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❝ Cosmic, can I have moment with you? ❞
𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘰 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦, Cosmic's eyes flickered with amusement as he spotted their intruder.
Flaming red eyes averted away instantly when the two males both looked over at her. Between the two males, Esther was more shocked than Cosmic honestly, with Cosmic being rather intrigued than surprised ‒ this being their first encounter once one whole week had passed. Nonetheless, to ask for Cosmic right off the bat after going under the radar was mindboggling.
❝ Crux, ❞ Cosmic acknowledged with a brief hum, ❝ ...How long were you listening? ❞
Flinching at how sharp Cosmic was with his question that sounded more like a statement, Crux tensed up even more when Esther gasped out.
❝ You were eavesdropping on us?! ❞ Esther screamed out, acting all scandalised.
Habitually, Crux growled at him using her Inner Voice without meaning to, making Esther shut up and let out a submissive whimper, but it didn't work on Cosmic. In fact, it did the opposite on him. That action only spiked his walls up high drastically, with his normal blank expression slipping back on his face.
Cosmic urged, ❝ So? ❞
❝ I decided to stick around when I heard my name, ❞ Crux confessed truthfully, having such a desperate gleam in her eyes. ❝ But please, Cosmic. I seriously need to talk to you... please. ❞
She pleaded.
She really pleaded.
Even without looking, Cosmic could feel the widened cantaloupe orange eyes of Esther's gawking at him. While it definitely wasn't a first time in his whole life ‒ where he got a female's sanity to crack and beg for mercy, this was certainly the first time one had came to him, willingly, without him even needing to do anything. That was why, this aroused a stinky scent of suspicions.
❝ Please, ❞ Crux repeated like a broken tape, walking up to him.
Even though his feet wanted to take a step back from the delirious-like woman, he stayed rooted to his spot since he didn't want to show signs of weakness and actually was curious to know how far she would go, until Crux stood right in front of him. As much as he wanted to swat her prying hands away in resistance as they reached out for him, he reluctantly let her take his hands into her own because of how intense the emotion was in her eyes, which literally called out to him ; like he was the last string of hope she could grab right now.
The girl whispered, squeezing his hands so delicately, ❝ Please. ❞
When that wasn't enough to Cosmic, Crux got on her knees !
Stunned beyond mere description, Cosmic couldn't find it in himself to find his voice and answer, so Esther gladly did.
❝ You should go, ❞ Esther recommended in a friendly tone, nudging his hip lightly against Cosmic's since his hands were still full. He snickered, ❝ Crux had never sucked up her huge ass ego to humbly request someone this bad, just to talk to her. My nest can wait when you get back. ❞
Averting midnight black eyes between Esther and Crux for a few seconds, he could see how sure Esther was by the grin he was giving and how distraught Crux was by reminding him with the death-like grip she had on his hands.
Cosmic eventually agreed with a nod, ❝ I'll talk to you. ❞
Since Esther trusted him with his life enough as he requested for his aid, Cosmic should at least hear what Crux had to say. After all, it seemed important if she came to him out of everyone else on this ship. Even Starling was probably the better candidate to go to at this point. Plus, if he picked up on anything too much fabrication in her stories, he could bail on her at any second.
He also considered the possibility of him too paranoid with his last interaction with Perseus and Andromeda.
For Crux's sake, Cosmic was not going to tolerate another twisted "talk".
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Cosmic lead Crux to his favourite private spot ; the open-like deck. His other option was the "library", but that place was across the whole ship from their room quarters, which honestly would take so much effort and being cramped tight together inside her in one room didn't set well with him. With her trailing behind him like a little duckling throughout the whole journey, none of them uttered a single word.
Maybe it was for the best.
They wouldn't want another intruder listening in after all.
