The squad made their way through the winding corridors of the Omaha, heading for the armory, where they turned their weapons and armor over for maintenance and cleaning. Everything that they were wearing had been caked in mud, and some of their armor plates had been damaged in the fighting, the team of armorers who were on duty seeing to the repairs. Jade was the exception, as her chest piece could only be replaced by her own people. For all Evan knew, they might grow the things in vats.
They took off their pressure suits, too, Evan peeling the clinging garment off as his sweat glued it to his skin. Once again, Jade was the exception, watching curiously as her companions stripped down to their underwear. Her curious eyes lingered on Evan’s figure, her long antennae twitching, the Jarilan quickly looking away when he noticed her. There was nothing abnormal about her curiosity – he felt the same way about her. Which parts of her armored carapace were removable – and what lay beneath them – had been weighing on his mind ever since he had seen her wearing a tank top. What modesty did an insect have to preserve?
They headed straight for the showers once they were done, the tone of their conversations jovial. The fighting had left everyone tired and sore, but victory had elevated the mood considerably. Being delayed on the ground meant that the majority of the battalion had already finished cleaning up, and all but a couple of the shower cubicles were vacant. They didn’t have doors, but they had dividing walls to offer some measure of privacy from one’s immediate neighbors.
Evan had never felt self-conscious in the showers before. Co-ed living was something that every Marine had to get used to. It was a fact of life on Navy ships, where there just wasn’t the space to segregate all of the facilities by gender. Still, something about having Jade here made him hesitate to remove his shorts along with everyone else. The Borealans seemed to have no concept of modesty, their absurdly toned physiques impossible to ignore as they strode across the room. Evan found himself marveling at Tatzi’s chest. Calling her well-endowed would have been an understatement. The pale skin where their bodies were devoid of fur was crisscrossed with faded scars, no doubt wrought through a lifetime of physical altercations.
As the rest of the team headed for their cubicles, Evan’s eyes turned on Jade, who was walking into a booth at the far end of the room. She turned back to glance at him, her lower hands starting to pry off her chest piece. With a coy smile, she stepped out of view, leaving him standing alone on the smooth tiles. He came back to his senses, then stepped into a cubicle, sliding off his shorts. The cool water cascaded over his warming face, the sound of it splashing against the tiled floor filling the booth, steam starting to billow as he turned up the temperature with a few presses of a touchpad on the wall.
They had nowhere to be, so he took his time, enjoying the sensation of the accumulated sweat and grime being washed away. He retrieved a bottle of body wash from a shelf, and before long, he was clean. When he stepped out of the booth, he saw that everyone else had already left. He wrapped himself in a towel from a nearby rack, then headed to the squad’s shared quarters. When he arrived, he found the rest of the team crowding around Jade, Evan quickly pulling a fresh uniform from his locker. Fumbling with his zipper, he walked over to see what all the fuss was about.
She was wearing her tank top again, and she was holding up her chest piece, showing where the broken Bug blade had embedded itself in the material. The pointed tip had penetrated the inside of the plate, creating a crack in it, protruding maybe a quarter inch. Without knowing what anatomy she was concealing beneath the shirt, it was hard to be sure, but it looked like the blade might have done some serious damage if it had penetrated just a little deeper.
“You took your sweet ass time,” Hernandez said, noticing that Evan had arrived. “Come on, we’re gonna hit the bar.”
“You guys were waiting for me?” he asked.
“We’re a team, aren’t we?” Brooks replied with a grin. “Ghosts have to stick together.”
Evan looked for Foster and Collins, noting that they were still standing apart from the rest of the squad. Even after everything that had happened, they still didn’t trust Jade? Hell, she had risked her life to save Collins, taking a Bug blade to the chest in the process. Despite their mistrust, they followed behind the rest of the group as they searched for the Omaha’s bar. It didn’t take them long to locate it – the ship was about half the size of the Rorke, after all. The rec facility was a little more spacious than those of the jump carrier, but it was the only one onboard. There was a bar with a mechanical arm that was serving drinks, along with the usual fare of booths, tables, and games.
