Aria
The whistle, at least, got a blushing response, and a smile at him, but then she refocused on getting dry. When he left, she smiled again, enjoying the view of him walking in just a towel. Naked he was gorgeous but something about being just that covered was nicely teasing. But she simply said "Yeah... I'll get started soon." While mentally smacking that thought back into its box because she had things to do and it was too distracting right now.

It didn't take her long to get dressed, since she'd brought her clothes, and she simply dropped her dirties I'm the bag she'd brought for that, before heading to the kitchen.

She got the coffee pot going, and was soon hard at work making pancakes and bacon for them both. And she was reveling in the fact that her appetite was back to its normal level, even if that was lower than it should be.

Pao
It didn't take him too long to get dressed once he was back in his room, and after he finished by lazily slicking his wet hair back with his hand he headed out and to the kitchen.

The main room already smelled of coffee, pancakes, and bacon so by the time he made it into the kitchen he was smiling bright and wide. "That smells amazing, babe," he said as he went straight to her as though they hadn't just spent enough time together in the bath. After snaking his arms around her waist, he leaned down and rested his chin on her shoulder and glanced down at what she was currently cooking.

"Looks good, too. You want me to set the table?"

Aria
She glanced up when he came in and have him another happy smile. When he was pretty much wrapped around her, she gave a soft chuckle and kissed his cheek. "Glad it smells and looks good. We got lucky, this place is decently stocked. I'm tempted to never go back. Decent food, a bathtub, privacy..." She gave a soft chuckle. "If it wasn't for the fact that it's ******** Siberia, it'd be damned tempting."

His question got him a grateful smile. "Yes, please, babe. That would be really helpful."

Pao
He closed his eyes when she kissed him, however briefly. When she listed all the bonuses of the place and the one real con, he had to laugh because he actually felt exactly the same way. "We just gotta make the most of it while we can, then. And then go on a real vacation when we go on leave."

Upon confirmation of what his contribution to breakfast would be, he turned his head just a little bit and gave her a kiss on the neck before pulling away.

"Anything for you, baby." And though he said it in a teasing tone, he meant every word. Rhys wandered to the nearest cabinet to begin his search for the plates and cups and silverware.

Aria
"Mmm a real vacation. That sounds amazing." She said softly, her eyes shining with excitement at the idea. "I can't wait." She refocused I'm what she was cooking, and put a competed pancake on a clean serving plate.

The kiss on her neck made her shiver, just a little, then smile over her shoulder at him.

"Mmm can't wait to eat, though. I haven't felt hungry in days." She murmured, as she poured more batter into the pan. "Can't wait..."

Pao
"Me too," he said while still opening up random cabinets. It took another three cabinet doors for him to find the plates and cups, so he grabbed what he needed before going to hunt for the silverware.

"Cafeteria cardboard for almost two weeks after tasting your cooking just tasted even worse." He paused and gave that a bit of thought before adding, "But then I didn't really taste much of anything those days so that was also a little bit why."

He set the table quickly once he had everything he needed, and then went back and wrapped himself around her since there was nothing else for him to do except wait. "You haven't been eating normally either, huh?" he asked softly. "I thought you were a little too light when I picked you up last night. You should try and make up for that since you have an appetite now."

Aria
"Mmm yeah it wasn't exactly appetizing, what I could choke down. But that's done with." He was back. It made things much easier for her to deal with, and to work around.

And maybe to motivate her to do so, too.

When he returned, she gave a sigh of contentment, just happy to have him close whenever she could. His question, though, had her eyes half closing, and a soft, frustrated sigh slipped out. "Something like that, yes. I just... you've probably noticed I tend not to eat that much." Confession time, it seemed. "I have trouble, sometimes, just being hungry. There's a quiet voice at the back of my head telling me not to eat that much, it's too expensive to feed myself that much, or I don't deserve it. I was working on it but... it was hard to care. It's gonna take work, but... I promise. I'm working on it."

Pao
He listened and stayed put, wrapped around her like that, while she talked. He wanted to just be a steady presence, one that made her feel safe and loved and unjudged for her struggles and anything else that she said. When she was done he nodded and gave her just a gentle squeeze.

"I noticed, yeah, just wasn't sure if I could ask. Now we're kinda...laying everything out there...I thought I'd take a shot." He adjusted enough to give her a kiss on the cheek, comforting and supportive now that he had a better idea of what was going on.

