The observation deck was quiet, the kind of quiet that felt too big, like the ship was holding its breath. The faint hum of the systems was the only sound, barely enough to drown out my thoughts. Outside the glass wall, space stretched endlessly, streaks of light from the FTL drive fading into nothing. It was the kind of view that made you feel small. And maybe a little queasy. Or maybe that was just the butterflies doing the tango in my stomach.

I leaned against the railing, arms crossed, staring out at the void. It wasn’t just nothingness—it was alive, like it was staring back, waiting. The kind of waiting that made my skin crawl. What the hell are we doing out here?

Emily stood beside me, her shoulders relaxed, but her hands fidgeting lightly at her sides. “It’s kind of eerie, isn’t it?” she said, breaking the silence. Her voice was soft, hesitant, like she wasn’t sure if she should be speaking at all.

“Yeah,” I replied, quieter than usual. “Not much to see, but it still feels… huge. Like it’s waiting for us. To swallow us whole, probably.” I forced a chuckle, trying to shake off the sudden chill that had nothing to do with the temperature in here. More to do with the fact that she was standing close enough that I could smell her shampoo. Or perfume. Or maybe that was just the natural scent of Emily, and I was losing my damn mind.

She turned her head, and I caught the way the light hit her jawline. Damn. My chest tightened, and for a second, I forgot what I was even looking at. “You’ve always liked the big picture stuff,” she said, her lips quirking into that small, knowing smile of hers. She always knew. Too much, probably.

I shrugged, hoping I didn’t look as much of a mess as I felt. Stomach doing backflips, palms sweating—yep, I was a goner. “Someone has to think about it. Not like Ryan’s losing sleep over anything besides where he hid the damn poker chips.” I tried to steer the conversation away from the gaping maw of existential dread opening up inside me. And away from how good she looked in that uniform.

“True,” she said, her smile growing. She glanced out at the stars—or where they should’ve been—then back at me. “So, what keeps you up at night?”

Her gaze was steady, cutting right through me like a laser. Damn, she was perceptive. I tightened my grip on the railing, my knuckles briefly brushing the cool metal. How was I supposed to answer that? Everything kept me up at night—the crew, the mission, the terrifying realization that one wrong call could kill us all. And now? Now I could add "thinking about Emily" to that list. In vivid detail.

My eyes betrayed me, drifting down the curve of her body. The light caught on her thighs, the way her uniform hugged her in all the right places. I looked away, suddenly finding the railing very interesting. Get it together, Rossi.

“Everything,” I admitted. “Keeping everyone alive. Making sure we don’t screw this up. It’s like… we’re out here with no safety net.”

It felt like spilling my guts, and I hated it. Vulnerability wasn’t my thing. But with her, it felt... okay. Like maybe I wasn’t about to get ripped apart for admitting I wasn’t invincible.

She didn’t answer right away, her green eyes studying me, like she was trying to figure me out. Her silence wasn’t judging—it was grounding. Then, out of nowhere, she reached out, her fingers brushing lightly against my arm. Her touch was warm, even through my uniform, and it sent a jolt straight to my chest. And other places.

“You’re not alone, you know,” she said, her voice soft. “You’ve got us. And we’ve got you.”

It wasn’t just the words—it was how she said them. Sincere, steady, like she meant it. It caught me off guard, and I just stood there, staring at her like an idiot. For a moment, the knot in my stomach loosened, replaced by something lighter, warmer.

I turned my head to look at her fully. She was close—closer than I’d realized. I could feel her warmth, see the rise and fall of her breath, and the way her gaze lingered on me made my pulse race. My mind was chaos, a jumble of what do I do now? and don’t mess this up, and all I wanted was to pull her closer.

***

Before I could stop myself, my eyes dropped to her lips. Just for a second. Then they snapped back up like I’d been caught stealing something, my ears burned. Smooth, Rossi. Real smooth. I opened my mouth to say something—anything—but the words got stuck somewhere between my throat and my tongue, and before I could untangle them, she leaned in, and the world narrowed to just her, just this.

Her lips brushed mine. A tentative kiss. My heart skipped a beat, then hammered against my ribs. Is this really happening? Her lips were soft, warm, and for a split second, I just froze, like a total idiot. Then instinct took over, and I kissed her back. My hand landed on her hip, maybe a little too awkwardly, but she didn't pull away. Instead, she leaned in closer, and the world narrowed to just her, just this.

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It wasn’t perfect—hell, it wasn’t even close. I had no idea what I was doing, but the moment felt too fragile to mess up. Too much like a dream I didn’t want to wake up from. A really good one. I wanted it to last forever.

When we finally pulled back, her cheeks were flushed, her smile small but a little shy. That threw me off more than the kiss itself. She was always so confident—seeing her like this was… different. Intimidating, in a weird way. “Sorry,” she murmured, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Her voice was soft, uncertain. “That was probably… sudden.”

I blinked, still trying to process the rush of it all. My palms were sweating like crazy. A short laugh escaped before I could stop it, my lips pulling into some awkward grin that probably made me look like a complete idiot. “Yeah, sudden’s one way to put it.” God, Luca, could you sound like a bigger dumbass?