Upon arrival, Cosmic let out a soft sigh escape his lips when the familiar surroundings of the deck sunk into his mind. The multiple glittering stars in this long and warm blanket of the space was such a therapeutic sight, making the both of them feel like they were at the centre of the universe together. Light was shinning gently on them, holding them in this invisible hug. As amazing as this view was, only two out of nine crew members had any idea such a room existed in this ship.
Now, there was three on the list.
Lost in starstruck, Crux gasped as she craned her neck into every direction of the room, ❝ What is this place? ❞
❝ My sanctuary ‒ my own little space for my mind to rest before those that bother me too much end up getting killed, ❞ Cosmic described with an underlying meaning, spinning around to shoot her a pointed look.
❝ Oh, ❞ Crux paused for far too long for that sort of remark. ❝ I promise I won't tell anyone. ❞
❝ I know you won't. ❞
Especially not when Cosmic was going to threaten Crux about stealing their so-called secret "woman cave" that the other males didn't knew about ‒ if she would so much even let out a single peep about this place to anyone alive, he could break into that room and render it inaccessible. Since Starling had been bragging about it so much, under the lack of acknowledgement from the rest, Cosmic practically knew every inch of that room without having been inside of it before.
To be frank though, there wasn't anything all too interesting in that room. He also really hated to break it to Starling how her conversations between the girls didn't make much sense as they compared sizes and rate the boys inappropriately ‒ not really, he enjoyed seeing that smug face get whipped off. The room itself wasn't any different to an overly decorated living room that screamed out their gender and the fact it was boy-free, so he didn't really see the big deal.
It was unfair how they get such a nice place for themselves.
He let them have it though, especially since the proper living room itself was left to be preoccupied by the males.
Anyhow, the two were now seated next to each other, definitely not side-by-side with this guarded distance between them that Cosmic made. In spite so, there was a short moment of comfortable silence, as they both admired the stars. Crux apparently loved the view as much as Cosmic did, which came off as a pleasant surprise fun fact of the day.
After a while though, he decided to just get this over with, ❝ What did you want to talk about? ❞
❝ ...You know who I'll be talking about, ❞ Crux started, shifting in her spot. She earned a nod, so she continued, ❝ Percy and I have been best friends for as long as I can remember, but lately, I can't bring myself to look at Percy in the eye after what happened, even when we hang out when Meda is asleep. Esther thinks Percy and I aren't on speaking terms, but that's mostly because Percy is too busy taking of Meda to talk to me at that time when he's around. It's so much bloody worse though.❞
Drinking up a deep breathe, Crux turned to Cosmic, who hummed and flashed a tiny, yet reassuring small. Her lips curved up weakly to return the look.
She went on, ❝ We do talk... It's just not the same anymore, you know? We're both pretending that everything between us is okay, how I just didn't try to take her boyfriend away literally last briek. I'm not ready to face Meda. His heat is over now, so I'll be seeing him eventually... I know what I did is wrong, even if I wasn't fully myself, but I don't know what to do. I know I scared him shitless. ❞
❝ You came to me because? ❞ Cosmic ejected with a raised eyebrow.
❝ I don't know! I brought you here on impulse. No in the hell way am I going to ask the other girls. Don't really know Esther well but I know he just doesn't trust anyone. He made you seem like the most best person to go to, ❞ Crux answered, stuffing the palm of her hands against her forehead, ❝ Hey, aren't boys supposed to be good with emotions and shit? ❞
❝ Not every male. You're just bad at controlling yours, ❞ Cosmic giggled, rolling his eyes, but found the effort in finding someone to seek comfort endearing. This caught Crux's full attention as that brought her face off her hands, so he added, ❝ Like you said, Perseus is your best friend. She deserves to know the truth. You need to come clean, and be honest. Tell her how you feel about Meda. Tell her how this wasn't any of your intention, because of how much you treasure her as your friend. ❞
❝ And what if she doesn't like the truth? That girl is damn possessive over her boyfriend. Worse, what if she wants to stop being friends? I'm not close with anyone in this ship but those two, and if they hate me, I don't know who I can hang out with anymore, ❞ Crux retorted and her hands trembled a bit.
