They'd been making love for hours. They were like a bored young couple who could think of nothing to do during a storm except rut. Coran cupped her face in his hands. He left a trail of exquisite kisses along her neck. Nayni grabbed Coran by his red hair and brought his mouth to her's. She could taste the saltiness of their mingled sweat on his lips.
Coran rolled onto his back and she lay her head on his chest. He massaged the back of her neck while she traced her fingers along the patch of red hair on his chest. His pecs rose and fell as he took in desperate hungry breaths.
"How many is that now?" Coran pried.
He already sounded so smug even though he had not yet received an answer. He knew exactly just how many times.
"Th-thirteen times," Nayni stammered.
The last time she'd stayed up all night rutting like this was the night of her wedding to Tomyko.
"That's a new record for me," Coran declared.
He seemed to be very pleased with himself. Her legs were still trembling. He had her so love drunk that she could barely formulate a coherent thought. The air of his quarters was hot and sticky. She wasn't sure if it was just his quarters anymore. She'd only spent one night in the room across the hall. The rest had been with him.
"Congratulations," Nayni slurred.
He grabbed the blue covers and pulled them up over them. Nayni had been so desperate for some rest earlier in the night but now she felt as if she could stay up until the dawn returned. It was probably very close to dawn by now. She kept running her fingers through his damp red hair and picking away the stray strands that were clinging to his forehead.
The thrill of finally being with him was haunted by the loss of Altea. It was just always hanging over them now. It was all such a horrible and crazy twist of fate. She nuzzled her face into his neck. It took losing everything they ever knew for her to finally build up the courage to make this all a reality. He pressed his lips to her neck again. The tip of his nose and his mustache brushed against her olive skin. It sent tingles all the way down her spine.
"Coran, we should actually attempt to get some sleep," Nayni said.
"Whatever you desire, I'll do it," Coran whispered.
He was driving her mad. Nayni had never expected him to be so wild between the sheets. Coran had always gone to such great lengths to maintain proper formalities. To see him so unrestrained was remarkable.
"We should sleep-" Nayni trailed off.
With everything going on they definitely needed to rest in order to be at peak performance but his touch was so tantalizing she could hardly resist him. He pulled her against his hard body. His skin was still damp with sweat.
"Then we sleep," Coran said.
Maybe they wouldn't sleep just yet.
Light was struggling to break through the thick layer of grey clouds in the sky. Nayni nuzzled her face into the collar of her jacket to fend off the chill. The shrubbery that lined the stone pathways of the Palace courtyard had changed from a vibrant green to a dull grey with the shifting of the seasons. She had been taking some supplements from an Alchemist since her discussion on the beach with Allura that summer. Nayni had been hesitant to take the small green capsules at first. They'd wreaked havoc on her body for a short time. She could barely keep her food down and her moods had grown worse. Once she'd gotten over that hump she felt more stable.
The medicinal herbs hadn't completely freed her of her devotion to Coran. She still thought of him every day but it was much less troubling now. She'd gone from swinging between absolute despair and being numb to functioning fully. The Alchemist that had prescribed her the capsules tried to encourage Nayni to seek out a Spiritualist to fully handle her emotional issues. That had been much, much harder for her to do. Nayni was so used to being tight-lipped about things. Coran had been the only one to ever crack her open. Talking to the Spiritualist was very arduous but the slow process seemed to be helping her.
Things were better. They weren't perfect but they were back in a state that she felt she could handle. What she wasn't sure she could handle was the meeting she was about to have with Mister Smythe. King Alfor had requested that Nayni speak at the annual Veterans' Banquet. It was a request that came out of nowhere. Nayni was not known for her public speaking abilities. She'd tried to convince the King to do it himself but he insisted on her. He firmly believed the troops would want to hear from a former soldier rather than their King. She greatly disagreed with this but she couldn't refuse him.
Nayni knew she couldn't construct a speech by herself let alone give one. The only person she felt like she could turn to for help was Coran. He had a brilliant mind for coming up with inspirational talks and delivered them with such grace. He knew just how to deliver a joke and when it was appropriate to make one. He was the right choice to help her out, it was just going to be the first time the two had been alone in quite some time. She was nervous but the capsules were keeping her from falling into a state of panic.
Nayni pressed a button on the control panel outside of Coran's office. She'd started to become less awkward with their day to day interactions but it was easier for her to keep her cool when Allura was around. Nayni leaned into the intercom and spoke.