This was where the majority of the battalion had ended up. The room was packed to bursting, the sound of dozens of conversations being held all at once creating muddled background noise as the squad pushed their way through the crowd to reach the bar. The two Borealans led the way, the throngs parting before the enormous, muscle-bound felines. They ordered their drinks, then struggled over to the far end of the room, hoping to find a vacant table.
Despite how crowded the room was, the squad was able to find some seating. Evan, Hernandez, and Jade found themselves sitting around a table with Borzka and Tatzi. The chairs were too small for the Borealans, so they pushed them aside, sitting down on the floor. Their exaggerated stature put them at a comfortable height all the same. Brooks, Donovan, McKay, and Garcia occupied a vacant booth in arm’s reach. Collins and Foster hovered around nearby, not wanting to join Evan’s group but not having the room to sit with Brooks and his friends.
“Ugh,” Tatzi grumbled, raising a bottle of pink liquid to her lips. She took a long draw, then wiped her mouth on the back of her furry hand. She turned it over, giving her palm a sniff, then grimacing. “No matter how much I try to wash it off, I cannot clean the stench of that insect’s blood from my coat.”
“We fought well today,” Borzka added, the low growl of his voice making it quite easy to hear him over the din of the bar. “Revenge will not resurrect the fallen, but it is a salve that soothes our loss. You,” he added, pointing a clawed finger at Jade as he held his bottle in his hand. She blinked back at him, her antennae standing up straight in what might be surprise. “You took a blade for your pack. You alerted us to a cowardly ambush that might have been our undoing. You bear no scars, but you are a warrior all the same.”
“That’s because she keeps changin’ her shell,” Hernandez added, leaning over to give her an aggressive pat on the back. “Our little hermit crab over here.”
“To Jade,” Brooks called over from the booth, raising his glass into the air. “For keeping us from getting caught with our pants down.”
The rest of the team raised their drinks in a cheer, even the Borealans joining in, seemingly aware of the human custom already. Jade couldn’t blush – she had no cheeks – but Evan got the impression that she was trying all the same. He couldn’t see the two loners anymore, they had blended in with the crowd.
“What’s everyone drinkin’?” Hernandez asked. “I hear Borealans can’t hold their liquor,” he added, looking right at Tatzi. “Is that fruit punch you got there?”
She glared at him across the table, shooting daggers, Evan finding himself pulling away reflexively. He didn’t know enough about Borealans to tell whether she was about to laugh or swipe his head off.
“It is called raises the hair,” she replied. “A wine from my home territory made from fermented berries.” She slid it across the table, her arm long enough to bridge the gap between them, Hernandez examining the alien text on the label. It looked like a font made from claw scratches. He lifted it to his nose, giving it a tentative sniff, then took a sip.
“Hey, it really does taste like fruit punch!” he chuckled as he handed it back to her. “I bet I could drink you two under the table.”
“Perhaps,” Tatzi snarled, wiping off the rim of the bottle with her furry hand. “Though I have other ways to put you on your back.”
“Don’t threaten me with a good time,” Hernandez replied, her eyes narrowing at him. Evan still couldn’t tell if they were arguing or flirting. Maybe there was no difference to a Borealan.
“Your peach schnapps okay?” he asked, leaning in to talk to Jade. “You haven’t drunk any yet.”
“I’m a little worried about putting people off with the whole proboscis thing,” she admitted, one of her antennae tickling his cheek as she whispered to him. “Don’t want to weird them out right when they’re starting to warm up to me.”
“Don’t sweat it,” he insisted, giving her an encouraging nudge. “You’re the toast of the town tonight – they won’t mind. You think they’ll forget that you saved the day because you have some unconventional table habits?”
His words seemed to embolden her, and she smiled back at him, bringing her glass a little closer. She opened up her mouthparts, her proboscis snaking forth to plunge into the amber liquid.
“Whoa!” Hernandez exclaimed, pulling away in surprise. Evan cringed on the inside, silently praying that his friend would be tactful for once in his life. “That’s fuckin’ rad! What is that?”
“It’s my proboscis,” she replied hesitantly, glancing over at him. “It’s how we eat.”
