Battletech: Planet's Fall

Today had been a lot of things, good and bad. There would repercussions but that could wait till tomorrow. For now, the room was as clean and orderly as she could make it, a jasmine scented candle was lit and she was wearing the sweater she called Alpha Strike. The screen in her room played a loop of a fireplace but the room itself was a little colder than normal. At last she turned down the lights and sat at the edge of her bed waiting and knitting.

The sound of beeping came as someone opens the door. John was there in the opening, acting like it was his room. He shuts and locks the door behind him and strides across the small room. Sitting on the bed, he goes to lift her knitting hands and work to make room on her lap for his head.

"Hey, beautiful."

"There's my hero, how was your day. You look like your in one piece."

Small fingers ran through his short hair as the other set the knitting aside and she leaned forward and kissed her.

"How are you feeling, tell me all about it."

The kiss is returned, gentle.

"Feeling fine. Winkey's Blackjack got messed up, and we took a beating, but the battle went well. Tough but decent. And exciting. A victory I look forward to celebrating."

John's hand brushes her hair behind her ear.

"With you. Vigorously. How was your day?" he asks.

"Weird."

She said sounding surprised despite having lived it.

"Between the time I left you room and when I ran into Richard outside I overheard three separate conversations about me, all on different topics. I'm not at all surprised or even concerned that people found out about us, we are loud enough but I really thought we would make a few more days. Turns out the ship is smaller than I thought. I think people are expecting me to tame you, like I would ever want you to be tame."

"Let people talk. I ain't worried over it. Wasn't bad talk, so I don't have to break anyone. But I don't care who knows we're together. Never cared who knew about my sex life or relationships in the past and I ain't starting now."

He takes one of her hands and places it on his chest.

"What are you knitting?"

"Gloves for Annalena, look." She held them up so he could see them. One was already finished with the second just started a few minutes ago. They were a bright bubblegum pink with the Obsidian Angels logo on the back of the hand.

"I imagine she's been out playing in the snow, I would be if I were her, and it's chilly out there. I'm sure the Major had plenty of gloves for her but I felt like making them anyway. It's good wool they will be really soft and should keep her hands warm while she makes snowballs."

She placed the glove in his hand so he could feel it.

"So Richard was doing exactly what I was going to do. Stand outside alone and worry. Not surprisingly it seems ALL the Starlit Knights are feeling a lot of things right now. Guilt...Anger...I spent most of the day debating if I should take my lance out or not because I worried we were TOO eager for a fight. So we chatted for a while, found out who he has a crush on, talked about the hopes for a warm beach day here before we leave. Stuff like that. But in the end I did take my lance out this afternoon."

"Yeah. I noticed the mechs gone from the hangar. Didn't know if you were going to hold a location or on patrol or something. Glad you're back safe."

John played with the glove for a few seconds before handing it back.

"LT Winter has a thing for someone? That huh, that sounds like gossip. Ain't that what you were worrying about earlier?"

He gently pokes her belly in a teasing way before taking her hand and kissing the back of it.

"I was very careful not to say WHO he has a crush on thank you very much." She said flinching from the poke.

"Yeah, I actually got to backup the Command lance, a few tanks tried to run from them and ran straight into us. I'll give them credit they weren't cowards...or they were at least smart enough to know they couldn't outrun us. They didn't."

"Good job. How you feeling after getting some fight in? And are you injured?" he places a palm gently where he had poked. His touch was so light it was more like hovering.

"Felt great, I think I needed that almost as much as I need you. Then I went to the kitchen to get something to eat and had a....a really deep personal conversation with Lt Yori. A sad personal story." She said trying not to look glum. "So what did you do after you got back while I was gone, anything interesting?"

"Looked forward to you. Went over the damage to the lance, ate, some other stuff, then came here," he says.

"LT Hakamada is interesting. Got a unique perspective. She almost asked for a beating from the sergeant major the other evening, but I cleared that up."

"I uh, I asked too many questions and she brought up some things that upset her. I fucked up."

"Back and forth. Exchange is what works best for her. Transactional. Ask what she asks. That's mostly how I do it. Don't seem to be bothered by me most of the time."

"I just asked what she thought she would do if it didn't involve mechs and it just snowballed from there. I don't even fully understand WHAT happened to her but...I need to find a way to apologize. I mean I did of course but I don't like making people feel bad."

"Just apologize and be straightforward about it. If you don't understand something she was explaining then she was prolly not saying everything. She's usually pretty clear about stuff."

He takes both of her hands and holds them in his while looking up at her.

SHe leans over and gives him an upside down kiss and then another.

"So what do you thin of your other room? I don't have a double mattress like you do so I hope I'm soft enough for you. Guess I should go talk to Hank, see what he can do for me. Think this will work for our watch party with Hrafn or would you rather do it in your room?"

The kisses were returned.

"I never got my monitor fixed and it never worked. Not in there enough to make it worth it. Even now I don't really need it cause I got something better to look at."

"So in here's prolly better."

"OK, here works then just remember to bring pillows with you. I need to find Hrafn and make sure she is still coming. Is tomorrow a gym day or can we sleep in? Do you ever sleep in?"

She reached down and unbuckled her leg, gently placing it off to the side.

"I wonder if it would be possible for me to wake up before you and get a picture of you sleeping."

Butcher lifts his head to make room for Mei-Ling to remove the leg before resting it back in her lap.

"You gotta get up pretty early if you want a picture of that. I don't sleep in, but on late nights i still get my necessary time, so I wake up later. And I'll be working out. I got some gym time in earlier today. Never skip a workout. Up to you to decide the pace you want to go at, but you're always welcome to join me."