The room was dark and quiet, the only sounds the soft breathing of the two nestled together on the small bunk. He was dozing, cobalt blue eyes half-closed, head resting on her chest. She was sitting up, leaning against the wall, the drowsy man cradled in her arms. She watched him doze, a fond smile to her lips, one hand gently stroking his tousled blonde hair. He had wandered in here a little while earlier, looking worn out, and just collapsed onto the bed beside her.

He's been so tired lately, working on Strike until all hours. And it doesn't help that he hasn't really recovered from those injuries from Mendel yet, either. So all she had done was to take him into her arms and comfort him, help him sleep. Neither of them had said much in the time he had been here, even before he'd fallen asleep. They didn't need to. Theirs was the kind of relationship that no longer needed words...

The two of them spent a lot of time together like this. Not saying much, just sitting together peacefully, perhaps sharing coffee, discussing their day. She didn't know whether it was the same for him, but for her, being with him like this made long duty shifts a little more bearable. Even if it was only for a few hours, she enjoyed being with him. We spend almost every night together, if we aren't too busy or too tired. And sometimes things go beyond conversation...beyond companionship - when more than words are needed, yet at the same time less...

She looked down at the slumbering man with a gentle smile, amber eyes softened with emotion. His face was so innocent, slightly pale with fatigue, but shed of the stress and worry of the last few days. She'd known how tired he was, had been able to see it in his posture and behaviour of the last few days, but he hadn't spoken of it. Instead, he'd been worried about her. He had studied her closely, practically clucking in annoyance as he'd seen the dark circles under her eyes, the sallow tint to her skin. He had scolded her for not getting enough sleep, and made her promise to go right to bed after her work was done.

He takes such good care of me...yet he doesn't have anyone to take care of him.

But she could. She could scold him for staying up till the middle of the night working on his mobile suit, for forgetting to eat, and he would listen. She doubted he would listen to anyone else...but he would listen to her.

No-one really knows. No-one in the crew knows for sure just how close we are now. Sure, some of them have their suspicions..I've heard that there are rumours flying about, but no-one really knows the truth. It's our secret.

It was hard sometimes. To keep everything to themselves, to pretend that there was nothing happening between them. She hadn't been able to hide her worry and fear when she had learned that he was injured, and her relief when she'd found out that he would be all right had been equally visible. They weren't able to hide everything...

All I could do was visit him in sickbay, let my eyes and presence convey what my words couldn't. And he understood.

Like tonight. He had sank down onto the bed beside her, not saying anything, simply trusting that she knew what he wanted, knew that he loved her. And she had. Lying back on the bed, her sleeping lover still cradled in her arms, she kissed him lightly, smiling as he nuzzled closer to her. I know that he loves me..I can see it in his eyes, in his smile, feel it in his kisses and caresses. And he knows that I love him just as much. My Mwu...

That made her giggle softly, one hand pressed to her mouth to stifle the sound. 'Hers'. That sounded so possessive, didn't it? Like he belonged to her. But in a way, he did, didn't he? He had told her one night, holding her close, that he'd never really been able to love anyone before. He hadn't gone into details back then, but she had heard the truth in his words. So her possessiveness was justified in a way. In a sense, he really did belong to her.

And in the same sense, she belonged to him. It had been so long since she'd let herself love anyone, that with him, it felt new again. Yawning, she pulled the covers over them both, giving him one last kiss.

She wished she could tell him all of this...but then again, he probably already knew...

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( This was strange, ne? Never mind.

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