Take a Breath

Posted on Sat Jul 16th, 2022 @ 2:31am by Lieutenant Christoph Ivers & Lieutenant Commander Lyra Cassiel
Edited on on Sat Jul 16th, 2022 @ 7:21am

Mission: In-Between (S1:E2-S1:E3)
Location: Cassiel's Quarters
Timeline: Mission Day 17 at 1720
1359 words - 2.7 OF Standard Post Measure

ON

A heavy sigh escaped Christoph’s lips as he walked down the corridor. It had been a long and uneventful day for which most everyone was grateful. After a quick drink with some of the other security personnel, he had decided to go and visit Madeline properly. Schedules had kept them from meeting in anything more than passing, but a few adjustments had put them on a parallel path. As he walked, he could feel a well of excitement forming in his core, one that came with more than just a friendship. He paused outside of her door and ran his fingers through his hair, making sure it was laying right and that his uniform was straight before he finally rang the chime.

“Come in.”

He opened the door and stepped inside, his eyes immediately finding her walking across the living area holding a PADD in one hand and a cup of something in the other. She paused and turned to look at him, giving him a smile that melted any anxiety or guilt he might have momentarily had when he considered he hadn’t really even approached her in the better part of a week.

“Hey, stranger.” She greeted warmly and set both her cup and PADD down on the end table by her couch. “What brings you by?”

“You.” Christoph replied with easy confidence as he moved into her quarters. His eyes ran over her and the uniform she was still wearing and he had to admit he was hoping to see her dressed down. “Do you ever take that off?” He asked and gestured to her uniform.

“No, I sleep like this. If I’m in the mood for a change I put on the dress uniform.” Madeline grinned deviously.

“Of course you do.” Christoph chuckled and moved closer to her. “You need to learn to relax more, Maddie. Come get drinks with us sometime. Be social.”

“Come get drinks and listen to Andrei bluster and the others drone on about how much they’d like to see my ass in a skirt?” She challenged mildly.

“Well they wouldn’t do it while you were there.” Christoph countered and reached out to take her hands before smirking and chuckling. “Except Andrei. Andrei will definitely try to sleep with you.” She rolled her eyes and pulled away from him but he wasn’t deterred, just watched her with that half smile, half smirk still on his handsome face.

“You are no better.” Madeline accused and poked his chest with a finger but he simply caught her hand and brought it up to kiss the back of it.

“I am much better in that regard.” He said simply and kissed her hand again, watching her eyes lid slightly and the way she shifted closer to him. “I won’t pretend to be perfect though.” Christoph released her and stepped back, wanting to see what she would do.

“Yeah, yeah, I’ve seen the way you eyeball women walking away.” Madeline teased and moved over to her replicator. “Sit down, do you want something to drink?”

“Sure, cold green tea with honey.” He said and moved to sit down, taking off his jacket and getting comfortable on her couch. His eyes ran over her as she moved to the replicator and he couldn’t help but briefly picture her in those form fitting pants she had been wearing when he first saw her. He’d love to see more… or less depending on who you asked. As she turned back his attention immediately went up to her face and he smiled as he took the drink. “Thanks.”

Madeline sat down and Christoph could immediately tell she was preoccupied with something, but for the moment he just sipped his drink and decided to engage her in mundane talk of work to distract and disarm her. In that time, she did eventually take off the uniform jacket and sat just in her tank top. Baby steps, he supposed. After about thirty minutes of talk and gossip, he sat forward and looked back at her, slightly lower than she was so as to appear less imposing. “Hey, so, not to get too off topic but… you seem distracted, not yourself.” He put a hand on her knee. “You alright?”

“I don’t know.” She admitted with a sigh, looking into his eyes and then away. “I guess I’m still just… caught up in my head about the Caretaker and the array. How easily it captured us and pulled every single person off this ship in an instant. How it violated us.” Her voice caught and Christoph immediately sat up, putting his arm around her shoulders and drawing her close to him.

“I know, I know.” He said and pressed his cheek to her temple. “Hey, it’s okay. I know. Listen, everyone is having a hard time with it on some level.” He felt her lean into him and he relished the sensation of her weight and warmth against him.

“It’s just… it’s so awful.” Madeline continued, her voice trembling slightly. “Is that how things are going to be here? Seventy years of this?”

“Hey,” Christoph began, now turning his body toward hers and taking both of her hands in his, “you can’t think like that, Maddie. There is no use in it. We have to believe we will find a way home and do our best to accomplish that. If we don’t after a certain time, yeah we will have to adjust, but we are Terrans. We will prevail. Take a breath.” He squeezed her hands in earnest and listened to the soft sigh she gave.

“I guess you are right… yeah.” She sighed again and looked into his eyes. “Sorry, I know I shouldn’t be this weak.”

“It isn't weakness.” He said, knowing full well it was but he wanted to comfort her. He didn’t want her to hurt. “It is just a moment in time where you aren’t as confident in what is going on around you and that’s alright.” Christoph decided to chance it, he leaned in and kissed her forehead. His heart started to race at the warmth of her skin and he breathed in the scent of her hair, catching the faintest touch of ginger and jasmine. It was nice. He didn’t linger and pulled back to look into her eyes.

“You’re safe with me, you know.”

Madeline reached up to wipe her eyes on the back of her wrist and sniffled. “Yeah?” She laughed softly and drew in another breath. “For what charge?” She gave him a half smile, very sure what was coming.

Christoph was slightly hurt by the question but he supposed he couldn’t really blame her. It was how things usually worked. He reached up and touched her cheek. “Nothing. Just your company. Your friendship. I’m not going to make you have sex with me as some sort of payment for being here for you.” He watched as some of the tension left her body. He wanted her to have sex with him because she wanted to have sex with him. He wasn’t opposed to the other kind of arrangement of course, but she was… different. He had more than a passing interest in her. “Besides, you’ll have my back too, won’t you?”

“Yeah, of course I will.” She assured him and managed to bring her eyes up to his and gave him a quaking smile.

“Come here.” He adjusted her and pulled her in to lean against his side, wrapping an arm around her and rubbing her upper arm. “Let’s just relax and watch something, an old movie.” He could feel her lean into him and he couldn’t help but smile at the way she just seemed to fit so naturally against his body. “Your pick?”

“No, you pick.” She insisted quietly, leaning her head onto his shoulder while her hand absently rested on his chest. His fingers ran through her hair.

It was safe.

OFF