"I guess it's good you're stuck with me then. You can probably tell I pretty much always wanna eat, so." The brunette paused and kissed her again, just wanting to tell her that he was there. "I'll just be a natural reminder. And someone that believes that you can beat that old mentality down into submission. And whatever else that you might need, okay?"

Aria
She flipped the pancake, and found herself thinking how much easier it was to tell him things that she'd struggled with finding ways to talk to someone about, because at least this one, she'd been trying to find a way to get the help she'd been needing. She hated how often it came up, but telling people? So hard. And yet here he was, and the words just came, naturally and easily, in a comparative sense. Having him holding her and supporting her like this was just an added bonus for making it easy.

She considered his comment about asking, then said "Ask me what you want. You've laid your soul pretty damn bare. It's only fair I do the same. And you're the only one I'd trust with that power to so whatever, too." The kiss earned a smile, though she remained focused on the food.

She began to flip the bacon as she listened to him talk, the smell of that wonderful meat filling her nose. For the first time in what felt like years, her stomach loudly grumbled, and she blushed a tad. "No, don't say I'm stuck with you. Stuck makes it sound negative. There's nowhere else I'd want to be." She was firm about that, certainly. Stuck would be with someone she hated, or if that conversation the night before hadn't happened. This? This was happiness and joy, being here, even if things were still a challenge with the way their heads worked. The second cheek kiss earned a bigger smile, and a loving look. "I appreciate it, babe. It's going to be slow, and I'm going to have to increase intake slowly... I've tried the just eat more food thing, if I eat too much I tend to get sick. But I promise again... I'll be working on it, and yes, your being here helps. I like feeding you, so it makes it easier to want to cook." She paused, then added "And as for anything else... I don't know what else I need besides you, but if I think of it, I'll tell you. Same for you, though, y' hear?" She mock threatened him with the spatula before getting the pancake off the pan and starting the next.

It didn't take too much longer for the food to be done, and she was picking up the full plates. "As much as I love having you around me like this, baby... I can't carry the food to the table this way."

Pao
He smiled warmly, meant for her but he was staring at the bacon so it might have looked weird but he didn't care. That she trusted him with her story and was willing to share as much as he had meant the world to him, and it warmed him up on the inside. "Then I guess it's down to a good time and place to ask, then," he replied before nuzzling into her neck playfully.

He listened to her nitpick in one of the sweetest ways possible and just chuckled, half in agreement but half still inclined to believe that she was stuck with him. So he just nodded and made a mental note to try and not use that word for next time.

"Slow and easy is fine as long as you're moving forward. And like I said, I'll be here to help as much as I can." And then he paused to kiss her again; it really was challenging to keep off of her. "I'll ask if there's anything else I need besides you, too." He chuckled and went quiet as she finished up their food, just content to snuggle into her, occasionally giving her a kiss on the cheek or the neck or wherever was closest to his lips. He would have stood there with her for a whole lot longer, too, but the food did eventually get cooked, so he knew he had to let go.

And he did, with a light laugh, and reached for the plates she was about to pick up and picked them up for her before heading to the table. "You get the coffee?"

Aria
"Whenever you want." She didn't feel the need to mention privacy, because she trusted him not to do something like that. They had a week here, though, and he'd get all the chances he could want, she was sure. All that mattered, really. The feeling of him nuzzling her like that was a little much, in a good way, but she was consistently reminded that she wanted him.

She was glad he didn't argue with her on the issue of being stuck, and if he mentioned it in any similar way again, she'd argue it again. He was the one she chose to be with.

"Thanks, babe. Your support means the world to me." The kisses went unremarked on, though she definitely noticed all of them. It was almost distracting, but she managed to control the urge to turn around and just start kissing him back. It wasn't easy, but she managed it.

She laughed in surprise when he snagged the plates, and watched him go, her hands on her hips, and an amused expression on her face. "You are incorrigible." She said, fondly, then went and got the coffee carafe, before joining him at the table.

Pao
Rhys playfully stuck his tongue out at her before setting the plates down and taking his seat. "I dunno what that means so I'm gonna just go ahead and assume it means 'I love you'. Love you, too, babe."

He watched as she made her way over, every bit of his expression as loving as he was being playful, and when she finally sat he picked up his fork and went to put just one pancake on her plate first. "You want more or...?"

