfect for someone who wants to cut himself off from the rest of the crew, especially considering the fact it's built to sustain small arms fire and most breaching tools. So we ain't getting in unless we know the codes, which he just undoubtedly changed."
"Oh. So… we just leave him?" Jake nodded patiently.
"If he wants privacy, let's give it to him. I'm too tired to deal with this shit right now."
"Captain's quarters are down the hall, second door on the right," Jeica informed him. Jake nodded, thanked her, then slowly swept out of the room, Advena trudging along behind him as always.
"Mental abilities taken a lot out of you, hmm?" Advena hummed. Jake just nodded and sighed.
"And thinking. Thinking about what we've just done, and what it means for our future. For now though, we have all the time in the galaxy, so I'm going to take a warm shower, watch a romantic movie, then go to bed. You're welcome to join me."
"In which activity?" Advena smirked to herself at her own smart remark, and was surprised when Jake answered:
"All three if you like." Advena obviously stayed silent for too long, because Jake chuckled and rubbed her neck affectionately. "What? You've already been in my body; it's not as if I'm hiding anything from you by wearing clothes." Advena snickered, neglecting to mention she had politely decided against studying his body whilst she had controlled it.
"How right you are. It sounds like an excellent plan to me, Sir."
"Oh cut it out. I'm pretty sure if killing your fellow soldiers and blowing up half your employer's station isn't considered an official resignation, nothing is." Jake stepped up to what was to be his quarters, and the door swished open for him. He waved his thanks to the corridor camera and swept his arms in an 'after you' gesture. Advena chuckled and padded on inside, slowly sweeping her gaze around the room as she did so. It was similar to their old quarters on the station, just with the kitchen replaced by a bigger living room area. TV, coffee table, comfy couch with two arm chairs arranged neatly beside it, and even a nice painting hanging on the back wall.
The bedroom sported a luxury double bed, a small desk, a standing cupboard for clothes and a door leading off to the bathroom. Jake smiled broadly at the large shower that stood stoically within, already shrugging off his shirt in preparation. Advena darted in before him, hopping from foot to foot excitedly. Thus far, she had refused to set foot in a shower for fear of breaking something or not knowing how to use it, but now she seemed like she couldn't get in fast enough. Jake could guess why, and the thought made him smirk knowingly.
The wall of warm water crashed over Jake, causing him to relax and sigh in delight. He closed his eyes and simply let the water run over his body for a moment, before the soft splashing of tentative feet brought him back to reality. Jake motioned his companion over and nabbed one of them shower sponges from a small shelf set into the wall next to the temperature controls. She obliged, stepping under the flow of water and allowing the glistening moisture to cascade over her midnight black skin. Jake gently guided her to face away from him and soaped up the sponge.
Advena stiffened, then slowly eased up and began purring as Jake gently covered her body in suds, massaging her shoulders with the soft sponge and slowly working his way down her back, taking extra care around the scars where her back spines had once been. He worked his way down to her hips, laughing lightly at the squeak she made when he rubbed the base of her tail – must be a sensitive spot. He finished off by letting her bony tail slip through his sponge-clad hand, leaving behind a trail of soapy bubbles which were quickly rinsed off by the shower's warm spray.
Advena awkwardly turned to face him, tucking all her limbs towards herself to avoid bumping them against the glass cubicle walls, and flashed him a grin. Jake leaned in and ran that sponge down her domed head, down her chin and across her neck. She cooed softly when he ran small circles on her flat, bony chest and down to her stomach.
"Wow… you're really good at this. How many women have you had in a shower with you?" Advena jibed.
"Including you? That brings me to a grand total of… one." She giggled her stuttering hiss at him, then thrust her head into his chest, demanding the attention of his hands. Jake relented, stowing the sponge away in favour of cradling her head and running his hands over her soft skin. The Xeno relaxed visibly and, with a contented sigh, shut out everything in the world that wasn't her human companion or the delightful trickles of water running down her spine.
"Mmm… my turn now…" she murmured eventually, grudgingly pulling her head out of his grasp. Jake raised an eyebrow, but didn't protest when Advena gripped his shoulders and guided him to where she had just been standing. She smirked to herself and plucked the sponge from where the human had left it, giving it a rinse and fresh dosage of soap before putting it to work.
Jake let her knead the stress from his shoulders – being extra gentle around his disfigured left shoulder – and it took mere seconds to realise she wasn't even trying to wash him, but merely making excuses to give him a massage. Fine by him. Advena leaned in closer, pressing her body against his and slowly trailing her hands down his sides seductively.
"Ah! Keep it PG please," Jake interrupted.
"Jacob, we're naked in a shower together."
"R-16 then."
"You're such a child."
"The worst part is, you know you love it." Jake patted her head, laughing at her pout and switching the water off. "Now, let's get dry and watch a movie, shall we?" Advena bobbed her head and stepped out into the steamy bathroom, allowing Jake to give her body a much briefer rub-down with a towel. She almost managed to sneak in an extra grope, but Jake beat her to it and towelled himself off, denying her the pleasure with a coy smirk. Once Jake had pulled some clothes on, they both settled down on the couch, lying in one another's arms. They only ended up watching half the movie before giving up and simply going to bed, with Advena spending ten minutes fussing over the blankets in an attempt to recreate her nest, before finally allowing them to lay down inside.