“You can talk while that thing is out? That’s some…ventriloquist shit,” he added as he took another draw from his cup. “Can I touch it?”
“Come on, Hernandez,” Evan began, but Jade didn’t seem offended by his request. She lifted the prehensile tube of flesh from her glass and extended it towards him, the Marine giving it a wary prod with his finger. She suddenly coiled it around his digit, making him jump in his seat, his alarm quickly morphing into laughter.
“It feels like a tongue,” he snickered.
“I can do that and more,” Tatzi interjected, not wanting to be outdone by the Jarilan. Jade retracted her organ, watching along with Hernandez as the Borealan’s tongue parted her lips. It was tapered at the end, its upper surface covered in tiny, hooked barbs like those of a cat. It kept coming, Evan’s eyes widening as a solid foot of glistening flesh extended. She wrapped it around the neck of her wine bottle like a tentacle, lifting it off the table, Hernandez watching slack-jawed as she held it aloft. She set it back down, her tongue sucking into her mouth like a giant strand of spaghetti.
“Looks like I’ve been upstaged,” Jade chuckled, leaning back in her seat.
“What can yours do?” Tatzi added, turning her piercing eyes on Hernandez again.
“Well, shit,” he replied as he slammed the last of his drink. “Let me get a few more of these in me, and maybe you’ll find out.”
Tatzi cocked an eyebrow, Evan and Jade sharing a smirk
“Are they hitting it off?” she whispered. “I can’t tell.”
The drinking and celebrating continued for a couple of hours longer. Although there were limits on how many drinks each person could order, the resourcefulness of thirsty men never ceased to amaze. Drinks were sometimes ordered, then kept in reserve for celebrations, and Marines who didn’t drink would sometimes order for their friends who did. Evan had even heard stories of wily engineers using empty wastewater vats for brewing bootleg alcohol. He was staying under his limit, personally, but some of the other Marines in the battalion were getting buzzed. It was a fun atmosphere overall. The bar was full of laughter and loud conversation, everyone mingling and chatting freely.
It was a pleasure to see Jade grow more comfortable as the night went on. It wasn’t that she had ever lacked confidence, having learned to be direct with people, especially when it came to issues surrounding her heritage. Still, to see her so relaxed in such a social setting was more gratifying than Evan could have anticipated. She had a place here – in the squad, in the battalion. Rather than treat her like an outsider – like a Bug – she was just another Marine to them.
Through the crowd, Evan saw Collins walking towards their table, a drink in hand. He looked a little tipsy, Evan bristling as he neared. He headed straight for Jade, who didn’t notice him until he was standing right next to her, turning her head curiously.
“Hey, Bug,” he began. He was swaying a little, pausing to take a drink from his glass.
The conversation stopped, everyone at the table watching him cautiously. Evan prepared to rise from his chair to intercede, but he doubted that he’d have time to move before Tatzi took Collins’ head off, judging by the way she was eyeing him.
“I just wanted to say…” Collins hesitated, looking as uncomfortable as Evan had ever seen him. “Thanks,” he stammered. “You put your ass on the line for me down there, and I probably wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you.”
“Don’t mention it,” she replied, looking just as surprised as Evan was.
“You took a knife for me, and I don’t forget things like that.” He took another drink, leaning a hand on their table to steady himself. “I got your back from now on.”
Foster suddenly appeared behind him, slinking out of the crowd like a panther, taking his friend by the shoulder.
“Come on,” he whispered, steering him away. His eyes met Evan’s as he left the table, the two scowling at one another briefly as the pair vanished into the crowd again.
“Told you,” Jade said, giving Evan a nudge with her elbow. “That’s a stage three right there.”
“Clearly, I shouldn’t have questioned your methods,” he replied with a grin. “What about Foster, though? He’s pretty isolated now that Collins has wised up.”
“He’ll come around,” she replied with a shrug. “Maybe he just needs a little more time.”