Aria
She laughed at him, shaking her head. "Mmm maybe I should get you a dictionary, so you'll be able to find out for yourself." She gently teased, but settled herself in her seat. "Mmm."

She considered, then said "Just a few slices of bacon. If I've room after, I'll find something else. I'd rather start small and not waste food." She gave him a smile full of gratitude for how he worked with her on this, then poured them both coffee. She then added cream and sugar, perhaps a little heavy, but when she sipped it, she looked like she was enjoying it.

Pao
He put a few slices of bacon like she said, nodding at her explanation as he served up his own plate, about double the portion she had. And that was just to start. Before he took his first bite he glanced up at her, the dictionary comment still on his mind. "Bet there's one you can borrow and-or steal from the library. Can't promise I'll ever read it though." Then he grinned and took his first bite, closed his eyes, and then remember what she said about him making sounds while he ate so he consciously tried not to.

When he opened them again he saw that she was sipping and rather enjoying her coffee. "How do you take your coffee, babe?" he asked, peering over curiously to see how light or dark the liquid was.

Aria
She gave him a smile of gratitude for being so sweet as to serve her, and began to nibble her bacon. His comment regarding a dictionary earned him a low chuckle, and an eyeroll. "Goof." She pondered getting him one just for doing that, a fond smile on her face. "Lovable goof, though." She went back to her food, enjoying the meal, grateful food tasted like food again, not 'something to put in her mouth just to survive.'

"Mmm? Oh." She showed him that it was a light creamy color. "Milky and sweet. Not that fond of the bitterness of most coffee."

Pao
He smirked at the "lovable goof" label as he worked through his plate. Unlike her, he was taking large bites so it wasn't long before he was going for seconds, and once he finished refilling his plate he sipped his coffee without mixing anything in. He took that chance to look over at her coffee and made a mental note of both the color and her preference, and then he took a few more sips before setting his cup down and going back to his food.

"I've always drank mine plain, or bulletproof style if I was somewhere that had a blender and some butter."

Aria
She honestly enjoyed his enthusiasm for his food, because she wished she could get herself to muster that level of energy and enthusiasm herself. She knew it'd be a good while before she got anywhere near that kind of appetite, if she ever did, but she could take pleasure in his. She got through most of her plate by the time he was working on his second plate.

"What is... bulletproof style? What does butter have to do with coffee?" She looked utterly baffled by the idea.

Pao
When he next paused in his gorging to wash some of it down with coffee, he casually eyed her plate and was happy to see that she'd gotten through a lot of it. He didn't make any comment though, just wanted to make sure she was eating and not just nibbling along the sides. When her question came he set his cup down, smile going wide.

"It's amazing but takes some getting used to. So the idea is--" and he babbled on for a little while about it. It was about two or three minutes before he caught himself, and then he felt his cheeks go a little warm and he picked up his cup again to take a few more sips. "But yeah, that's basically it."

Aria
She continued to eat, and finally pushed her plate away, definitely feeling full. She sighed softly, and picked up the plate to take to the sink, and eyed the dishes from last night. Well that needed dealing with. She began to fill the sink with hot water, and hunted out the soap.

"Mmm I see. Doesn't sound like my thing but maybe I'll try it at some point." She gave him a smile, amused that he felt embarrassed about the fact that he went on. She'd asked, after all. "Wonder if there's a blender in here somewhere. We should do a proper survey soon." As she worked on scrubbing the dishes, she took a slow, deep breath and then said "We uh. We haven't talked about..." Her cheeks went red, and then continued ".... Are we... officially like... dating? A couple?"

Pao
"Sure," he said, smile bright because she'd shown interested in something most people generally just thought was gross. "It's cool if you don't like it, most people don't. Took me a while, too, actually."

He finished up shortly after her and followed her with his plate and cup to the sink. He set them down and went hunting for a towel to dry the dishes with, and when he did he settled just beside her, content in the brief silence that came before her question. It probably would have thrown him off before the previous night because he hadn't given it too much thought, but now he was fairly certain where he stood on the subject.

"I vote 'yes'," he said very coolly, leaning toward her and bumping her shoulder gently. "I mean, I've been referring to you as my girlfriend in my head since last night. Another first of mine that's got your name all over it."

Aria
"Worst case is I decide never again, but I'll definitely consider trying it if you make it at some point." She tossed her head a little, to get hair out of her face, since she had soapy wet hands. "Better I just taste some of yours or something, so I don't waste a full cup."