"Mister Smythe, are you going to let me in or am I to freeze to death?" She said.
"I'm not sure, what's the password, Madame?" Coran teased.
Nayni sighed and pressed the transmit button again.
"You're an idiot," Nayni said.
She didn't actually think he was an idiot but the banter was helping to ease her nerves. The door to his office slid open and she stepped inside. It was much toastier inside then it was out. It smelled of freshly baked cookies. He'd rearranged some of the furniture. The walls that were once red were now a more conservative shade of blue with a gold trim. His décor wasn't the only thing that had changed. Nayni had yet to see him today so his new hair caught her off guard. Gone was his ponytail and the perfectly styled bangs. His red hair was slicked back and neatly tucked behind his ears. One solitary curl stuck out in the center of his forehead.
Nayni swallowed hard. He looked rather dashing.
"You've changed your hair, Mister Smythe," Nayni stammered.
She didn't want to actually give him a compliment to his face. Coran ran his fingers through his hair. He seemed very pleased that she had noticed.
"Oh, you know I felt it was just time for a change," Coran said.
Nayni was already starting to struggle with maintaining her cool facade.
"Well, I didn't come to discuss your hair," Nayni said briskly.
She would've been fine with discussing it for a varga or two if he wanted. Nayni couldn't possibly carry on a civilized conversation for that long with him. She took a seat in the new sleek blue chair he'd added. It was rather uncomfortable but it certainly looked nice. Coran pulled out his orange datapad. He swept his hand across it and cleared away the clutter of text on the screen.
"Ah yes the Veterans' Banquet," Coran said. "I thought it was a brilliant idea to have you speak."
Nayni leaned back in the chair and the strange slick material squeaked.
"I don't know why. I'm the least charming Altean in the world," Nayni said.
Coran shook his head and that perfectly coiffed curl bounced.
"Nonsense, you're very charming. Anyone would be nervous addressing such a large crowd," Coran said.
If Nayni had not been on the Alchemist's medicine she would've been unable to handle his flattery. She was able to keep back the flush that would've normally come rushing to her cheeks and ears.
"Not you," Nayni said. "I've seen you standing up on stage. You put everyone else to shame with how easily you do that."
Nayni thought his cheeks flushed. She must've been hallucinating. It was physically impossible for her to get Coran flustered, even in the slightest.
"I get nervous every time," Coran said.
This was quite a shock to her. Coran was not the type to get nervous about something like a speech. She actually laughed because she couldn't believe it. The look on his face told her otherwise though.
"You're not kidding," Nayni said.
Coran typed idly into his datapad.
"You can never really know how well something will go over with a crowd," Coran explained. "I spend quite a bit of time agonizing over what to say. You really need to know your audience and I don't always have that luxury. I just take a few deep breaths and put a smile on my face before I go up there."
He made it look significantly easier than the difficult process he was describing. He was much better at masking his feelings than she was.
"That's why Alfor chose you for this. You know this audience better than anyone," Coran said.
It had been deca-phoebs since Nayni had been in the armed forces. Being the Captain of the Royal Guard was a much cushier job. She wasn't sure how a group of hardened soldiers was going to respond to her stout and grumpy visage.
"I don't even know where to begin with any of this," Nayni said. "I barely passed my writing lessons when I was still in schooling."
She'd barely passed most of her academics. That's why she joined up with the Army as soon as she was old enough to. That was back before Coran's underdressed, muscled body graced the cover of the recruiting pamphlets.
"Well, what kind of speech would you appreciate if you were sitting out in that crowd?" Coran asked.
His fingers hovered over the datapad. He was ready to take note of everything she said. Nayni just wasn't sure how to answer that question. She didn't think to even contemplate this.
"I never really cared for the blathering on about sacrifice and duty and honor," Nayni said. "I was just doing my job it was nothing special to me."
Coran typed into his datapad. His fingers danced over the surface so quickly they seemed to blur together. The few times that Nayni and Tomyko had gone to these banquets they'd mostly just whispered to each other and waited impatiently for the eating to start. Nayni had been especially interested in the eating part.
"So we'll keep it brief—" Coran said. "What else?"
He was listening to her so intently. She'd missed this. She missed this quite a bit. He continued to take notes while she talked. Occasionally they would drift off course on a tangent that would end with fits of laughter. The vargas had slipped by more quickly than Nayni had realized. The windows of his office had grown dark with the coming of night. Nayni needed to leave but she didn't want to.
