Chapter 2: Very Personal Quarters
Back in their quarters, Ily began working her way out of her suit. Unzipping, unlatching, shimmying. It fit just right and looked good while protecting her, but getting in and out of it did take some doing. She'd sealed the door, just in case of a breach elsewhere, so it was fine to lose it. Basically living in the suit wasn't that bad, but it was still so nice to take it off.
As her hands and limbs ran through the procedure on muscle memory, her thoughts turned to her partner.
"That idea with the engine is amazing. They're so great. I'm so lucky. They care so much and are so smart and funny and hot and sweet. I don't deserve them. I'm just lucky they think I do."
Xiv fiddled idly with their own suit and the room's controls, trifling with the light and temp settings, pretending not to be watching Ily strip. Their eyes might be pointed away but it was easy to remember they were just for show when Xiv still paused and sighed and reacted to small reveals and progress as bit by bit more of Ily came into view.
Xiv similarly thought Ily's body was amazing and adorable.
That cute face, that mop of spiky tomboy hair, the cute little dollops of boob rounding out her chest, and all of that toned, lean muscle she used so well. Ily may have enjoyed Xiv's wobbling curves, but Xiv was always fascinated seeing Ily's muscles flex and shift under her skin with every movement. It unintentionally made every motion outside the suit a show for her lover. Xiv had nothing like that and thought Ily's body was amazing in its own way, regardless of how much she gushed about how versatile Xiv's body was.
But the best thing about Ily's body was who was inside it.
"I'm glad Ily's feeling a little better. I can't believe she still doesn't believe in herself about all that stuff. It's so sad. She's so great. I'm so lucky. She cares so much and is so smart and funny and hot and sweet. I don't deserve her. I'm just lucky she thinks I do.
I hope I can help her feel better after she's helped me so much."
Xiv felt so lucky to have Ily to handle all the convoluted people stuff and keep track of all the markets and routes. Xiv might be able to get machines to sing for them and people liked them, but clients would always push Xiv around. They never seemed to know how or when to stand up for themself or when to roll over. All the shifting rates and relationships and politics that affected doing business were not what their head was made for, not like the solid machines they loved tinkering with.
Ily felt so lucky to have Xiv handling all the dizzying technical wizardry to keep them flying, while she just had to line up jobs and plot courses and do the talking. Ily didn't necessarily like all the people they worked with but she knew how to handle them: which ones to play nice with and which ones to stand firm so they didn't walk all over you. Maybe it was just easier for someone with a backbone to have a backbone, but she never said that. It always felt like it might be insensitive. Xiv could keep all those zillions of technical details in their head and Ily would just keep reading market reports and news and star charts and be thankful Xiv appreciated it.
What Xiv really appreciated was how Ily could see the big picture and dream big instead of getting lost in the details like them. She could dream big enough to imagine who Xiv could be outside of a dingy maintenance job. Big enough to leave the crew the two of them had been on and get their own ship. Big enough to suck you in and take you places you'd never dreamed. She could be so sure others could do great things, but couldn't see how great she was herself.
Xiv wished Ily could see herself the way Xiv saw her and how great she was.
But right now Xiv could also see how hot she was. Ily shimmied the waist of her suit down over her hips and Xiv stifled a giggle, watching bits of Ily jiggle delightfully.
A few cycles ago, after a big payday, she had splurged and gotten a hermaph bodymod out of curiosity. It had made peeing trickier at first, and eventually the novelty of having a dick wore off, but she had never regretted it. Why would you regret an extra set of genitals to play with and enjoy? She joked about having the sampler pack: a bit of everything.
Xiv loved sampling all of it.
While Ily finally finished and the last of the suit came off, Xiv took the cue to stop stalling and join her. They simply bent over and flowed out of their suit while inverting; their head smoothed and split and became feet that rained onto the deck. Arms shifted, rejoining a torso to squeeze out and then splitting from new shoulders that used to be hips. Old legs came out and fused and bunched to form a new head. New hands reached up and finished the flip by sweeping the suit back off over their new hair, letting it land in a heap on the deck behind them.
"Ah," Xiv sighed in relief and contentment. "It's so much better seeing all of you with all of me. Every time." They had explained before that since all of their slime could see, when Xiv was out of the suit, they could see Ily from every angle at once. From the top of their head (like normal) down to the tips of their toes and out to their fingertips. Xiv had said the only thing nicer than seeing Ily was seeing more of her, and they enjoyed it whenever they could.
They smiled at Ily and stalked over, savoring the view and the approach as an unconcealed, unadorned, exposed Ily returned her warm smile and waited invitingly for them.
Underneath, Ily tried to just be there and not give in to her nagging thoughts.
"Still not really up for this, but maybe I can get up to it. Xiv can be very convincing. And it could be a good way to feel better, either by letting go, or by forcing it out. Maybe."
This time, as Xiv approached instead of walking away, they slightly bounced down and stretched up instead of sloshing to the side. With each step they ended up a little taller, their legs extended more and more. Xiv matched Ily's height, if not her proportions, by the time they reached her. That meant they were lined up perfectly, so Xiv could wrap their arms around her shoulders and pull her into a passionate kiss. Finally.
Xiv may have been fluid, but Ily melted into her.
The ship may have been secure and the suit up to code, but wrapped in her lover's arms was the one place she felt truly safe. Her body relaxed into Xiv's grip and she hugged back, one arm around their back, and the other beneath the short torso, under their ample butt. Their tongues sparred, and lips worked against each other. Xiv slid their fingers up through the short hair on the back of Ily's head and pressed her harder into their kiss. Their soft, warm body molded itself against Ily's, squirming gently against her. Ily sighed into Xiv's mouth, leaning into them for support as she soaked in their affection. She could almost forget everything and feel like it would be ok. Almost.