She gave him a happy smiled when he joined her, and was quite happy to pass him the dishes once they were ready to dry. She wished she could lean in but it would interfere with her ability to wash the dishes. She kept scrubbing, however, as she listened to him speak.

His words made her lips curve into a sweet and happy smile. "That's... I'm glad to know that. I didn't... want to assume." She paused for a moment, and leaned over and around to kiss him, before finishing the last of the dishes.

Pao
He smirked at first, and then his eyes went a little wide when she suddenly kissed him; he would have followed after her had it not been for the fact that he was drying dishes and trying not to drop and break any, so he let her go with a satisfied "mm" and another gentle little bump on the shoulder. "More of that probably after we properly look over the mission details," he said with a laugh as he dried off the last dish that she passed him.

A thought occurred to him, though, only after he hung the towel on the oven handle to dry. "Uh, babe...did you see where we put the mission folders?" He was already starting to look around, not really panicked but on edge a little bit.

Aria
She bumped him back, and began to put the dishes away, happy with this oddly domestic moment. She was his girlfriend. That sounded... so nice in her head, the way he said 'my girlfriend.' Lords and ladies, she'd turned into a giant sap. When had that happened? And why on earth didn't she mind? His comment made her chuckle, and wink at him. "As you like, gorgeous."

His question had her frowning, just a little, and turning to face him. "Um. I'm... not sure where you put yours..." She thought back to the night before, turning the events over in her mind, then she walked over to the corner she'd been hiding and crying in. Ah... there was hers. It was a tad crumpled and mussed, but it was there. "Got mine, though. If we need to, we can always go over it together."

Pao
He was already rifling through a cabinet when Seren found her, and when he looked over sure enough she had it in her hand. "Oh, cool. One copy's fine, I'm sure mine's around here somewhere..." It bothered him a little when he lost stuff that was supposed to be his. Something about having nothing and then suddenly being given ownership of things that made him maybe a little bit possessive.

With that he closed the cabinet and headed for the door. "One copy means we can snuggle up and read, though."

Aria
"We'll find it later, if necessary." She gave him a slightly understanding smile, because honestly, having things of her own had always been... at a cost. She moved over to him, and slipped her hand into his, fingers twining through his. "In the meantime, at least, we can figure out what we're actually here for, since I'm pretty sure it wasn't 'make up and make out.'" She said that last little bit in a lightly teasing tone, as she gently moved towards the kitchen door.

His next comment, though, had her giving him a bright smile. "Yeah. It'll be warmer, too. Lots of good reasons to share."

Pao
Rhys happily took her hand and walked with her through to the main work area with all the desks. "Make up and make out was a great mission, what're you talking about?" he shot back, equally teasing.

Once they made to the desks, though, he looked at where he'd spent quite a bit of time punching the wall the streaks of blood he wound up leaving behind. Just nearby, resting on the armrest of the couch, was his folder. "Oh, there it is," he said, pointing straight at the folder hoping she'd look at it instead of the wall.

Aria
Seren couldn't help but laugh at his comment. "Well yes, but I'm pretty sure that, as great a mission as it is, what we're here for. Just a suspicion." She gently squeezed his hand, and shook her head, her smile soft and happy.

She saw both, and looked at him out of the corner of her eye, gently. She knew whatever damage he'd done to himself in the process was probably healed already, since he hadn't shown signs of broken bones, but she could guess what happened, given the placement. She considered, and decided not to comment. She'd just get that cleaned up later. In the meantime, she decided to put on a faux pout. "Oh damn. Now we no longer have the 'one folder' excuse to share..."

Pao
He blinked, eyes going from the folder to her and back again a couple of times before he huffed. "We can still share, love. I think that one's..." and he craned his neck a little bit to see, and it did in fact have flecks and droplets of blood on it. "Not...one that I'd suggest we use." And he left it at that, very grateful that she hadn't pointed anything out either, and then nodded toward another couch. It looked a little bit newer, and cleaner, and comfier than the one that had his slightly bloodied folder.

He started leading her to it, squeezing her hand gently to wordlessly express his thanks for her not asking. It was a tough night for both of them, really, and it just happened to be his way to cope. The bruises and cuts were mostly gone, anyway.