***
Evan downed the last of his drink, setting the empty glass back on the table. The party was winding down now, and a lot of the Marines were leaving for their quarters. Hernandez and Tatzi had shuffled a little closer together to whisper conspiratorially, the pair bumping shoulders now. The eight-foot, five-hundred-pound feline was getting touchy-feely with him, her long tail coiling around his leg beneath the table like a furry snake. Flirting with a Borealan apparently involved a lot of arguing and provocation, but it seemed to be working in the plucky Marine’s favor. Perhaps his time on Valbara had made him too confident for his own good.
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Evan had assumed that Borzka would object, but whatever the nature of the relationship between pack members was, he didn’t seem to pay them any mind.
Brooks and his three friends from the Dragoon were about as drunk as they could get without being clocked by an MP and thrown in the brig. They were now playing a very clumsy game of pool as a group of Marines watched. Collins was among them, to Evan’s surprise, but his surly counterpart was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps he had finally read the room and retired early.
“You want to get out of here?” Evan asked, turning to Jade. “I think the happy couple could use a little privacy.”
“Sure,” she chuckled, watching as Tatzi gave Hernandez’s ear a nibble with her sharp teeth. “If you think he’s going to survive the night, that is.”
“He’ll be fine,” Evan replied, sliding out his chair. “If he can handle six Valbarans, he can probably handle one Borealan.”
They made their way out of the bar, the door sliding shut behind them to block out the noise from within, plunging them into a somewhat relieving silence. All they could hear now was the distant hum of the ship’s systems.
“Are we going back to the barracks?” Jade asked.
“I had something else in mind,” he replied, gesturing in the opposite direction down the hallway. “The Omaha’s layout seems to be identical to the Spratley’s, and if that’s the case, I have something I think you’ll want to see.”
“How mysterious,” she chuckled. To his surprise, she extended both of her right hands towards him. “Top or bottom?”
“Huh?” Evan stammered, his face starting to warm.
“Pick a hand,” she added with a smirk.
He hesitated for a moment, then took her upper hand in his, leading her down the corridor. He hadn’t really noticed until now, but the carapace that usually covered her four-fingered hands must be some kind of armored gauntlet. They were soft and fleshy, her skin smooth to the touch and warmer than his own. It didn’t feel quite like human skin – there were no hairs or wrinkles, no imperfections. Instead, it felt more like a thin, waxy film that had been pulled taut. Her touch made his heart quicken, and he wasn’t quite sure why.
He led her through the mechanical innards of the ship, passing a few engineers and personnel on the way who stopped what they were doing to watch the strange sight. It was a maze, but one that he knew well in spite of the subtle changes here and there. The proverbial new coat of paint did nothing to erase the sense of direction that he had developed over the course of his many deployments.
“So,” Jade began, her hold on his hand still tight as she walked along at his side. “Hernandez and Tatzi…is that something that happens a lot?”
“How do you mean?” he asked.
“Borealans and humans,” she replied. “Krell and humans, Valbarans and Krell – whatever the pairing. Do aliens get together often in the Coalition?”
“It’s not always a pairing with Borealans and Valbarans, if you catch my drift,” he replied with a chuckle. “But, yeah, there’s a lot of that going around. It’s not really a surprise,” he added with a shrug. “Every species has to reproduce, right? Evolution usually encourages them to do it by making it fun. Add a little novelty to the equation, and…the rest is history. I don’t need to explain the birds and the bees to you, do I?”
“No, I’m a big girl,” she replied with a laugh that came off a tad nervous. “It just surprised me, is all. Based on my interactions with UNN personnel on Jarilo, I suppose I expected there to be more distance between the different species. The people here are…surprisingly permissive.”
After a few minutes, they arrived at their destination, stopping before a nondescript door.
“Here we go,” Evan said, reaching for the touch panel beside it. “Here’s hoping they don’t lock this room on the Omaha, or this is going to be really anticlimactic.”
To his relief, the panel slid open without requiring any kind of passcode, the pair stepping inside. The room was small and cramped, maybe three meters across, empty save for a few tool crates that were stacked in one corner. The subject of interest, however, was a narrow window that spanned the far wall. It was situated with a view of one of the carrier’s engine nacelles that projected from the side of the vessel above it, as there was no space to mount them at the rear with the stern gate occupying the space. Windows on Navy vessels weren’t common, as they presented structural weaknesses, but this one was used to get a visual of the engine in the event that the external cameras failed. Evan led Jade to the window, the pair turning their eyes down to the planet below.