❝ You can try making new friends. Esther is a safe bet, ❞ Cosmic suggested, not even taking a break from speaking when he saw Crux open her mouth to protest, ❝ Crux. They're not worth your attention if they can't forgive you for such a little mistake. For one, you were intoxicated by his scent. Not to mention, you didn't even managed to touch him. ❞
❝ That's only because you knocked me out, ❞ Crux fought back persistently, still very hesitant on confronting her best friend.
❝ Did you go to his room when you were conscious again? ❞ Cosmic shot back, nodding when Crux was rendered speechless. ❝ See. You held yourself back. ❞
❝ ...You're right, ❞ Crux muttered, glancing at Cosmic. ❝ You're smart, for a boy.❞
❝ You're soft-hearted, for a girl, ❞ Cosmic fired back with a small smirk.
They stared at each other for a while, letting the moment fully load in their brains. In sync, both Crux and Cosmic then bursted out laughing and spent a good few minutes doing so. Nothing else mattered at the moment, feeling their emotional burdens ease off their shoulders. At that moment, the pair truly felt at peace.
❝ Why didn't we start hanging out sooner? ❞ Crux's lips twitched to form a crooked smile, ❝ You're way more fun and cool to talk to than I expected. ❞
Humming, Cosmic shrugged, ❝ You didn't bother, so I didn't too. ❞
❝ I should have... so, hey, can we do something like this again? ❞ Crux wondered outloud, not meeting him in the eye. ❝ Talk together, here. Doesn't matter if it's deep talk or small talk. I like it here, with you. ❞
❝ That depends on you. ❞
Once they seemed to be about done, Cosmic got up slowly to his feet. From the corner of his eye, he watched as Crux followed, stabilising herself in no time beside him.
The threat could wait.
Crux was genuinely nice to him, so he would let her off for a bit.
Speaking of kind folks, it was about time he should be heading back to help Esther with his nest. Two days would be gone without them even feeling it. He flashed one last smile before heading out to leave.
Suddenly, his waist was held hostage, making him turn around. Crux pulled Cosmic closer, leaning close enough to nearly brush his lips against her own. She pressed their hands together, spreading the pinkie and thumb far apart from the middle three fingers. Spinning the hands around, the back of their hands now was faced towards their other owner. The pair of pressed three fingers was now between the small space separating their lips. She pushed her face forward to make it look like they were kissing, but it was more of Crux kissing his fingers ; vice versa. Even as she did so ever so gently, his bottom lip ached strongly at the sudden compress of her fingers against it. Before Crux could proceed, Cosmic shoved the girl off him immediately with his free hand.
❝ Ack! ...What are you doing? ❞ Crux coughed, rubbing her chest as she stumbled back to a stop.
He must have pressed too hard.
But who cares about that ?
Narrowing his midnight black eyes, he shot back, ❝ I should be the one asking that. ❞
❝ Making the Xleon promise, ❞ Crux explained with such exasperation as if she did the most obvious thing, ❝ I was just locking the promise between us that I won't tell anyone about this place and you keep our conversation a secret! What do you think I was doing... Oh. ❞
❝ Warn me next time. You looked like you were about to kiss me, ❞ Cosmic hissed.
❝ I didn't mean that, ❞ Crux yelled out as her flaming red eyes widened. ❝ I already like Meda. And you're fucking mated to Starling, I can't! I can't kiss you. I don't look at you that way. I mean, you're pretty and all, but aren't you supposed to be evil?! Wait, no. Oh crap! Forget what I said. I fucked up. Also, I never said you were pretty, but... well, you do have nice eyes... No, shit, fuck, uh. ❞ Her cheeks darkened, instantly looking elsewhere; anywhere that wasn't the amused midnight black eyes glancing at her way. ❝ Oh fuck this. You're beautiful. I admit it, but it means nothing so... Hey. What's wrong with your lip? ❞
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