POV: Lyra
The next morning, I got out of my sleep pod and almost tripped over one of the many containers of reading materials in my quarters. This made me recall the entire day I spent with Orion, and I smiled to myself in the dim light as I changed for my morning meditation.
When I reached the observation deck, I caught the scent of acacia wood and Terran forests—Orion's psychic signature—before seeing him already there, sitting in meditation pose.
His eyes opened, those purple pathways glowing softly as he mind-touched me, 'Morning, beautiful.'
'Good morning, Orion. I don't recall having a session scheduled this morning.' I teased.
He smirked, 'I was here for morning meditation. Running into you is just a bonus.' He stood and approached me slowly, his seven-foot frame towering over me. He lowered himself and buried his nose in my neck as he linked, 'But if you want to call it a date, I'll be more than happy to oblige.'
He inhaled deeply, taking in my scent greedily. I stopped myself from moaning as I linked, 'X-Orion, you very well know I come to this spot every single morning.'
'Was it this spot? I guess that was why I found it so familiar.' He continued to mock ignorance in a coquettish tone. He took another deep breath from my neck and asked, 'How did you sleep last night?'
'G-Good.' I fumbled on my words as I swallowed another moan before asking, 'You?'
'Mm. It was okay until I woke up missing you.' His head moved away from my neck and his purple eyes met my multifaceted ones as he nuzzled his nose with mine before asking, 'Did you miss me?' There wasn't cockiness in his voice, just anticipation and nervousness. The insecurity from the previous night hadn't dissipated.
'I did.' I shyly admitted. I then nuzzled my nose with his chin and along his jawline before pulling myself away to lock gaze with him. My skin shifted to pink with embarrassment.
A huge grin spread across Orion's face. His pathways sparked pure happiness. He didn't expect me to offer such an intimate gesture on our second encounter alone together. His arms reached out to gently lift me off the ground before placing me on his lap. He pulled me close to his chest as he leaned against the observation wall.
His hand cautiously started stroking along the length of my back. I purred in bliss at his touch, the neural sparks flowing between us. His consciousness sought comfort and peace from the sound I made and from the connection between us. 'Adorable', I heard leak through our bond.
When the station's day cycle began, I pushed myself up from Orion's lap. But before I could move away, he lifted me by my arms to face him as he asked frantically through our link, 'Where are you going?'
I responded simply, 'Back to my quarters. We have an interrogation session with the others at 0900. I have to get cleaned up and ready. You should too.'
He pressed me into his chest and held me like I was precious as he linked, 'Just a few more minutes. It's not that late yet. And you're so perfect.'
I tried to push away but Orion was too strong. Our bodies didn't even budge. Frustrated, I groaned and warned, 'Orion, if I have to be in the interrogation room without nutrient intake because you won't let me go, I'm going to give you neural damage at training tomorrow.'
'Okay.' He linked softly and held me tighter, pulling me deeper against him.
'Seriously? Orion, just let go of me. We're going to see each other in a few hours anyway!'
He ignored my attempts to break free, and continued holding me as he complained, 'Mm. Too long.' A lightbulb moment came, and he released me from his embrace to have our eyes meet. He still held me above the ground as he asked in excitement, 'How about we have morning nutrients together? Then you'll get to eat, and I'll get to see you sooner! It can be our second date!'
I smirked, 'Well-played, my Emperor. Well-played. Now put me down.'
'Is that a yes?' He asked in glee.
I was blushing, my skin shifting to that telltale purple as I rolled my eyes and said, 'Yes. Now put me down, Orion.'
He embraced me briefly before setting me on the ground and nuzzling my forehead as he linked, 'Can't wait to see you later, star-heart [endearment]. I love you.'
I wondered whether my color changes were obvious to everyone. 'I know. Thank you.'