Aria
"Ahhh." She didn't argue with him, because frankly, she wanted a good reason to snuggle, and if it avoided more discomfort for the day, she was all for it. She simply followed him, quietly and happily, to the couch. When they got there, she leaned up to kiss his cheek, before speaking. "Mmm I think you should sit first, yeah? You're taller, after all."

And with their weight difference, especially now that she was a bit... lighter then she should be, that would honestly not be the most comfortable right now. She simply smiled at him, and waited, patiently.

Pao
It was always a pleasantly warm feeling whenever she kissed him, and it never failed to make him smile. And it also made him a really good listener. At her request he slowly sat on the couch, careful not to let go of her hand so he could tug her down gently onto his lap once he got settled. "Snuggle up, then, and don't read too fast."

Aria
She laughed, startled, when he pulled her onto his lap, and carefully shifted, trying not to make things... awkward, and then leaned back against his shoulder, her cheek next to his neck. She gave long, happy sigh, as she relaxed, her eyes closing for just a moment, to enjoy the feeling of being right where she belonged.

Then she opened the folder to the first page. "If I finish a page first... I'll wait until you're ready, babe. I can be patient. I'm in no rush to finish, especially if there's anything we need to do that might mean I have to move any time soon."

Pao
Getting comfortable was easy enough; it was a constant feeling when she was nearby, especially so when she was in his arms, on his lap. He wrapped his arms around her and gently leaned his cheek against her hair. "Sounds good," though he was honestly tempted to just ask her to read it to him to make sure they both got it done at the same time. That felt a little too lazy though, so with a contented sigh he started reading.

Even with the two of them snuggled up and the heater on, the cold still managed to find its way into the room. To ward it off he hugged her a bit closer, a little distracted by her and the cold but still able to finish the first page without any real issues.

"Done," he said quietly, "didya wait long?"

Aria
She was able to read the page fairly quickly, and so was waiting for him. She didn't mind, however, as it gave her a chance to just sit there in his arms, eyes closed and comfortable. If he took an hour, she wouldn't care, because this moment was just too comfortable to disrupt sooner than necessary.

When he spoke, she opened her eyes with a soft 'mmm', before flipping the page. "Don't know. Wasn't paying any attention to the time it took, really. I was far too busy enjoying relaxing against you while I waited."

Pao
It was hard to tell whether he was glad she was able to zone out or if he was a little annoyed that it took him that long to finish, but he smiled anyway since it really didn't matter all that much in the end. The fact that she was happily in his arms was what mattered, and, really, the longer she was there, the better.

"Cool," he said, smiling and leaning down to kiss her on the cheek before getting back to reading. "I'll try to read a little slower, then."

Aria
His words startled a laugh out of her, her head leaning back. It was a sound of pure happiness, bright with the amusement he'd caused her. It took a moment before she responded. "Mmmm Well don't take too long, I want to make sure I have time to make lunch." She teased, in a voice filled with love.

She tilted her head to go back to reading, her eyes happy, and her body completely relaxed against him.

Pao
He nuzzled into her a few lines into reading the page, getting as comfortable as she seemed to be against him. And because lunch prep was on the table he did his best to not read too slow, so it still took quite a bit of time but not so much that she had a chance to fall asleep. He absently nuzzled into her while he read, his level of comfort just about perfect already. So when he finished reading he let out a sigh.

"How many more pages?"

Aria
She found his nuzzling to be a bonus... It was relaxing, but also kept her from feeling like she might fall asleep once she'd finished the page. She had to control the urge to chuckle, though, because he seemed to be utterly adorable in this moment, in her eyes. She shifted, just a little, to wrap her free arm around him.

When he sighed, she blinked at him, and shifted the papers a little with her thumb. "Looks like 2, 2 and a halfish? I could just read it out loud, if you want."

Pao
It was a welcome adjustment and made him even more comfortable, if that was even possible. He didn't question the feeling though, since it felt so incredibly right, and just sighed at her response. "That's alright," he answered with a little shake of his head. "I got this. Two-ish pages isn't a novel, plus it's good if I read the details for missions on my own."

With that he turned the page, kissed her cheek and started reading again. His hand, at some point, started absently running up and down her leg, though. Much like the nuzzling earlier, he didn't really notice he was doing it. It was more a subconscious awareness of her being there...and just a reflection of how right it felt that she was.

Aria
She laughed softly and nuzzled his neck a little, amused. "If you want, babe. Just thought I'd offer." She shifted her head back so that she could focus on the new page of information they'd switched to. She was processing the details of their duties easily enough. Keep place clean and maintained, check. Keep an eye on activity site... well they hadn't done that yet, but not too hard, with the snow mobiles or whatever they were.

