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He can’t remember the last time he cared about experiencing low gravity.
He’s been doing the whole ‘traveling bounty hunter’ thing for so long that things like that have gotten old for him. In fact, in his eyes, it’s gimmicky. Most ships these days are built to ensure the average gravity level of the solar system can be felt even when a ship has been turned off and running on fumes for weeks. Last he heard, the only place you can reliably and commercially experience zero-gravity is those over-priced cruise ships. The ones are built to make the people not rich enough to leave whatever planet or moon they were born on, feel like they’re rich. Otherwise, a ship that’s probably too old or too broken to pass any sort of inspection would be the best bet. As long as they’re tethered to another ship that’s bigger, stronger, and faster than both it and the local gravity field. Either way? It’s gimmicky. And it’s more trouble than it’s worth.
At least, that's what he thought until he watched you shyly pad up to him as the two of you watched one of those stupid, dumb cruise ships pass the Bebop. You tugged him down to your level to whisper in his ear as the name of a well-known company for these types of experiences filled his vision. And you asked him…you asked him…
“Do you think we could try that one day?”
He didn’t have the heart to remind you how broke the ship is and how something like that would put them in a debt so deep you would have to be a bounty hunter too just to keep a few lights on. But he didn’t have the heart to deny you of something you really wanted either. Not while you’re looking up at him with big, wide, curious eyes that just make his heart melt in ways he never thought it could. And especially not as he was suddenly reminded that before meeting him, you had never even left the city you were born in.
Before he dragged you along with the crew, you didn’t have the chance to do or try so many things. It’s no wonder you would be curious about something you never even got a chance to become tired of. And he shouldn’t be surprised that you would want to do something like that either.
Just like he shouldn’t be surprised by the fact that he’s currently watching you try your best to swim over to him inside of an old, tightly locked shipping capsule that he had Jet tether to the Bebop. Because as much as you wanted to do this? He wanted to please you even more.
“Just keep it coming,” Spike finds himself murmuring to you as he watches you slowly try to make your way towards him. You let out a soft laugh at his encouraging words, doing your best to reach out to him. “Almost there, sweetheart.”
In some ways, he’s not lying. You are almost there. You’re about halfway across the room at this point. Though the capsule the two of you are in isn’t that big. About twice the size of your bedroom, if he’s being honest. Nothing but old, stale-looking white walls and floors that used to house boxes and boxes of supplies to be shipped off to other planets. But it’s secured to the Bebop, locked tightly to keep all the good air in and all the bad air out, stocked with a few provisions in case something were to go wrong, and best of all: cheap. This all required him calling in a favor from an old friend in his past life to pull this off as fastly and as inexpensively as possible.
But in the end, he thinks it’s worth it. Because in the last two minutes, he’s only seen you move a couple of inches towards him. And for once, he doesn’t mind the distance.
Because it’s absolutely adorable watching you flounder about just because you want to get to him so bad.
“Spike!” You call out his name, just the slightest bit of frustration in your tone as your floating hair frames the small pout on your face. Your movements are fluid as you try to make your way over to him. But it’s been a while since he’s had any sort of low-gravity experience, so admittedly, he can’t help you anymore than tell you to kick your legs and swing your arms out like you’re swimming. And to your credit, you’re doing so beautifully. You’re just not getting anywhere, really. And haven’t gotten anywhere since your kick off on the other side of the wall ended up sending you only a couple of feet away from where you started. But it’s alright. Because he’s not going anywhere either. “Spike! You’re too far!”
Not until he’s close enough to reach out and grab you, of course.
“Just a little further,” He calls out as he smiles at you from his spot against the wall, his hand still holding tightly to one of the handles on the ceiling to prevent exactly what you’re dealing with right now. You're still having fun. Still smiling and giggling every now and then as you do your best to move inch by inch in an environment that somehow resists absolutely everything you try to do. And sure, you’re slowing down since all your bouncing between walls and free-swimming through the air has tired you out. But hey. You’re getting to do exactly what you wanted to do. It might not be as fancy. It might not be as safe.
But judging by the way your smile grows wider and your laughter grows louder as you catch a second burst of energy and try inching your way over towards him just a little bit faster? He thinks he did pretty alright with this one. He thinks he can count this one as a win.
Though, of course, he knows that all good things must come to an end at some point. The two of you will always have these memories, sure. He’s sure you’ll always remember what it feels like to float in the air for the first time. Just like he’s sure that he’ll always remember this sight of you, aligned perfectly in his vision, as he takes in the sight of you moving closer and closer with the most adoringly desperate look on your face.
But soon, he’ll get the signal from Jet that they’ll be heading out of the low-gravity zone. And at that point, he’ll get to hold onto you again as the gravity in the capsule changes once more, and the two of you make your way back to (a more) solid ground. But that also means that soon enough, this fun of yours will be over. Your journey will reach its conclusion. The floating will have to end. And he’ll have to find another way to make you laugh and smile and experience something new.
But that's not now.
Now is the moment that’s here. Now, he is reaching out his hand, stretching his fingers out as far as he can only to find that the two of you still have a little way to go. Now, he is pushing his body as far as it can go as he still holds onto the handle to not let himself go flying blindly. Now, he is calling out a few more words of encouragement mixed in between a few jokes as the two of you extend your arms and reach for each other.
Now is the time to just say ‘fuck it’ and let go so he can hold the thing that he really wants to- to hold the person that truly matters to him instead.
Because sure, this type of stuff is gimmicky and a little tacky. And it gets old after a while, too. It’s why he stopped caring about low gravity years ago. But when you float into his arms? When your flying hair tickles his skin as you grab onto his body tightly so the two of you won’t separate? When you thank him right in his ear with an earnest, sweet, lovely little murmur as you tell him that this is one of the best things you’ve ever experienced? He finds that he’s more than happy to be here.
All because you’re happy to be here too.