Initial Completion: November 3, 2020

Revised: November 8, 2020

"Yes Jim," Kate said when she finally stopped laughing, "I wanted to save your sorry rump." She readjusted her jacket and tucked a stray curl behind her ear, "It wasn't my proudest moment, but I am glad you're alive."

Jim laughed nervously, "Yeah, me too."

Idiot Jim was back, it seemed.

After a brief moment of silence, Kate continued, "You know, you mentioned earlier about Morph teasing you."

Jim remembered their unintentional kiss. "What about it?" he asked with a mildly suspicious tone. Kate waved a hand at him. "Nothing, it's just a bit funny because... my father's been teasing me, too," she explained as she rested on the railing once again.

Jim's eyes widened in surprise, "Really?"

Kate nodded. "You have no idea. Actually... you might," she said with a smile, "Almost every time I see him it's the same thing."

Now, Jim didn't tell Kate what Morph was teasing him about. But now that he knew she was being teased as well he wondered if maybe, just maybe, they were in the same boat.

And the implications of that turned his face red as ever and sent his heart rocketing through the Etherium.

Jim blankly stared at Kate, his mind in a muddle, "... What does he tease you for?"

She looked away for a moment as she shrugged, "Eh, it's not important."

Jim almost took a step back, "It's… not?" His revelation left him dying to know the answer to his question. Kate smiled slyly, shrugging again, "Well, he just likes to joke about me having a boyfriend."

There was that feeling of jealousy again. His mouth spoke before his brain thought, "Do you?"

Jim, you stupid idiot!

"No," she replied, shaking her head, "That's why I said it's not important."

A sudden wave of relief washed over him.

What in blazes is wrong with you?

"But we spend so much time together he always says things like 'oh, an excellent choice, Katherine!'" she continued while mimicking the commanding tone of her father's voice, "Or he'll jokingly brag about how he's got 'a most promising spacer for a son-in-law!'"

Jim stared at her blankly, recalling the Admiral using that particular term on a certain someone. "You mean… me?" he asked, placing a hand on his chest.

She gave him an almost sinister glance. "A lot like Morph, huh?" she asked, her tone carrying a sliver of satisfaction.

The color on Jim's face never ceased.

By this point, he felt like Kate had changed this conversation just to make him uneasy. She did seem to love torturing him and his emotions.

Well, he decided it was his turn.

He relaxed his face and shrugged, leaning to rest on the railing once more. "I mean, Morph's been bothering me because the way he does it is really in your face," he began, "But the way you said it, it sounds like your dad isn't bothering you at all."

Kate moved her hand to tap at her chin in thought, "Hmm… now that I think of it, outside of the repetitiveness, he doesn't bother me."

Jim raised an eyebrow. He wasn't expecting that kind of response.

"Oh, really?" he asked, feeling befuddled but determined, "I mean, it is a little suspicious for us to be spending a lot of time together without anything coming out of it, isn't it?"

He wanted Kate to feel as flustered as she made him feel. A taste of her own medicine, so to say. But more so to know whether or not his suspicion was correct.

"You're right," she answered, sounding like she had expected these questions, "We have become very close, almost inseparable, really." Kate seemed to be just fine talking about how her father suggested that she and Jim were romantically involved. He quickly realized that his little plan didn't seem to be working at all.

Kate wasn't phased even a bit as she continued, "But I suppose that makes it fair of him to think of us in such a way."

Something inside of Jim told him she knew exactly what he was trying to do and that she was going to turn the tables and make him look like a fool.

However, he was a tad too thick-headed to spill his beans. "But that doesn't bother you?" he asked rather frustratedly, "I mean, it bothers me when Morph does it because it's not true."

Jim wanted to know how she felt.

He needed to know.

But by the way she raised her eyebrow, it looked like something had clicked in Kate's head. "So that's why it bothers you?" she asked, "Because it's not true?"

Jim felt a bit exasperated. Finally, someone understood his frustration. "Yes! It bothers me that Morph teases me over something that doesn't even exist!" he shouted.

Kate again tapped her chin in thought for a long moment before coming to a conclusion, "You know, Jim? I think it bothers me as well."

Jim was caught off guard yet again, "... Say what?"

She nodded and crossed her arms, her expression turning into one of seriousness. "Yes," she answered with a firm nod, "I've decided to be bothered by this teasing about us."

Jim now felt that she was mocking him.

He ran his hand through his hair, leaving it to cling to the back of his neck. "And why now did you choose to be bothered by this?" he tiredly asked.

Kate offered a shy smile coupled with an equally shy gaze, "Because it's not true."

At this point, Jim was getting tired of this back and forth between them with no end in sight, "Okay then… uh, good to know we're in the same boat." Screw his little plan, he had enough teasing and embarrassment for one day. "So, we're good then, right?" he asked, but he wasn't really looking for an answer.

"Okay, well, I think it's, uh… getting late," he stated as he stretched his arms a bit, feeling his tired muscles relax. He took a few steps back to indicate his departure. "Glad we're on good terms but I should head back to my room," he reasoned, "So I'll… see you tomorrow." He offered Kate a casual salute goodbye before turning on his heel and stepping away.

He decided it might be best to just leave things the way they were and deal with his newfound feelings as they came.

However, Kate's soft voice stopped him dead in his tracks.

"... But I want it to be."