(Oh so very closed)

Privacy was hard to come by in Asakaze, harder than Yul had expected. But that just meant that one had to be creative. And, preferably, wealthy. The first brought Yul and Mumei to the Drunk'n Crab. The later meant that, once Yul had forked over a generous payment, the couple was shown to the back room. And, importantly, left alone.

...

"Mmmm." Yul murmured pleasantly, stretching his limbs. Planning ahead, he'd packed a blanket in his bag, giving the couple something pleasant to lie on. "Finally. I was starting to think it was easier to find privacy on my last carrier than this city."

Gently, he put his arm around Mumei, easing her against him, savoring the contact of skin against skin.

For a moment, she resists that easing, leaning over to find his lips for the thousandth time with desire only barely diminished by the short span of privacy they've shared. Her touch is soft, still more hungry than tender, and as silent as she can manage.

Finally relenting to rest beside him, head on his shoulder and arm flung across his chest, she murmurs. "OK, how'd I forget already how hard it is to stay so quiet?" It wasn't a new skill, after all, when you're used to stealing moments in, say, a strange corner of the hydroponics bay. "mmm, but thank you for finding this."

On the other side of the wall, the bar was quiet. Notes of an old Crab song playing through the loud haulers could be heard in the room, the song detailing the sorrows and joys of drinking sake as the snow fell on the leafless tress when your love was far from home. Yukimizake had been a Crab favorite for decades.

Even with his passions just recently spent, Yul responded to the hunger in Mumei's touch, at least a little, growling softly into the kiss. He sank back with a pleasant sigh, although the teasing way his hand danced along her back certainly seemed to promise more later...

He chuckled softly, setting his other hand to rest on her arm as it draped over her chest. "It was pretty much this, or take a chance on one of those common room sofas. And the damn thing would probably break in half if we tried it." Recognizing the need for quiet, he pitched his voice low.

Gently, he pressed his lips to her forehead. "But I really wanted somewhere where it could be just us, and we could take our time, y'know? Not worried about dinosaur attack, or security forces. Just you and me..."

She laughs softly. "I'd be surprised if someone hadn't already broken it that way, taped it together, broken it again, and added some staples to try and keep it in one piece a bit longer. It has painful lumps where no self-respecting sofa should." After a kiss on the cheek she adds, with mock admiration, "thank you for sparing me the indignity and injury of the dangerous hotel sofas. My hero!"

Reaching up to toy with his hair, eyes fixed on his, her teasing smile retreats. "But actually, thank you for finding this seedy little corner of the settlement, I needed this. Needed you. Before everything gets complicated."

Yul snorted laughter, burying his face in Mumei's hair to muffle himself. "Wow. You know, I didn't believe anyone could design a couch that bad. But put it back together wrong after sexing it to pieces..." His bare shoulders shook as he laughed again. "Suddenly it all makes sense."

His expression softened as her eyes found his. "Yeah. Complicated. I needed this too, you know. Something simple but amazing."

Yul reached up, gently stroking across her cheek. "And I'm gonna keep needing this. Tomorrow, and the day after, and on and on after that. So," be safe, Yul bit his lip, and the words, "-just so you know, okay?"

"You, telling me...to be safe? Who saved whose hide, huh?" There's a definite whistling past the graveyard sense to that small bravado as she smiles up at him, before she turns slightly to kis his palm where it rests against her cheek. "You're the one risking...a lot more. So be careful."

She pauses. "Particularly when the magistrates here are just...hard to trust."

After a quiet moment, she shakes her head, and stretches to kiss him gently, with no hurry. "But no more of that right now, we've a whole day of fighting good fights, right? What was it like growing up with actual seasons, and grass, and a million siblings to run around with? What were you like?"

Swallowing, Yul nodded. "I will. I promise." His arm tightened around her, both comforting and seeking comfort.

"Mmmm." Again, he murmured softly into the kiss, tilting his head up to meet her. "What was young Yul, like, huh?" He sighed, smiling gently, his eyes going distant, settling back. "In a lot of ways, I wasn't that different. I guess I've gotten better at doing stuff. When I was a kid, I just healed quickly. Which was good, because I was always jumping off things, or into things, getting into one sort of trouble or another... crashed the crop duster more than once. I probably made my family worry more often than I should have." For a moment, his eyes refocused on Mumei, a strange emotion in them.

He sighed again, his brow creasing lightly. "But you know, even on a planet, even with everywhere to go, and beautiful seasons, I always wanted to go see the stars." He chewed his lip a moment. "I guess I was always dreaming. I think I've just got a better idea of what that means, now."

Smiling, he nudged her leg with his. "Alright, your turn. What was tiny Mumei like? Growing up, moving from ship to ship?"

She shakes her head, smiling gently. "Sounds like you were a handful. I imagine your family thought at least they could stop worrying for a few weeks. What kind of trouble could you possibly get into at a miai, after all?"