He still made her feel so warm. He still did things to her that she wished desperately were not so. Being in his presence was just so addictive. Keeping her distance had made her forget about that. The medicinal herbs had yet to numb her fears enough to let her feel safe about confessing any of this to him. They continued to talk despite the yawns and the muttering about everything that needed to be done tomorrow. Every time Nayni tried to depart Coran would have something else to ask her or she'd recall some insipid event that she wanted to share with him.
The dark of the night sky shifted to a teal shade with the approaching dawn. Coran laughed and wiped a tear away from his eye as Nayni told him about the latest stunt Allura had pulled. The Princess had coated herself and almost every surface of her room with paint and had offered up no explanation to Nayni as to how it had all happened. Coran looked and sounded exhausted. His voice was hoarse and his eyes were glassy. But the way he was smiling made her heart swell.
"The night's nearly done and I'm afraid we haven't made much progress on your speech," Coran said.
She couldn't give a ruggle about the speech now. Coran typed into his datapad as he spoke.
"I'll send you my atrocious notes but I think you've got this handled, Madame Nordontu," Coran said. "You just need to be more confident."
She probably didn't have it handled but she was touched by his faith in her. Nayni rubbed at her dry eyes and yawned. She'd enjoyed this but she was not looking forward to slogging around on zero vargas of sleep today. She wanted to do this again. She wanted to do it every night of her life. She wasn't ready yet. Allura had barely pulled her back from the brink and Nayni still felt so vulnerable.
"I appreciate the assistance, Mister Smythe," Nayni said.
There was quite a bit more that she wanted to thank him for but she never would.
The muscles of Nayni's legs were sore and throbbed from last night. She could barely walk as she stepped onto the bridge of the Castle. When she'd awoken, Coran had been gone. She barely recalled him planting a kiss on her cheek and tucking her back in before he slipped away. She found him standing behind his control panel as if nothing had changed at all. Her boots squeaked as she crept up behind him. Coran glanced over his shoulder and flashed her a smile.
"You shouldn't have let me sleep so late," Nayni said.
"You needed the rest, Nayni," Coran said.
She took her place next to him and gazed upon the main interface. A map of the Terrapin system was laid out before them. Green blips were steadily streaming from the center of the map.
"The Terrapin have already provided the rebels with some vessels," Coran explained. "I'm afraid Matt's already departed with them."
Nayni had barely even spoken to Pidge's brother. Her gaze drifted away from the display and to Coran's hands typing into the control panel. He still worked at an unbelievable pace.
"No sign of the Galra I take it?" Nayni asked.
She would've been awakened by a rather obnoxious alarm if that had happened.
"Not yet, we're going to patrol the system for a few days to ensure that sector is secured," Coran explained. "The Blade of Marmora have run off to try and track down Lotor as well."
That was probably for the best. With the forces they'd gained from the Terrapin, they'd be able to hold off the Galra fleet if they returned. Nayni was a little glad that Keith had taken his leave, she didn't like having him around and reminding Allura of her heartache. She hadn't spent much time with him but the boy had seemed pretty oblivious to the matter.
"Sounds like we'll be left with a bit of time on our hands," Nayni said.
She hadn't meant anything flirty by that but it got a little wink out of Coran.
"I'll have to get you better acclimated to operating the Castle then," Coran teased.
Nayni was fairly certain he did actually want to train her to use the Castle's defenses but he also seemed interested in having her on top of that control panel again.
"I'd like to make some adjustments to my particle shield," Nayni said. "That one I dug up from the armory isn't exactly- adequate."
"Planning on charging off into battle again?" Coran asked.
He knew very well that she would at some point. She was even more likely to do it if Allura was involved and it seemed that Allura was involved in everything nowadays. And if anyone dared touch a hair on Coran's head she would be planting a blaster round in their face. She still understood why he wasn't a fan of the idea.
"Whatever you desire, I'll do it," Nayni said with a smirk.
His left ear twitched and a light blush broke out on his cheeks. She'd throw herself out of the airlock if it meant keeping him safe. He had to know this by now. He had to know that she would tear the universe apart just to stay with him. Nayni finally had him and she would never let him or Allura be lost to her ever again.
"You should talk to Hunk and Pidge about your shield. They'll have no problem getting that fixed," Coran said.
It was Coran's way of giving her permission to run into the fray again. She had a much harder time parting ways with him now. It would've bothered her terribly in her youth but not anymore. They'd already lost everything and continued to carry on. They'd be able to survive anything that they came across.