Dat Ending Tho

Posted on Sat Nov 11th, 2017 @ 12:23am by Captain Akiva ben-Avram & Warrant Officer Laena ben-Avram
Edited on on Sat Nov 11th, 2017 @ 12:24am

Mission: Mission 0: Everybody Has A Story
Location: USS Vindex
Timeline: 2388

Akiva stirred in the early hours before Alpha Shift. Not enough time to go back to sleep for any length, but too early still for an early start. Especially when there was a beautiful warm body clinging to his.

"Good morning, kalati," Akiva whispered as he nibbled on Laena's ear. And a good morning it was. No night sweats. No panic. Only peace and satisfaction.

He curled down the blankets enough to trace his fingers along the bare curves of her body. Waking up without a sudden start to chase away his nightmares? Akiva could get used to that.

Laena slowly hummed at the feeling of his touch along her hip. She was certainly enjoying this arrangement more than she thought she would. "Good morning," she said, softly, looking up at him with her big brown eyes.

"How did you sleep?" Akiva let his hands settled around her waist which he cuddled up to with his.

"Like a dream," she said, her mouth slowly curling into a smile as her eyes softened with pleasure. "You?"

"Like I haven't since I was boy," Akiva said. "It's been over a week now, and for as many nights my sleep has been deep and restful."

He rolled onto his back and pulled her atop him to look deeply into her eyes.

"You must be an angel. How else have you chased my demons away?"

"Stop," Laena said, her cheeks slightly blushing as she pushed herself off of her betrothed. She turned away slightly, her smile faltering just a bit, though she was sure Akiva hadn't seen it.

Akiva rolled over again to face the back of her head. "I don't know if I can. This is new to me, but I don't think I can ever stop." He rubbed his hands along the small of her back.

The tension in Laena's shoulders began to release at the man's touch. "I love you," she said, softly.

"I love you too," he whispered back. "Forever and always."

As he felt his circulation spreading through his body, he laid back to stare up at the ceiling and mentally prepare for the day. A wild recollection struck him.

"You know, I remember back when you walked into my office to request a transfer. For some reason, I just couldn't stand the thought... I didn't understand it, since we'd never had occasion to work together." Akiva chuckled to himself. "Perhaps it was gorral'. Destiny."

Laena scrunched her eyebrows as she rolled over to look at the man, "Destiny doesn't exist," she said.

"It does if we make it." Akiva offered a mischievous smile. "Whirlwind romances only happen in the holonovels. In real life, it takes a shy, stubborn man and a meek and exotic beauty to fight for every moment spent in each other's arms."

Logically, Laena knew the man was right. But still, it was hard to give up on your fantasies. "I'm not much of a fighter," she said, resting her head against his chest.

"I disagree. You fought for me." Akiva draped an arm over her shoulders. "Believe me, I know full well how easy it would've been to give up, to try and forget about what we shared, and move on to safer things." He smiled down at the top of her head. "We belong together, when you really think about it."

Laena brushed her hair behind her ear, "I've loved you since the moment we stepped into that water," she said.

"I still can't believe we did that!" Akiva threw his head back into his pillow and chuckled. "That's supposed to be a personal, solitary act. I just... I didn't want to send you away."

"Are you going to get in trouble for that?" she asked, her fingers idly playing with the few hairs that dotted the man's chest.

"Trouble? With whom?" Akiva raised an amused eyebrow. He wondered if he was being teased.

The young woman just shrugged in response.

"Not with you, surely. I recall you as rather eager to get in the water with me." Akiva gave her ribs a light, brief tickle.

Laena squirmed a bit as she giggled, "I couldn't help myself," she said.

Akiva loved the sound of her laughter. On a whim, he stood up on the bed and stretched out his hand in a dramatic pose. In an exaggerated rhythmic timbre, he said,

"How fair and how pleasant art thou, O Ahavah, for delights!
This thy stature is like a palm tree, and thy breasts a cluster of fruit.
I said, I will climb up to the tree, I will take hold of the branches thereof; now also thy breasts shall be as clusters of the vine, and the scent of thy breath like apples;
And the roof of thy mouth like the new wine that goeth down sweetly, causing the lips of those that are asleep to speak."

When he finished, he held his sculpted pose, though looked down for Laena's response. His face trembled with holding back laughter.

But while Akiva was able to hold his, Laena was not able to contain herself and immediately burst out laughing.

Akiva gave in to the hilarity of the moment, toppling his body next to Laena in a tangle of limbs and laughter. After a moment of gasping and sighing, Akiva lazily turned his head to face his kallah, his bride.

"I look forward to hearing that laugh for the rest of my life."

Without a word, Laena pushed herself into Akiva's arms and just laid there.

Through her silent embrace, Akiva could tell something was the matter. Her affection was mixed with a tension carried across her shoulders. A quiet desperation he knew all too well bled through the warm touch of her hands.

"Laena, love. I know something is bothering you. Why don't you tell me about it over a back massage?"

Before she could object, Akiva had already moved behind her and had began to rub the sides of her upper back and shoulders.

"Nothing is wrong, Akiva," she said, though even she knew that wasn't true. "I just don't feel well."

Akiva dug his strong hands into the tender flesh of her shoulders in kneading and rolling motions. Her muscles were tight to the touch.

"Relax," he intoned. "You don't have say anything. Just let me do this for you."

Try as she might, Laena did her best to relax, but it was not helping. If anything, it was making it worse.

And that's when it happened. Laena pushed herself up off the bed, her head slamming into Akiva's face as she quickly tried to leave the sanctuary they had built there. As she headed for the bathroom, she only knew one thing, that she was about to be sick for the first time in front of him.

She clutched the toilet and vomited as tears streamed down her cheeks.