“Whoa,” Jade gasped, pressing a hand against the glass. “There are no windows on the Constancy. I’ve only been able to catch glimpses of the planet from space through the portholes on the shuttles. You can see it so clearly from up here…”
“There’s no atmosphere to create distortion,” Evan explained, watching the swirling clouds roll past. “That’s why it looks so crisp.”
“I can see the gas giant, too,” Jade said excitedly as she pointed beyond the curve of Kerguela’s horizon. “I can’t even get my head around how big it is. Gives me vertigo,” she chuckled, taking a couple of minutes longer to admire the view. “Thanks,” she added, turning around to face him. She blinked up at him with those large, expressive eyes, her long lashes just as feathery as her antennae. He had never taken the time to appreciate the brilliant green of her eyes before, contrasting with her dark sclera, how they seemed to sparkle as they caught the light. “This was a cool idea.”
“Don’t sweat it,” he replied.
“There’s no danger of that. I can’t sweat,” she added with a chuckle. “Ever since we were transferred to the Rorke, you’ve been so nice to me. You’re the only guy here who’s ever wanted to sit down and get to know me – really talk to me.”
“Hey, the rest of the team has warmed up to you as well,” he said. “It just took them a little longer to come around.”
“That’s not what I mean,” she continued with a shake of her head, the motion making her antennae wave. “The other Marines tolerate me, some are friendly, but you seem to actually want to spend time with me. I haven’t had conversations like the ones we have since I left Jarilo months ago.”
“Of course,” he replied, feeling his heart start to pump faster. He was making excuses for why he wanted to be around her, and he wasn’t sure exactly why. “You’re interesting. I’ve never met anyone like you before.”
“You’re considerate. You care about my feelings,” she continued as she took a step closer. She took his hands in her lower pair, the upper coming to rest against his chest. “Every time you think someone’s about to insult me or say something insensitive, I see you flinch. Whenever you look at me, you smell…”
She closed her eyes, Evan feeling those soft antennae brush his face, tickling his skin. Before she could finish her thought, they were interrupted, the door to the room sliding open to reveal Foster standing there.
He had already been angry, but upon seeing the two in such close proximity, he became furious. His eyes wild, he marched into the room, Evan putting himself between Jade and the red-faced Marine.
“What the hell are you doing here, Foster?” he demanded. “Did you follow us?”
“I wanted to give you two a piece of my mind,” he replied, pointing an unsteady finger at them. He was drunk, clearly, swaying a little as he continued. “But now, I find you holed up in your own private love nest. What the fuck is this?”
“You need to leave,” Evan snapped, taking a step closer to him. “I’m tired of your bullshit, Foster.”
“My bullshit?” Foster replied, standing his ground. “Let me tell you what’s bullshit. Bullshit is spending my entire life fighting Bugs, watching them murder my friends on a dozen worlds, only to be told that I have to share a barracks with them. Bullshit is having them turn what friends I got left against me.”
“You’re talking about Collins?” Evan asked. “Nobody turned him against you, Foster. He just realized that Jade isn’t his enemy.”
“Jade?” Foster scoffed. “We giving them names now? Do they think that’s gonna make us more attached to them? They’re fucking Bugs, why does nobody else see that? That thing is just as likely to eat your face off as it is to kiss you.”
“Do you really think that everyone in the battalion is crazy besides you?” Evan replied. “We’re all nuts, and you’re the only one who has it figured out?”
“They killed all my friends!” he snarled, his voice cracking. “They wiped out my squad, murdered my whole company, and they did the same to yours. How can you stand to be in the same room as one of those things without throttling it? How can you let it touch you?” he added with a shiver of disgust.
“Jade saved my life,” Evan replied. “She saved Collins’ life today. She saved us from having a whole Bug regiment come crawling up our ass. If she wanted to kill us, all she’d have to do is nothing.”
