Naina stopped at the cafeteria door and took a deep breath before opening it. She stepped inside, and Mizuni and Perez turned to look at her. Mizuni instantly cast her gaze downwards and her cheeks darkened. Naina felt the blush built on her own cheeks and her ears felt hot. Perez grinned.
"Valera, I ..." Naina said, and the words seemed to get stuck in her throat as Mizuni lifted her gaze and Naina saw her eyes. "Uh ... about ... about yesterday," she mumbled nervously.
Mizuni rose up. "I ... uh ... " she mumbled and then took a deep breath. "Por favor, papá?" she said softly to Perez and glanced towards the door.
Perez nodded, got up, and walked away from the room without saying anything, but his smile could be seen from parsecs away.
"Quera, if you would?" Naina said.
"Turning audio-visual processing off for this room," Quera said through the room's speakers. "You can do it," she added quietly through Naina's personal ear-implant.
Mizuni walked to meet Naina half-way. She offered her hands, and Naina took them. They pulled each other closer, but not close enough to touch. There was a long, sort-of-awkward, sort-of-nice silence, when they just watched each other, eyes looking into other eyes.
Naina was the first to break the silence. "I've been alone for all my life," she whispered. "All of this is totally new to me. I don't know what to do."
Mizuni brushed Naina's cheek lightly with her fingers. "This is unfamiliar to me too," she whispered. "I've never met anyone so ... so ... wonderful. You make my heart leap just by being you, and I don't understand it."
"I can say the same thing," Naina said softly. "I can't deny that you're the most beautiful ... well, anything, I've ever seen. But it's more than that. I can't stop thinking about you when I'm alone," she said and blushed like crazy. "I can't ... I can't promise I won't make mistakes."
Mizuni shook her head ever so slightly. "Me neither," she whispered and took a shaky step forward, still holding Naina's hands. "But if we can promise to always talk, and not hide things ..."
Naina nodded. "If we can promise to learn and experiment together ..." she said softly. "I think we could make this work," she said, and took a step forward so they now stood nose to nose, almost touching.
"Heaven knows I can't make this work without you," Mizuni whispered.
Naina smiled at her. "I'll say the same. I don't think I can function without you anymore," she said.
Mizuni smiled. "I guess we're both hopeless about this," she said. "But if we can conquer space with our minds, I think we can do a bit with our hearts, too."
Naina leaned slightly forward, so their noses touched. "Can I kiss you again, now?" she whispered. "I haven't been able to think about anything else since last night," she chuckled.
"Ohyespleasethankyou!" Mizuni almost shouted, threw her hands around Naina's neck, and pressed her lips against hers. Naina tied her hands around Mizuni's waist and pulled her close. Their lips moved in sync, arms around each other. Mizuni sneaked her arms backwards, so she could cup Naina's face with her hands. They pulled ever so slightly apart, and both drew in a deep breath.
"I've been waiting to do that again since last night," Mizuni breathed out.
"Me too," Naina said, out of breath. "But I forgot we need to breathe," she said, gasping.
Mizuni giggled. "Yeah, me too. I sort of didn't think about that," she confessed. "But I can try if I can hold my breath again."
Naina smiled at her and pressed their lips together again. This time, Mizuni's tongue was asking for permission, and Naina opened her mouth a little, allowing it to enter. She moaned softly, as Mizuni's tongue explored the insides of her mouth, and touched her own tongue. Mizuni very gently bit Naina's lower lip, and Naina's whole body shivered. A soft moan escaped her mouth as her eyes rolled in her head and her eyes closed involuntarily.
Mizuni pulled her lips away, but kept their noses and foreheads touching. She could feel Naina's hot breath on her lips, and it sent all kinds of signals traveling around her body. Places that she hadn't even thought about in a long while.
Naina opened her eyes and looked into Mizuni's lavender lakes that drew her gaze and held her heart stronger than any chemical bond. She brushed Mizuni's cheek with her fingers. Feeling Mizuni's breath on her face, on her lips, made her intently aware of what she had been thinking just a little while ago.
"Valera, I ..." Naina whispered. Hearing Naina mention her name, and feeling her breath on her lips, Mizuni shivered. "My body wants yours so badly I think I might explode," Naina said. "But I'm not sure my mind is ready for it."
"Same," Mizuni whispered. "I feel like my body is bending towards you, and there's a blazing fire between my legs, just wanting your touch," she said. "But I don't think my brain is ready for it, either."
"I will probably curse this decision this evening myself, but I think we will just have to settle for kisses for now," Naina said, smiling.
Mizuni nodded. "Yeah. But I think I want one more, then," she said and pulled Naina closer and planted a hungry kiss on her lips.
This time Naina opened her mouth automatically, as Mizuni's exploring tongue wanted an entry. Naina's hands slipped under Mizuni's shirt, and she traced her fingers along her back. Mizuni arched her back and moaned softly at her touch as her eyes rolled upwards.
"Oh, I'm gonna curse this decision much earlier," Mizuni breathed softly as she drew her lips away from Naina's. She took a step backwards, and opened her mouth, but before she managed to say anything, the speakers switched on.
"I'm sorry. I hope I'm not interrupting anything important," Quera said. "But I think you need to come to the bridge. We might have a problem. I cannot hear if you answer me, as my microphones aren't on here. I'll wait for your arrival on the bridge."
Author's Note: I will be switching to referring to Dr. Mizuni as "Valera" from now on, since now she and Naina are closer, and more often together. It would feel weird to refer to one with her first name, and one with her surname at this point. Hopefully, this won't cause too much confusion.
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