Why is it always like this? They can never seem to catch a break, always running from more people who want them either in jail or dead. That being said they seem to be very good at not getting caught, but that is Squad 312 for you. Back on the Zero, far from the spaceport, they are all recovering from the day's events. After Tyler's debrief, they all went their separate ways. Kal had stalked off to his room without heading to the med bay first. Aurora was concerned, despite not knowing him that long, she seemed to notice small changes in his posture and she could tell he had taken quite a beating in the brawl. After all, he was trying to protect her, the least she could do was notice.
So, instead of retiring to her room like all the others, she made her way to the med bay. After looking around for ten minutes trying to find the supplies she thought she might need; ice pack, bandages, tape and disinfectant, she made her way back towards Kal's room. When she arrived at his door, it had been left slightly ajar. She was nervous to enter, after Kal confessed to her about the Pull and her growing feelings for him, it was difficult to know how to be around him. She knew he made her nervous, not in the way you are when you meet a stranger or when you are scared. No, this was different. She had nervous butterflies when she saw him, didn't know how to look at him in the eye's, those intense eyes, those dreamy eyes...
She shakes her head, trying to focus on the task at hand. Her arms are too full to knock on the door so she slowly pushes the door to enter. As she does, the sight that greets her makes her butterflies all but disappear because her stomach is now in her throat. Her brain seems to have blown a fuse or something because she is unable to think straight. She might have to get Fin to check it later because something was definitely short-circuited. Kal is stood by the mirror, bare-chested, torn shirt discarded on the floor beside him. He is midway through unbraiding his hair, so half of it falls in gentle waves down his back and over the other half of his face.
Aurora had forgotten to breathe for the few moments she had been standing there and took an involuntary gasp. Kal turned abruptly and his eyes widened when he realised who it was.
"Aurora. Ummm, what are you doing here?"He questions sounding slightly less composed than normal.
Aurora shakes her head again and manages a few words in reply.
"Med supplies"
"Oh, thank you," he says, blush clearly building in his ears.
Aurora gets back some of her focus and moves into the room placing the supplies on the bed as she speaks.
"I noticed you didn't go to the med bay and you got one hell of a beating today. I mean you don't look as bad as the other guy but I wanted to make sure you were okay," she says reassuringly.
"Thank you Aurora, it was kind of you to think of me. I should find a new shirt Ummm." he flusters looking around his room.
But Aurora has already approached him and places a hand on his shoulder applying enough pressure to signal for him to sit on the chair near him. He does exactly as she silently commanded without complaint or resistance. Her touch alone blinded him to anything else, including the ache he felt in his ribs. She moved to the bed grabbing some supplies and then knelt in front of him surveying his chest for injuries.
His hair that had been loosened from their normally tight braid falls over his chest obscuring her view. Using her hand she gently pushes it over his shoulder, lightly caressing his chest as she does so. As her hand reaches his shoulder he winces slightly as she grazes a gash in his shoulder. She notices immediately and moves her hand to avoid it. Once she moved his hair so it fell behind his shoulders and down his back, she moved her focus to the cut. She dabbed some disinfectant on a piece of gauze and moved to dap it on his shoulder.
"This might sting" she warned.
"I think I will be fine" he replies stoically but as she presses the gauze to the wound he lets out a hiss.
Aurora can't help but smile, Kal always tries to seem so tough so she knows for him to be even the slightest bit vulnerable in front of her means he trusts her. She dabs lightly a few more times before wrapping a bandage around his arm to cover the wound. Next, she takes the ice pack and bandages it to his chest where the bruising is starting to blossom. Finally, she looks in more detail at his face, looking for injuries. As she notices a cut just above his eyebrow, she realises he is gazing at her, she feels heat rising in her cheeks. He looks at her like she is the only thing in his universe. She moves her hand to smooth his hair down behind his ear.
"May I?" she asks.
Kal nods. She moves behind him and begins slowly to undo the last of his braids. She runs her fingers through the gentle waves releasing any knots carefully. It was nice being like this with Kal. Being silent, and gentle. It felt so oddly intimate. She liked being with him like this, seeing him calm and at peace. She gets the impression it is a rare occurrence for him.
As she moves her fingers from his scalp to the ends of his hair, Kal can't help be reminded of his mother. When he was a young boy before he went to bed his mother would help him undo his braids. After the long days with his father training, battling his sister and trying to be strong, he treasured the peace this time with his mother brought to his life. She would often tell him stories as she unwound his braids and ran her fingers through his loose curls. Stories of old, of grand adventures, friendship and love. The feeling of Aurora repeating the same actions feels so comforting to him and one he hadn't realised he missed until now. But there is something more than that, it is not just the feeling of her hands in his hair, he feels at rest, the enemy within lying dormant at this moment. It's her. Her presence is instantly calming to him, their close proximity and her kind nature. She wanted to make sure he wasn't seriously injured and wanted to heal him where he was.
He turned in his chair to face her and she looked into his eyes. Neither of them had said anything for a long while now. He rose from his seat, rising so far above her she had to tilt her head back to keep looking at his face. He looked so majestic, his silvery hair falling so perfectly around his shoulders, now in undulating waves. His eyes burned that perfect shade of purple, so intense yet also soft somehow. He unwound the bandage around his middle to remove the ice pack from his ribs and a purpling bruise had now fully developed. Despite this, his chest was perfectly formed clearly from years of hard training both at the academy and from his Syldrathi training. There was no doubt from his form that Kal couldn't be anything but a Tank in the academy, he was built for violence. But that is not what Aurora sees, to her he is built for protection and defence of others who cannot protect themselves.
Before she could stop herself she moved forwards into his chest, and he immediately wrapped her up in his arms, pulling her closer to him. His warmth enveloped her and for the first time, in a long time, she felt safe. She hadn't realised it before now but she had finally found someone who felt like home, someone who felt like family. He was her family now, alongside the rest of Squad 312. She squeezed her arms around him tightly, and then slowly she raised her head to look at him without increasing the distance between them a single atom. He looked down at her and he could see the unshed tears in her eyes as she stared back into his. With one swift motion, he swept her legs from beneath her and she immediately wrapped her arms around his neck. He carried her in his arms towards his bed.
He sat down on the edge of it placing her in his lap and they simply held each other in that embrace with no need for words, just silent promises to one another. Ones of support, protection and even love. Eventually, Aurora raised her head just enough to capture Kal's lips. Although surprised at first, he reciprocated quickly. He pressed one of his hands to her cheek as she supported his head at the nape of his neck. Their kisses were not full of lust or longing, not like others they had shared. These kisses were different. These were ones of comfort, of care, of protection and of innocent love.
When their lips finally parted, they rested on each other's foreheads, finding comfort in the closeness of the other. Kal carefully lifted her and placed her on the bed before he carefully placed himself beside her. She moved in close to him resting her head against his chest. Without a single word, they both drifted off to sleep in each other's embrace, knowing they had found a small part of home in each other.