But that wasn't what they were talking about now. She stretches against him before continuing. "I was kinda free-range. Looking back, mom must have been a little picky about assignments, because most ships don't have families on them. But there are Firefly ships that do. Their giant homeships are kind of a base for the miners in one place until they're ready to find a richer one. So I remember a little about one of those, and a Daidoji one, oddly. I think that might have been some kind of attempt to have troops that were used to space and corridors and all from their earliest days. So everyone kept an eye on the kids tumbling around, you know. You knew that if you got in trouble anywhere, word would get back to your parents." Everything's said lightly, conversationally, her fingers idly tracing along his shoulder, and no real attempt at being super quiet as they just...talk.

"Then there were stretches on stations, got most of my early schooling there. Always the new kid, you know? Got pretty good at making friends fast, because I really was tiny Mumei and that was...safer, right?" She sighs, hand stilling for a moment, then continues. "But I couldn't make _good_ friends, because I wasn't going to get to keep them. Mom was constant, and nothing else was. I guess I got into plenty of trouble, partly trying to belong for a bit, partly because I was never going to be around long enough for a horrible reputation to really last." She kisses his cheek again. "So if you ever run across someone with stories of tiny Mumei on this station or that...well, they might not be great."

"But..I'm kind of rambling. What did you dream of once you got off world? Once you had the stars you wanted?"

Yul laughed softly, grinning up at her. "I kinda like when you ramble. And I gotta say, I feel like I'd think a story about the trouble tiny Mumei got into would be super cute." He pretty much had to kiss her at that point, tilting his head up, moving his lips against hers with an amused energy, spiced with a hint of passion.

He sank back again. The hand on her back began idly tracing, stroking her flesh, growing more familiar with the lines and curves of her. "The stars I wanted... I like that. When I was a kid, I just knew I wanted to get out there, see the galaxy. I've done that, seen more than I ever imagined. But I'm not done... there's always more to see, more to do. I've wanted to prove myself, to be the best I can be..." Yul pursed his lips. "That dream carried me through the academy. Now I guess I'm back to wanting to see more."

Tilting his head, Yul looked at Mumei, his eyes bright. "And... I guess very very recently, my dreams have changed to incorporate a beautiful amazing Osprey woman. And maybe her dreams as well, whatever those are." His hand slid up her arm, brushing across her cheek, back through her hair.

"mmm" She bites at his lip a bit, not entirely willing to let him pull away, though she does, with a smile even. Settling against him, she says, "fine, we'll trade tales of the trouble we got into sometime, hmm? Or you can wait and see which ones your family wants to embarrass you with first." Listening to his drive to see more, always more, she smiled gently, shifting with an unconscious unease without a name.

She didn't pick at it, responding instead to the implied question as he stroked through her hair, relaxing a tension she hadn't felt creeping up. Holding his gaze she dipped slowly to taste his lps with all the hope of shared dreams behind her kiss. When they part, she eases down to rest her head on his shoulder. "Never thought my dreams would get to include a dashing Shinjo man, but there we are, love." There's a quietly surprised joy in her voice as her breath murmurs along his collarbone.

She sighs. "I've still training ahead to find those other dreams. I'm not a Navigator yet, and I want to hear the songs of stars someday...maybe. Leaving here to let our families hash out the last details is going to be hard. Leaving again to finish training will be harder."

"I like that idea. I've got tons of tales of trouble. Just you wait and see." He grinned at her, then growled softly as she bit at his lip. When she kissed him, then, his hands moved along her back with noticeably more firmness, his lips parting against hers.

"Mumei..." Yul sighed, smiling. "What was it you said the other night? Wildly, ridiculously, in love? Yeah. That sounds pretty much right." He kissed the top of her head, lips lingering a moment.

His next sigh was less contented. "Yeah... I was thinking about when all this ends. Having to wait to marry you, that's gonna be hard. What's involved in finishing your training?" His lips pressed together a moment. "How long do you think it would take?"

Her arm around him tightens. "Hard to know, some people never get there...so if I don't actually have what it takes...where do I simply stop and say this is what I've got? How long do marriage negotiations take? They like to aim for the Empire's spring, yeah? So...I study hard for about six months and see if I'm close to understanding? If I've got what's needed to be minimially competent with a NavCom?" He can feel the deep inhale and huff of a heavy, determined sigh. "Ok...six months. I can do that. We can do that. right?"

She lifts up, looking into his eyes. "Right? You're not...going to need a different challenge once this one's settled? You're still going to be there?" She isn't even sure where the fear comes from, but it's sharp and deep and hard to control right in the moment. Even as she says it, she knows it sounds horrible and buries her head against his shoulder. "Sorry. Kami, that's stupid! I don't mean it."

Sighing gently, Yul smiled. "Six months feels like a long time now, when I want to see you right after I wake up, right before I go to sleep, and more besides that. But yeah. We can do that."

