( nsfw open )

[skittys]

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[unas]

And good gossips. They've given away a few of your secrets.

( now she really is just teasing. but he was right, they were good listeners, she'd had her own conversations with them when he'd been gone )

[whistles_loudly]

Oh yeah? [he's so amused] What have they told you?

[unas]

Do you really want to know?

( she pushes herself up just enough to kiss him, hoping to distract him )

Or shall I let you have your secret?

( that she supposedly knows )

[whistles_loudly]

[At this point, he just wants to see what she makes up. But he tries his best to make that kiss a good one.]

You don't have to tell me, but I'm interested.

[unas]

( and it really is a good kiss, one that has her smiling after, brain a little frozen with just how good it was. give her a few seconds.

after which she settles back on his chest, content )

They told me how different this year would have been if I wasn't here. How happy we both are.

[whistles_loudly]

I have said that to them a lot.

[And he found it to be true too. Now that Una's here, everything's different. He was happy to be there, and the ranch wasn't just a place to be until the next mission.]

Before that they'd just hear about how much I wanted to get back out into space.

[unas]

I think they're glad that you're around more to. And they've got my company when they really miss you.

( which was never the same, he was the favourite, but it amazed her how much they did like her, how well they'd taken to her )

And they've helped me a lot, given me something to do when you're not here. Starting over, starting a planet life... isn't easy.

( some days she really does consider getting an actual job instead of using her skills around the nearby ranches )

[whistles_loudly]

Especially on a planet that isn't yours.

[He was there at the beginning, when she got booted out of the fleet, how lost losing the one thing you dedicated your life to could make someone. He was just starting to handle being planet bound for the next few years, and he still had the opportunity to go back out there someday.]

I'm glad you're happy being here, at least.

[If she wanted to go do something else, he wouldn't stop her of course. That was the last thing he ever wanted to do, hold Una back. He'd support anything she wanted to do.]

[unas]

That's because of you.

( she tips her head up again to look at him. she's told him this many times before but she'll keep telling him it )

You made it easier. You helped me figure it out, gave me a home... and you. You make me happy.

[whistles_loudly]

Love you.

[There was nothing else he could think to say after that, other than the truth. Someday, maybe, he'd actually ask if she wants to get married, but right now it seems like this is working out for them.]

It's one of the reasons I was always so eager to get back on the ship.

[unas]

( she pauses, venturing a slightly dangerous topic )

If we hadn't been to Talos IV... this might never have happened.

( they'd never yet crossed that boundary on the ship and una wasn't about to be the one to start it off )

Our lives changed in many ways.

[whistles_loudly]

[He shakes his head a little. Talos was awful, he still has nightmares. In some ways he thought it would be worse for Una. They told him her private private thoughts. That's worse in his book.]

Talos IV was not at all the way I would have liked to find any of that out. I didn't want to say anything back then. Your private thoughts were yours. I had no business knowing them unless you wanted to tell me about it.

I'm glad we're here now and I'm glad Starfleet is keeping everyone away from that planet.

[unas]

It's not how I would have told you... but I also doubt I ever would.

( she draws herself up now, sitting across his hips so that she can really see him and be seen )

I spent my days afraid of being found out -- by Starfleet, but also by you. I never expected or thought that you'd love me.

[whistles_loudly]

[He nods a bit.]

You weren't the only one who thought about it. Maybe that's why they picked you.

[He had no idea why they also picked Colt. He thought she was cute back then, nothing more than that. Una is much more his type.]

I couldn't do anything about it back then, even if I wanted to. Starfleet is a bunch of gossips. I didn't want to do anything that would damage your chances at your own command. I thought ignoring it, and not putting it in my report was best.

[unas]

( she pauses, leaning down to kiss him. it's responses like this that make her heart hurst with how much she loves him. he thought so much about her even before they got together.

nothing about talos and beyond had ever been what she'd expected. things had gone horribly but with one amazing difference. him )

I love you, more than I can ever tell you.

( she kisses him again, long and slow, hands running through his hair )

[whistles_loudly]

[He knows how much she loves him, if only because he feels the same way. He can't imagine his life without her in it. And it might be the first time he actually has the one person he can't live without.]

Good thing we feel the same way, isn't it?

[When her hands are in his hair, she gets a happy sound.]

[unas]

We were very lucky.

( she kisses him slowly before adding on )

Getting to see you, spend that time with my best friend... even if we weren't together I loved those days.

( because some people spent so long searching for love and there they just had it, with the person beside them )

[whistles_loudly]

We did have a pretty good time back then.

[At least he tried his best to make it fun. Combined with the Yorktown's crew? It was probably one of his best command experiences too.]

You know, Phil still owes me a bottle of Merlot.

[unas]

( a little confusion flits into her expression )

Why?

[whistles_loudly]

He was the one that told me I should tell you how I felt.

[Phil was such a meddler back then. Somewhere he probably just instinctively knows they're together.]

Remember when I first found out I was getting this job, before all the rest of the shit hit the fan? [And then it did, which is why this never panned out] I asked you for drinks in my quarters? You weren't going to be in my direct chain of command anymore so...figured it was as good a time as any.

[Then shit meet fan.]

[unas]

I remember.

( he'd invited her for drinks but they'd never gotten to have them, an emergency rocking the ship, the follow-up of repairs sending them back to earth. and then what had happened with her )

I... wouldn't have expected that.

( and even though they've gotten there now she's still a little stunned. how would it have worked if he had this job and she-- was first officer? promoted? )

Though we'd see each other less than we do now.

[whistles_loudly]

And as much as I would have loved to hand the Yorktown's keys over to you, personally I like this arrangement better.

[And he was going to, that was his recommendation before everything else and since they were sort of on the topic, he was going to mention something about it.]

Remind me, I have something to talk to you about later.

[unas]

( she frowns, sitting up slightly )

Tell me.

( because with the way he says that she's slightly concerned. and he'll have to do a very good job to try and distract her from it )

[whistles_loudly]

[It's not exactly the way he wants to tell her, and certainly not the location, but maybe it's better than it's not hanging over them all weekend.]

I've been offered Captain of the Flagship. I didn't accept it yet, and it's at least four years before I have to go anywhere.

[unas]

( it's here she sits up straighter, hands pulling back closer to her )

You're going back out there.

( she's not sad, not angry... not happy either. una's conflicted, because she knows what it means. it's an incredible thing, captain of the flagship, everything that he should go for -- he's the best captain that she's ever known. but she also knows what deep space means )

When do you have to tell them?