“They’re infiltrating the UNN, that’s what they’re doing,” Foster added with a frantic gesture. “They can’t defeat us militarily, so they’re gonna wait until there are enough Bugs in the Navy, then kill the rest of us in the space of a few hours.”
“You’re drunk, Foster,” Evan sighed. “Go back to the barracks, sleep it off.”
“Like I’m gonna take your word for it,” Foster spat. “I don’t know what the fuck I just walked in on, and I don’t want to, but I can see that you’re wrapped around that Bug’s finger. I suppose it’s worth selling out your species to get your dick wet.”
“That’s enough,” Evan said, the last of his patience running out. He took a step forward and gave Foster a shove, pushing him out of the room. Foster stumbled backwards a few steps, then came back at him, swinging for his face. Evan hadn’t been ready for it, the sudden blow striking him in the cheek, sending him reeling. Foster might be drunk, but there wasn’t a Marine on the ship who couldn’t hold his own in a fight.
Foster wound up another punch, but Evan preempted it, striking him in the kidney with a swift right jab. He was met with an elbow to the nose, feeling it crumple as he staggered backwards, his hands moving up to cover his face reflexively. He could taste blood in the back of his throat, the pain blinding him for a moment. Foster took advantage of Evan’s lapse to drive his knee into his gut, making him double over as the breath was forced from his lungs.
As Evan recovered, he saw that his opponent was readying another right hook, and he was able to duck under it. He delivered two swift jabs to Foster’s face, bloodying his nose, but the drunken Marine just wouldn’t go down. He punched Evan in the jaw, making him fall back into Jade’s waiting arms. She caught him, then steadied him, stepping between the men.
“Enough!” she snapped, catching Foster’s arm. Evan was just as surprised as Foster. He had never heard her raise her voice before. Foster grimaced as she squeezed, then tried to pull away, finding that he couldn’t. Jade was far stronger than he was. Through bleary eyes, Evan saw her force Foster back into the hallway outside, the Marine looking at her with a blend of anger and fear as she released him. He got the picture, stumbling away down the hallway.
“Bugfucker!” he called back, Jade closing the door behind him with a press of the panel.
When she turned back to Evan, there was still anger in her eyes, but her expression softened as she looked him up and down. His nose was bleeding, he had a black eye, and his lip was split.
“You’re a mess,” she sighed, making her way back over to him. She supported him with one hand, taking his face in another, examining his injuries. “Where’s the nearest bathroom? Let’s get you cleaned up.”
***
Evan led Jade to a bathroom down the hallway, finding it mercifully empty. He looked at himself in the mirror, seeing the extent of his cuts and bruises. He didn’t need to visit the infirmary, but he’d certainly taken an ass-kicking. He spat out a mouthful of blood in the sink, then felt around for broken teeth, finding none.
Jade fetched a flannel from a dispenser on the wall, wetting it beneath the faucet, then began to dab it against his face. He pulled away as she touched it against his split lip, but she gripped his upper arm firmly, keeping him still.
“You shouldn’t have done that,” she said, Evan wincing as she held the cold fabric against the cut on the bridge of his nose. “I told you not to confront Foster – that it would only make things worse – and you did it anyway. I don’t need you to protect me.”
“But…he was drunk,” Evan protested. “He wouldn’t leave. What was I supposed to do?”
“Now he’s probably going to go around telling everyone that we attacked him,” she sighed, wetting the cloth again. “Were you not listening when I told you that losing my cool, even for a second, can sabotage the whole process? I’m back to square one with him now, and anyone he tells.”
“I-I’m sorry,” Evan stammered. “I couldn’t just…stand there and let him talk all that shit about you.”
She took one of his hands in hers, guiding it beneath the flow of water, cleaning the blood from his knuckles. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off, he just felt stupid. He’d put his hands on Foster first, and for what? To defend Jade’s honor? She didn’t need his protection. She was stronger than both of them, and her skin was thicker. To top it off, he hadn’t even won, and it was Jade who had stepped in to end the fight.
“I didn’t mean to spoil your night,” he muttered, Jade glancing up at him.
“Don’t be silly,” she chided, wringing out the bloody flannel. She soaked it in cold water again, then held it against his black eye, Evan grimacing. “I had a wonderful night. Foster being an ass doesn’t change that. Here, hold this.”