Her smile widened, and I could see her confidence coming back, like she’d figured out I wasn’t about to bolt. “Was it bad?” she asked, her voice light, but there was a nervous edge to it. She was cute when she was nervous—really cute.

My heart skipped again, like it was trying to kill me.

“No,” I said, my voice rough enough to make me clear my throat, trying to cover up how close I was to stammering. “No, it wasn’t bad.” Holy fuck, that was an understatement. It was incredible, and I was still trying to process what had just happened, replaying it over and over in my head.

Her eyes widened just a little, her smile softening, warming, and it hit me like a punch to the chest. I was completely mesmerized. And completely terrified. “Really?” she asked, her voice quiet.

“Yeah,” I said, my voice somehow steadier than I felt. Inside, I was shaking so bad it felt like my bones were rattling. “I just didn’t think you’d ever… feel the same.” Because why would she? She’s Emily. Gorgeous, totally out of my league. And now?

“Well,” she said, leaning in closer, her eyes sparkling in a way that made my stomach flip. “Maybe I was just waiting for the right moment.”

Or maybe I was just blind. And an idiot. Her fingers slid up my arms, tracing the muscle. She leaned closer, her breath warm against my cheek, and all I could think about was how much I wanted to kiss her again. And maybe a hell of a lot more than kissing.

She was right, of course. She was incredible. Everything about her was amazing, and it made me want to scream. How the hell did I get here?

Her fingers slid up my arms, tracing the muscle like she was figuring me out piece by piece. She leaned closer, her breath warm against my cheek, and and all I could think about was how much I wanted to kiss her again. And yeah, maybe do a hell of a lot more than kissing.

***

My hands found the soft fabric of her uniform, just above her hips, pulling her closer until we were pressed together. It was like being hit with an electric shock and wrapped in the softest thing I’d ever felt, all at once. A heated tension thrummed between us, a magnetic pull I couldn’t resist—and didn’t fucking want to. I was exhilarated and scared out of my mind all at the same time.

Her lips met mine again, and this time? It was anything but tentative. It was eager, charged, like we were making up for every stolen glance, every thing we’d never said. My head spun, and I was pretty sure I was about to pass out, but I didn’t care. My hands tightened at her sides, then slid up her back, fingers brushing over the smooth fabric of her suit and the heat of her skin underneath.

Her body molded against mine, soft and warm and everything I didn’t know I’d been waiting for. Her fingers curled into my hair, tugging gently, and I swear it sent sparks shooting straight down my spine. For a moment, I forgot about being terrified. Forgot that we were floating in the middle of nowhere, light-years away from everything.

All I knew was this. Her. And I wanted it to last. Forever, if possible.

“I’m glad you picked these uniforms,” I murmured against her lips, my voice a little rougher than I’d expected. “A bit tight, but, you know…” I couldn’t help but tease her, even as every nerve ending thrumming with need.

She laughed, her breath hitching as I trailed my hands down her sides. “You’ve never complained about tight before,” she teased, her grin widening as she caught my lower lip between her teeth, and I felt a surge of heat rush through me.

"Touché," I replied, my hands finding their way back up. My fingers traced her sides, the warmth of her skin through the thin fabric sending shivers down my spine.

Her reaction sent a wave of heat through me, and I felt like I could do anything. My hands cupped her gently, tracing the soft lines of her body through the thin fabric of her suit. Her breath hitched, and she pressed into me, her movements somewhere between deliberate and instinctive, and I was hanging on by a thread. Her hands skimmed up my back, her fingers trailing along my spine, and every touch lit me up like a live wire. More. I needed more.

“You were always the explorer,” she whispered, her voice shaking but playful, her lips brushing against mine again. “Always dragging us into one adventure after another.” She was trembling, but so was I.

“And you always followed,” I murmured, my words barely audible against her mouth. We were moving fast, too fast, and I couldn’t bring myself to care.

Her soft laugh melted into a gasp as my hands moved, exploring her curves. For all the teasing and urgency, there was this seriousness in how I touched her, like I was memorizing everything—the way her body responded, the way her breath hitched when my hand grazed her side. She was so beautiful, it made my chest ache, and I wanted to remember every inch of her, every second of this.

Without breaking her gaze, my hand moved to the zipper of her suit. My fingers trembled as I pulled it down, the soft rasp of the zipper impossibly loud in the quiet observation deck. Cool air hit her skin, and she shivered, her breath catching as the zipper slid lower, stopping just at the curve of her bra. My breath was stuck somewhere between anticipation and disbelief.

I paused, leaning in to kiss her again, slower this time, softer, letting myself feel every second of it. Her lips melted against mine, and she responded instantly, her hands sliding up to cradle the back of my neck. I could feel the warmth of her skin beneath my fingers, the rapid rise and fall of her chest—and I was right there with her.

I could hardly believe this was happening—not here, not now—but the thought only fueled the fire. I was so lost in her, so caught up in this moment, that nothing else mattered. Not the ship, not the void outside, not anything but her.