Hmm. She didn't know how to drive, though. She hoped they were big enough for two, therefore. She finished the page, and closed her eyes, comfortable.

Then his hand began to move. Her eyes popped open, and she glanced down, staring at the hand. Mmm he'd gotten really relaxed with touching her. She didn't mind, per se, but... that was getting a bit much. She gently shifted her hand to lightly grasp his forearm, trying to gently indicate he needed to stop for the moment.

Pao
He was about halfway down the page when he felt her take a hold of his arm, so he blinked and looked down first at her, and then at his arm. There was a questioning expression on his face but he took it as maybe she wanted him to move his hand? So he did, not wanting to question too much because he was about to forget where he'd left off, and just draped it over stomach, the tips of his fingers just barely grazing his jeans.

When he did finally finish reading, though, he peered down at her, half wondering if she'd fallen asleep again because it did take him a little while this time. "What was that about earlier?"

Aria
She controlled the urge to sigh, not having wanted him to move his arm. Indeed, the goal had been to stop movement. But she didn't argue, and instead just relaxed again, taking slow and calming breaths. She could still, somewhat, feeling the tingles where his hand had been moving. It had felt very nice. She looked forwards to the day where she would more than happily let him do that to her.

In the meantime, though, she just worked on calming her internal responses to the man she was cuddled up with. She was still awake when he spoke, and she glanced up. He would ask that. She pinked a tad, and said "Um. You were... stroking my leg, babe..."

Pao
It took a second for him to process that and turn a pink that matched hers. "Oh, sorry..." he said, eyes down and focused on the bottom corner of the page he had just finished reading. "Sorry, didn't notice." That feeling from earlier peeked its head out slightly from the very back of his mind, and he did his best to shove it back down but he was already wearing a lopsided frown.

"Anyway, um...next page?" He didn't wait for her and went ahead and turned it, sighing deeply as he tried to distract himself with the task at hand.

Aria
She immediately put the folder down, seeing he was getting into uncomfortable mode again. "Babe. Do I need to remind you I choose to be here?" She used that hand to gently grasp his chin as she shifted so she could look him right in the eye. "Do I need to remind you that you're worth it? I love you, and I like you touching me. I just want to focus on the work so we can get it out of the way." She was serious about every word.

"So don't, please? Don't feel unhappy. I wasn't mad, or upset... I just don't want to get distracted."

Pao
Work getting pulled away meant getting jolted back into dealing with his feelings, which was...okay...since it was her. That didn't mean it was all that easy though. He blinked, then sighed, then nodded a bit. "I know, I was trying not to let it get to me again." With his free hand he tapped on the folder she'd put down. "Work helps me with that is all."

The frown lingered though, and it was like a little battle going on in his head--her words versus his feelings. Thankfully her words were winning, but it would take time, still. "Just gimme a bit. I heard you, trust me. Just...y'know...might take a second."

Aria
She sighed, and leaned up to kiss him, softly, trying to remind him how much she loved him, before she picked the folder up again. "If it helps, babe, then that's what matters. I just don't want you worrying about this. I'm yours, babe. Very much yours."

And wasn't that a hint of a mind ******** for her. She never had wanted to be submissive to any man, and had preferred being the dominant partner when it had been Terri, Mical and herself. Here, with him? She found herself quite freely considering giving over control... Even though for now, that wasn't much. But she really was his.

She opened the folder back to the right page, and rested her head against his shoulder.

Pao
The kiss brought him quite a bit of comfort and security in knowing that she loved him, and when she pulled away he at least managed a weak smile. "I know..."

And he really did, but it was a maddening push and pull in his mind. Most of the time they were winning, but then there were those moment, moments like just a moment ago, that yanked him back to that doubting. He was glad she'd been there for all those moment, so far at least, and she just reminded him and encouraged him, which in turn helped him get back on the right track.

When she rested against him again he leaned very gently in, his resting against her hair as he read very slowly. He might have gone a bit slower because he was trying to be mindful of his hands this time, but he did finish.

"So after all that we're basically just outpost-sitting?" There was still a hint of something in his voice, but he sounded mostly normal.

