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The hallway outside Commander Yuki’s office buzzed with the usual low hum of life—footsteps, distant conversations, the occasional shout of “Commander!” from an overeager shipgirl. It was a normal afternoon, by all accounts.
Except for Memphis.
She stood stiffly just to the side of the door, arms crossed tightly under her chest, one foot tapping a rapid, impatient beat against the tile floor. Her sharp green eyes were fixed on the door like she could set it on fire with sheer willpower alone.
Inside, she could hear them laughing—Yuki’s easy, charming chuckle and Richmond’s high, bubbly giggle. It made her teeth grind together.
She wasn’t stupid. She knew what had been happening lately.
It was one thing to know her sister was… free-spirited. It was another thing entirely to watch Richmond clinging to Yuki’s arm every time Memphis turned a corner. Or to hear the rumors, whispered in the mess hall, about late nights and closed doors.
And it was another thing—the thing currently making her blood boil—to realize that Yuki hadn’t spared so much as a second glance at her while he was busy fooling around with Memphis’ dear sister.
Not that she wanted him to. Not that she cared.
Not that she—!
The door opened with a click, and there they were.
Richmond practically draped over Yuki, her bright eyes shining with adoration. Yuki laughed at something she said, ruffling her hair in that casual, cocky way of his.
Memphis felt her heart hammer against her ribs, especially once she noticed Richmond wiping at her mouth and subtly licking her lips, her cheeks flushed and her gaze longing.
Before she could second-guess herself, she pushed off the wall and stormed toward them.
“Commander! A word!”
Yuki blinked, surprised. Richmond looked between them, sensing the tension, but too sweet to understand it.
“Oh, hey, sis! You wanna join us for—”
“Alone,” Memphis snapped, her voice cracking like a whip.
Yuki raised his brows, smirking slightly. “Well, someone’s serious today.”
“Now,” Memphis said through gritted teeth, already fighting back a blush. The nerve of this Commander! The absolute nerve!
Yuki shared a brief, amused glance with Richmond before disentangling himself from her grip. He followed Memphis down the hall, hands shoved lazily into his pockets, his jacket swinging open around him.
Memphis led him into an empty storeroom and slammed the door behind them. The silence crackled between them, thick and electric. Yuki leaned casually against a crate, cocking his head at her. “What’s up, Mem? You seem a bit feisty today… or feistier than usual, I would say. Did I do something?”
Memphis stared at him, breathing hard.
God, he was infuriating. That stupid, affable grin. That careless posture. That smug twinkle in his eye, like he thought he owned the base—hell, like he thought he owned her.
“You think this is funny?” she snapped, stepping closer.
Yuki shrugged. “A little.”
Memphis clenched her fists at her sides.
“You think you can just… just sleep with whoever you want?”
Yuki’s smile slipped a little, his eyes sharpening. “Is that what this is about?”
Memphis’ mouth tightened. She could see it now—the smug, glinting spark in his eye. He knew exactly what this was about, and he was playing dumb on purpose. Just to get under her skin. Just to watch her squirm. “You’re enjoying this,” she said flatly.
Yuki shrugged, lazy and infuriating. “You came storming down the hall and dragged me in here like we were about to fight or f—”
“Don’t you dare,” she snapped, cheeks flushing a deep red.
“What? Finish my sentence?”
“You know what.”
He stepped a little closer, hands still in his pockets, every movement casual and cocky.
“You jealous, Memphis?”
She barked out a bitter laugh. “Of what? My little sister batting her eyelashes and wrapping herself around your arm like a scarf?”
“Hey, Richmond’s a grown woman,” Yuki said with a shrug. “She’s allowed to have fun.”
“With you?”
“Why not me?”
Memphis took a sharp step forward, stabbing her finger into his chest. “Because you’re… you’re a Commander, and you’re supposed to have standards!”
Yuki’s grin sharpened. “I do.”
“Really? Could’ve fooled me.”
“You know what I think?” he said, voice low and teasing. “I think you’re not mad about me and Richmond. You’re mad it wasn’t you.”
She went still. The words hung in the air between them like live electricity.
“You want me to deny it?” she asked, voice deadly soft.
Yuki leaned forward just enough to brush the air off her lips. “No. I want you to admit it.”