The gentle smile faded as Mumei went on, Yul's eyes widening a little bit. "No, no, hey." Murmuring soothingly, Yul kissed her forehead, his hand stroking gently through her hair, again and again. "You're not a challenge, Mumei, or some goal I achieve. You're..." He frowned, struggling with the words. "Maybe we're a part of each other, it feels like. I know that I can't imagine a future with me, but without you." Or rather, if he even tried, he could feel his stomach begin to knot up.

Gently, he took her hand. He guided it to his lips, kissing it gently, before placing it on his chest. His heart beat was steady and strong. "Feel that." Yul whispered, his eyes on hers, smiling but intent. "That's not going to change."

For long moments, she presses her hand against his chest, getting herself under control as he strokes her hair. He can feel her trembling. "OK. Yes, I know this. ok..." She seems to be talking to herself as much as Yul. "I don't know why my heart's racing, I'm sorry. I know you wouldn't...that you're not like that."

She takes a deep, slow breath, consciously relaxing against him, lifting her eyes to meet his again, full of apology. "I really do know. I don't know where that came from." Her hand lifts to brush through his hair. "It'll be hard, but we'll manage somehow. Just tell me your family doesn't have one of those traditions where I'm going to show up for the wedding but can't see you till the ceremony, because after 6 months, that's just asking us to scandalize everyone there when we can finally see on another."

"Don't apologize." Yul whispered, even as he held her, his hand stroking her hair, again and again. He swallowed a lump in his own throat; he found that he felt her pain very keenly, right now. His eyes were soft, almost liquid as they met hers, tilting his head into her touch. "How we feel... we can't always control that." Meanings upon meanings, there. How much had he hurt her, when he'd insisted on fighting the drifter?

A playful glint returned to his eyes as she went on. "Thankfully, no. I'm almost tempted to rent a room at the shuttleport. Six months is a lot of time to make up for." His fingers danced down her back, over the curve of her hip in a decidedly frisky way.

He settled down again, for the moment, gently stroking her hair again. "But... nah, weddings are pretty casual. Which is good, I've been to more than I can count. They're a bit more casual then the few I've seen elsewhere. Lots of drinking, dancing... ooh, we'll get to wow everyone there." Yul grinned at her. "There may be a pony or two involved. We'll see what happens."

Every touch is a comfort, and a new excitement, and right now she craves both, bringing her leg over to twine with his, sprawling across his chest. "How we feel..Yeah. I'm a little overwhelmed by how strong, how much this is sometimes." Another kiss, drawing comfort from the connection and returning passion.

"mmm, that room sounds like an excellent idea." her kisses begain to trace back along his jawline. "Don't want to meet three hundred new relatives and not remember a single name because I'm spending all my energy on not touching you." Her hands roam, as if making up for lost time already, stroking down his side, caressing a hip. "Or scandalize more than wow with that dance." Her lips find his throat with the quietest moan. "Or simply skip the introductions and take those ponies out under the spring trees and...hmm, do ponies get scandalized?"

"It's a lot." Yul agreed, his voice soft. "But... I think that's just us." Two people defined by their passions, finding a shared passion in each other.

Each new kiss, each touch, seemed to inflame Yul's passions further. Breath hissed through his teeth as Mumei's hand brushed his hip. A soft growl as her lips traced his jawline. His own hands grew bolder, tracing, caressing, teasing as they ran over her form. "Not a bit." He whispered, his voice rough, tilting his head as her lips found his throat. "Less than Otori, even. In fact, that's one of the older traditions. At the end of the ceremony, we ride off on ponies together. There's a yurt prepared for us, safe and secure, and totally alone."

He rose suddenly, easing her with him as he sat up. His lips found hers, rough and passionate. "And then, until dawn..." This time, it was his turn to let his lips trail across her jaw, down to her neck, his hand squeezing her thigh.

"That sounds," her breath catches as his lips find her throat, "Amazing," is a shaky breath of a word as she moves against him, hands raking up his back.

She swallows hard, hands coming up to the sides of his face as she kisses him hard, sublimating the effort of silence into this fierce desire. Breathing hard, she presses her forehead against his..."But...I am never forgiving you for making me associate that awful music," she points toward the wall where the mournful enki strains continue unabated, "with this.." laughing is an acceptable amount of sound, even if it's cut off as she finds his lips again, shifting to

/ftb.

Yul laughed, softly but helplessly, his shoulders shaking. "Let me see if I can make it up to you." He whispered, just before their lips met, and their passions took over.

...

A thin sheen of sweat coated Yul's form. Every inch of him felt achy... and also wonderfully. Once more, he put an arm over Mumei, this time decidedly limply. "Wow, love." He murmured, fatigue making his voice heavy. He didn't elaborate, although perhaps the smile he gave her was elaboration enough.

Gently, he nuzzled against her. "Mmm. Six months isn't so long. Maybe then, we won't have to be so quiet. No restraints..." A pause. "Although I might be getting used to this music. Maybe I should buy a copy? It could be our song." His lips twitched, as he did his best to avoid breaking into laughter.