Aria
She rested comfortably against him, just trying to be there, and show him simple love and support, no matter how much he might doubt. She couldn't always be there in these moments, but every time she could be, she'd fight to remind him of what and why she was here. She wasn't going to give up on them. Not now. Not after last night.

She heard that hint of... doubt, or whatever it was, but chose not to force the issue right now. "It... looks like it. I don't mind, frankly. Less heavy work out there the better, if you ask me. Instead, we go, patrol, and t hen come back... And get to eat and snuggle and relax and just be together. Sounds like the best damn outpost duty on the ******** planet."

She paused, then added "D'ya... know how to drive?"

Pao
"Well when you say it like that," he chuckled and leaned in for a proper kiss, as much to ground him again as it was just because he wanted to kiss her simply because he could. The comfort and affection was always welcome and helped a whole lot, so when he pulled away he felt most of those thoughts were already gone.

At her question he nodded, smiling if a bit proudly. "Yep. School had driver's ed. Buddy also taught me to ride a motorcycle. Why, you don't?"

Aria
She laughed at his response, and kissed him back, shifting so that she was more fully facing him, to make the kiss easier. There was so little she wanted more then to just stay here and kiss and cuddle him, but she was all too aware of their duty, and would not allow herself to try to go down that path.

She sighed, enviously. "No... I don't. I... had to drop out right after my sixteenth birthday, and to be honest, I doubt my..." She paused, not liking to refer to them. "them... would have been willing to allow it, in case I did something or caused a problem for them."

Pao
When she mentioned them he just naturally pulled her in for a hug, knowing it was one of those things that she needed love and comfort and support whenever it came up. They each had their struggles, and it was nice knowing that, now that it was all out in the open, they were helping each other through them. And suddenly life just didn't feel like such a lonely thing.

"Well I can teach you, if you want. Whenever we go on leave we can rent a car. I get the feeling you'll get the hang of it quick, knowin' you. How's that sound?"

Aria
She hugged him tight, and pressed her face into his neck, accepting the comfort offered with gratitude. He was so good at reading her in these moments, and knowing she needed that, and it was just wonderful that he could read her that way. When he offered to teach her to drive, though, she pulled back and stared into his eyes, a bright smile on her face.

"Yes! That would be amazing! I would love to learn." She paused, then chuckled. "Though it wasn't why I asked. I asked because I don't think it would be a good idea for me to attempt to operate one of the snow mobiles on my own."

Pao
It was nice to see her bounce back as quickly as she did, and he smiled back at her all the brighter because of it. "Cool, so add that to list of things we gotta do while on leave." He didn't care how long the list got, of course; he was just happy that they had a list at all. And then when she explained why she asked in the first place he chuckled, too.

"Oh, well. Yeah, I'll drive. Can't be that different from a bike, right?"

With that he nodded at the front door, already dreading what was coming next--a trek into the freezing cold outside. "We should probably get layered and up and ready to go..."

Aria
She was just so happy he'd offered, she couldn't explain it. She had always envied the other kids, who's parents would teach them that. It seemed the epitome of freedom, and the real chance to escape. While she might not want to escape anymore, the idea of it still was exciting. She leaned and gave him a happy kiss, and nodded. A long list of things for the future... They had plans. It really solidified how serious he was, in a way, that he was making plans that would span quite a while for their leave times.

His response made her smile. "I have no idea, but it's probably way safer that you drive, either way."

She made a face and sighed. "Give me half an hour. I wanna get some soup pre-prepped so all we have to do is pop it on the stove when we get back."

Pao
It never occurred to him to not make plans with her, really, or that making those kinds of plans was a reflection of how serious he was. And he was serious, but he'd never given it too much thought. He did what felt natural for him to do, and that was to just...be with her. If it was to cuddle up exactly as they were, or go on a fish and chips hunt in London; what they did mattered less to him than the fact that they were doing those things together.

"Alright. So you prep the soup, I'll go find that snowmobile. Hopefully there's some kind of manual or something..." And then he waited patiently for her to get off of him, though he didn't actually move yet. Just a subtle little sign to show that he...didn't actually want to move.

Aria
She sighed and nodded, but just lay there for a long minute, also not wanting to move. Finally, though, she got up the willpower to be good, and carefully rolled of him and into a crouch, before straightening up. She stepped back to give her handsome man room, and held her hand out to him, to help him up.

She was already half in thought, though, about what to put in the soup... Chicken, perhaps, or beef? And vegetables of course.