“But…he ruined our moment,” Evan continued, holding the flannel in place as Jade fetched another one. “We were…I mean…you were going to…”
“I was going to what?” she asked, smirking at him.
“Never mind,” he grumbled, leaning on the edge of the sink dejectedly.
“I’m teasing,” she snickered, reaching up to cup his cheek in her hand. She turned him to face her, drawing closer, her light frame pressing up against him. To his surprise, he felt something soft beneath her tank top, squashing against his chest as she leaned into him. Standing on her toes so that she could reach, she pressed her lips against his, Evan’s heart skipping a beat as she began to kiss him. Ignoring the sting in his split lip, he reciprocated, her proximity making her delicate antennae brush against his face. Her lips were so full and soft, coated with that same smooth, waxy skin. They were more than just a facade to make her look more appealing, Jade able to move them just as a human would, pursing them as their embrace grew more animated. Something about her scent made his head spin each time he took in a breath. It was oddly floral, alluring, tugging at the back of his brain.
She broke away, smiling at his red face. He opened his mouth to speak, but she beat him to the punch, reaching up to dab at the cut on his lower lip.
“You’re dumb, and you don’t listen to me,” she began, the tenderness of her soothing touch contrasting with the harshness of her words. “But…you’re sweet, even when you’re making mistakes.”
“Uh…thanks?” he mumbled. “What do we do now?”
“Now, we get you cleaned up, then we go back to our quarters,” she replied as she cleaned some more of the blood from his nose. “I’ll kiss you some more when you don’t taste like blood.”
“Do you think Foster will go to Simmons?” Evan asked. “He could get us both in trouble for fighting.”
“As drunk as he was?” she chuckled. “No way. If he even crosses paths with an officer, he’s going to be spending the rest of his night in the brig.”
“Sorry…again,” he added as she wrung out her flannel in the sink. “I’ll take your advice next time, I promise.”
“Maybe I shouldn’t be so harsh,” she sighed. “Being insulted, having people be afraid of me, those are just everyday occurrences for me. I’ve trained myself not to react, never to be hotheaded, but you haven’t. If you’re going to date me, you have to understand that this will probably happen again.”
“W-wait, date you?” he stammered.
“Isn’t that what you want?” she continued, cocking her head. “I can taste it in your pheromones. Sorry,” she added with an apologetic smile. “I can’t really switch it off.”
“Yeah,” Evan replied, feeling butterflies surge in his belly. “Of course.”
“Good,” she chimed, tossing her flannel into a nearby trash can with her usual precision. “Then, we’re on the same page.” She walked over to the door, the panel sliding open automatically. Evan stood there, not knowing what else to say, Jade turning to lean against the frame. “Bugfucker,” she said, laughing to herself. “Foster is an ass, but he’s creative, I’ll give him that. What was it that Hernandez said…don’t threaten me with a good time?”
She stepped out into the hallway, Evan taking a few flustered moments to process what had just happened before following after her.
***
When they made their way back to their shared quarters, they found that most of the squad had returned, though Hernandez and Tatzi were conspicuously absent. Foster had made it there before them, but he was standing off in one corner of the room, boxed in by Borkza. The Borealan was towering over him, baring his teeth as he glared down at the bloodied Marine. When he noticed that Evan had arrived, Borkza turned to glance at him.
“What happened?” he growled. “The scent of your blood is on him.”
“It’s alright, Borzka,” Evan replied as he made his way over to his locker. “We had a fight, that’s all.”
“A dominance bout?” the Borealan asked, his ears pricking up in surprise. “Who won?”
“Nobody,” Evan replied.
Sensing that whatever conflict had been brewing between the two had been resolved, at least for the time being, Borzka took a step back to let Foster go free. The surly Marine gave Evan a scowl, then made his way over to the bunk that he had chosen at the furthest end of the room, well away from the other members of the team. He flopped down onto the mattress without a word, rolling over to face the wall, too drunk and angry to even clean himself up first. If Evan wanted to try to make up with him, it would be easier when he was sober.