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Chapter Text

Deimos clamped his mouth shut and dropped his head, a curtain of hair obscuring his face. He stood there for what felt like an eternity, embarrassment roiling inside him. In reality it was probably only a few seconds.

He startled when Ethos moved into his space decisively; no trace of hesitation in the navigator’s movements as pale fingers brushed his hair aside. So unlike the tentativeness Deimos had previously witnessed. Soft lips met his, gentle but insistent. Deimos relented, dropping his sulk and opening to the kiss.

Why would Ethos want to kiss him? Especially when he’d just been stuttering like a damn fool. Deimos tensed momentarily, but forced himself to relax again when it made Ethos pull back. He chased those full, plush lips, channeling frustration into something more passionate.

He hated it when he stuttered. He always avoided talking much if he could help it. The fewer words he had to say, the fewer chances of making those awful, aborted sounds. Those hiccoughing attempts at forming a sentence. Awkward and horrible.

Kissing was so much easier than talking. Just the movement of two mouths together, wordlessly. Perfect give and take, instead of one-sided, half-hearted tries at communicating. Just the soft puff of Ethos’ breath intermingled with his own, little noises of contentment sprinkled here and there. His fists loosened from where they were clenched at his sides, finding their way to smooth down the front of a crisp white uniform, feeling the chest beneath it rise and fall.

Deimos had almost forgotten why he was so upset when Ethos pulled away with more force this time. Pale, unruly hair framed a look of awe and something softer… something unfamiliar.

“W-wow. Uh- umm, you’re an amazing k-kisser.”

“R-really?”

Ethos nodded enthusiastically, curls bouncing around shining eyes and flushed cheeks. “Y-yeah. I mean, umm, I don’t have a lot of, uh, experience o-or anything, b-but—”

Deimos lunged forward to capture those adorable, fluttering sounds as they left the shapely cupid’s bow on the face of the sweet man in front of him.

Chapter Text

“Not tonight,” rasped Deimos in a barely audible whisper.

Ethos halted where he was, plastered against the fighter’s back, already half hard and wanting. His now confused erection was nestled against the cleft of Deimos’ ass, the soft black hairs at the nape of his neck tickling where Ethos had buried his nose and lips.

It took a moment for his brain to process the words. Deimos had never said something like that before; if anything, he was usually overeager. In his most uncharitable moments, the thought that the colonist was almost too easy had crossed his mind. It made him feel guilty and awful, though, and he would never in a million years give voice to such a nasty, judgmental idea. He’d rather die first. It would be less embarrassing and miserable.

Ethos unwound his arms from around his lover’s chest and stepped back. He could see the tight line of Deimos’ hunched shoulders, the way he was trembling ever so slightly. Stepping around him, Ethos saw his eyes were closed and his mouth was a thin line. He looked… scared. It made his heart ache for the man he felt he was still just getting to know, even months after they first got together.

“Hey… Deimos,” he said softly, trying to sound reassuring. It didn’t seem to have any effect, unfortunately—the fighter remained frozen in place, face still scrunched up. He tried a different tack, one which he hadn’t used much yet. “…Aleks…”

Ethos was relieved to see those beautiful, pale grey eyes open in front of him again, wide and searching. Slowly he reached his hand out to meet one of Deimos’, leaving plenty of time for the other man to pull away if he wanted.

“That’s absolutely fine by me,” he said, bringing one strong, slender hand up between them. Clasped between both of his own, he felt the fighter’s many calluses and scars from training or battles or who knew what else. He bent to place one soft, chaste kiss on the back of it.

Deimos’ eyebrows were still lifted toward his hairline when Ethos looked up.

“Did you still want to stay over?”

The slight smile which accompanied a silent nod was more than just fine. It was perfect.

Chapter Text

“You genius!”

The excitement of the moment was intoxicating, fear receding as the engines hummed back to life and the overhead lights flickered on again. Without stopping to think, I leaned over to kiss the navigator beside me, fingers slipping up into silky hair that shone every shade from rich, darkest brown to silvery white. He didn’t even hesitate, kissing back hungrily.

A soft, surprised noise from behind us made him pause, though only for a moment.

Of course. His fighter had been standing behind us. I forgot that Helios had entered the engine room earlier, standing there not saying anything even though it looked like he wanted to. Helios, who clearly didn’t appreciate what he had. How magnificent his flight partner was. When he finally spoke, it hadn’t even registered; I was too caught up in the feelings of relief and hope inspired by his navigator’s success with the engines.

His loss, I thought, as Selene wrapped his slender arms around my shoulders, pulling his long, whip-strong body against mine. Pressed against me almost desperately as he took control of the kiss, breath hot and erratic against my lips. Both of us getting lost to the adrenaline and arousal surging through our systems.

Helios cleared his throat a little louder, and Selene disentangled himself. I let him go, reluctantly, but got a secret thrill from the rosy blush spreading over his high cheekbones.

There were more important things to focus on for the moment. Selene was already ordering Helios to come check out the bridge with him. But maybe when this was all over, the gorgeous navigator would let me show him what his fighter should have been all along. Show him exactly how much I appreciated his singular brilliance.

The heated look he shot me over his shoulder as he followed Helios out of the doors was full of promise, and I felt high on more than just the rush of survival for the first time in a long time.