Disclaimer: I do not own Cowboy Bebop or its characters, but I do own this story which I won't be making any money from.-sigh-

A Tight Spot

Okay, I admit it this time. This was a bad idea. Jet tried again to shift his large frame just a little more sideways, but his shoulders were just too broad and the bulkheads on either side were unforgiving. Unfortunately, the woman that the soft body pressed in front of him belonged to was unforgiving also.

He and Faye were crammed into an access area for the Bebop's ventilation system, waiting for their bounty. Space pirates had been working the hyperspace between Ganymede one of the mining moons and Ganymede Assurance Consortium was offering and additional $50,000 woolongs for them on top of the ISSP's bounty. And the Consortium's bounty would be paid for the pirates dead OR alive. A perfect target for the perpetually broke, and sometimes overly violent, Bebop gang.

The ventilation system had two entry points for maintenance, on opposite ends of the ship. Both were 3'x3' panels that lead to a tiny closet with enough space for a person to stand and then climb the metal ladder on the side. Jet had just barely managed to crawl through the panel and stand up when Faye came bursting through. He was startled and backed against the ladder yelling, "What the hell do you think you're doing!"

"Oh! You're here? I thought this was the one I was supposed to be in!" Faye had said innocently. Too innocently Jet thought. He knew that she knew that he knew she was full of crap. Faye being Faye though didn't seem to care. She'd pulled the panel back into place, plunging them into darkness, and unusual intimacy.

Now he was stuck between the ladder and Faye. If he could turn sideways he could get in front of the ladder and go up a couple rungs. He could wait there, out of her way, as long as it took. But in order to do that he had to first step into the more open space by the panel, and she was there.

Please hurry up and board this damn ship! Jet carefully tried to move forward to get enough room to turn around. He bumped some part of Faye and both of them leaped apart, banging against the steel walls.

"Jet!" Faye hissed. "Would you quit that! You're going to blow this for us and it was your idea!"

"It was NOT my idea to be stuck in here with the Annoying Shrew Woman!" Jet growled back. Faye merely huffed, an unusually brief response for her.

Annoying SADISTIC Shrew Woman is more like it! Jet thought as Faye shifted in front and her shoulder brushed his chest.

In the complete blackness it seemed to Jet as if every nerve ending in his body was alert to Faye's slightest movement. Every time she moved it seemed she touched him somewhere. He could hear the slightest swish of the fabric of Faye's jacket and even her breathing seemed loud.

Faye was moving again, it sounded like she was rummaging through his stuff on the floor. Was she bending over? Something pressed on his thighs and hestifled a groan. Come on Jet, this Faye in here with you, the Ice Princess, remember?

"Hey, you've got beer in here!" Faye exclaimed, though in a hushed voice. "You really do plan everything ahead don't you?" He heard her pop the top on one.

"Of course I do!" Jet whispered back indignantly. "That's MY beer by the way! Some of us don't like living on the edge, always mooching off of others! Where would we be without my plans for getting bounties?"

"Well, you wouldn't be in here with the Shrew Woman, that's for sure!" Faye snapped. Jet thought he heard an odd note in her voice, but he couldn't be sure. Damn this dark! He didn't answer. He was too busy listening to Faye drinking his beer, imaging her head tipped back, her throat moving as she swallowed. Jet clenched his fist and tried again to turn, this time scraping his left shoulder against the bulkhead so hard the metal arm actually made sparks.

Faye just couldn't leave well enough alone and continued, "Jet! Stop fidgeting! Yeah, look where your plans got you this time! How long do I have to be stuck in here with you?"

"No one told you to be in here with me dammit! You're supposed to be on starboard!" They were still whispering even though there was no need for it. The absolute darkness just seemed to call for it.

"Isn't this starboard?" Faye asked.

"This is PORT woman! It's MY spot! It's MY beer! It's MY blanket!" Jet's voice was growing louder with each sentence.

Faye interrupted him at this point, "Blanket? What on earth did you bring a blanket for?" He could hear her going through his stuff again. No longer thinking of anything but defending his privacy and his stuff, Jet stepped freely into the open space and tried to find his bag on the floor.

"It's a ventilation shaft, Faye, it gets cold in here!" He bumped into her and their arms tangled as they each tried to get the bag first. Their heads were touching and Jet thought he felt Faye quiver as his mouth brushed against her ear. Jet found the bag and stood up. They were standing so close Jet could feel her chest rising and falling with her breathing, which seemed rather more labored than their slight scuffle called for. He took out a beer and carefully dropped the bag behind him..

After a moment Faye said, "But it's not cold at all in here, is it?"

Jet cleared his throat, "No. Not really." He popped the top and chugged his beer in one shot. I have never in my life needed a drink more than now! His entire body seemed electrically charged with the strain of trying to sense where Faye was in the dark.

"So do you plan everything, Jet?" Faye asked, a note of taunting in her voice. She was moving her hands as she talked and they almost seemed to caress his arms on purpose. Jet dropped the now crushed beer can. "I mean really, can you absolutely plan everything?" Every hair on his body was quivering and Jet was sure there was no blood left in his brain. "Every part of your life? Day in and day out? How long have you..."

"What does it take to make you shut up for once?" Jet growled. He answered his own question by unerringly finding her mouth with his own. Faye stiffened and squeaked in surprise, but then yielded to Jet's new plan.

Epilogue

At the end of the two-hour hyperspace run, Faye and Jet both felt the ship's engines shift down to enter the gate. A mad scramble ensued behind the tiny access panel. A few minutes later they heard footsteps in the passageway outside. The foot steps paused and Spike called, "Come out, come out wherever you are!"

Faye, having little clothing to replace, was ready and stepped out. Jet decided that in this case cowardliness was the best plan and remained hidden.

"So where are these big, bad space pirates?" Faye was asking casually.

"Another cowboy got them, they're already through the gate with ISSP," Spike replied. Jet could see Spike's and Faye's legs from the knees down as they conversed. He could also hear the smirk in Spike's voice.

Spike continued, "Um, Faye? Why were you hiding in the same place as Jet? Aren't you supposed to be over on starboard? And there's something on your..."

"I got confused okay?" Faye shot back. "I'm not used to these big ships! So sue me! And what do you think you're looking at anyway!"

Jet watched Faye's boots stalk away. Spike's shoes remained, patiently waiting. With a big sigh and much difficulty, Jet climbed out of the panel too.

"Jet?"

"Yeah Spike?"

"You know, it's really cute. Your hickey matches Faye's!"