Memphis trembled. Not from fear.
From rage.
From heat.
From wanting him so badly that she could taste it.
“You are the most arrogant, manipulative, self-absorbed—”
“And yet you dragged me in here like a jealous girlfriend, Memphis…”
“Because I am jealous!”
The words exploded from her like a bullet. For a second, neither of them moved.
Then Yuki closed the last inch of space between them and caged her against the wall.
“You think I don’t see you?” he murmured. “You think I don’t lie awake wondering what it would feel like to touch you?”
Her heart jackhammered against her ribs. “Then why haven’t you?” she challenged.
“Because,” he whispered, brushing his lips near her cheek, “if I ever laid a hand on you, I wouldn’t be able to stop.”
Memphis’ hands curled into fists. She smiled. A fracture in the glass.
“Prove it.”
And then they crashed together like a storm breaking. Fiery spirit against fiery spirit. Of course, it was only ever going to end one way—this way. Yuki had to be patient and let Memphis meet him halfway on this battlefield of love and lust. For as haughty as she could be at times, it was the most savory option for the both of them, and it succeeded to great effect. The only thing he hadn’t expected was being dragged into a storeroom. It wasn’t the picture-perfect setting for romance, but he was a Commander. He would improvise.
Their mouths collided in a brutal, messy kiss—all teeth and tongue and furious need. Memphis grabbed fistfuls of Yuki’s jacket, yanking him closer, while he slid his hands down her back, squeezing her ass hard enough to make her gasp into his mouth.
They stumbled together, knocking over a crate, not caring, too desperate to get at each other. Yuki spun her, relishing the whirlwind of cherry blossom pink hair that cascaded off her, shoving her back against the wall again, grinding his hips against hers so she could feel exactly how hard he was already.
Memphis groaned low in her throat, arching into him, scraping her nails up his chest, clawing at the buttons of his jacket. One popped off and bounced across the floor. Neither noticed. Neither gave a shit.
“Still think I’m self-absorbed?” Panting heavily, Yuki’s hands tugged up her skirt with a roughness that sent shivers down her spine.
“Absolutely,” Memphis growled back, yanking his belt open with a sharp jerk.
Yuki laughed—a low, rough sound—before silencing her with another kiss, shoving his tongue into her mouth like he owned it. Like he owned her. Pants and panties were shoved down in a frantic tangle. Memphis didn’t care about dignity; she kicked her clothes away, baring herself to him without hesitation, too consumed by the flames of passion to think about anything else, or to even think at all. It was as if they were moving off pure id.
Yuki hissed between his teeth as he looked her over—all strong curves and flushed skin, her chest heaving, her emerald eyes wild and shining with need. “Goddamn, Memphis,” he rasped. “You’re gonna be the death of me.”
“Good,” she snarled. “Now shut up and fuck me.”
He lifted her easily, powerful hands cupping under her thighs, and she wrapped her legs around his hips as he pressed her harder against the wall.
He buried himself inside her in one deep, desperate thrust, and they both cried out—relief and ecstasy and pent-up frustration all pouring out at once. Yuki set a brutal rhythm immediately, pistoning into her hard and fast, making her back slam rhythmically against the wall with each savage thrust.
Memphis clung to him like a lifeline, her nails digging bloody crescents into his shoulders, her mouth open on a series of helpless moans.
“Fuck—Memphis! So tight—!”
“Harder,” she gasped, her eyes shining with a mixture of pleasure and urgency. “You think I can’t take it?”
Yuki growled and slammed into her even faster, the slap of skin on skin echoing around the tiny storeroom. They were past the point of words now—reduced to raw instinct, fucking like animals, like they’d die if they stopped.
Heat coiled low in Memphis’ belly, and she sobbed into his neck, trembling all over. She panted and trembled in Yuki’s arms, the size difference between them apparent as she clung to him so tightly it was as if they had the same heartbeat. She kept her legs locked around his waist as he rocked against her; thrust back and forth, in and out, over and over again, his balls striking her with a wet slap between their dampened thighs. Yuki panted and groaned against Memphis’ ear, giving her exactly what she wanted to hear. His grunts of pleasure; of passion and longing. The treatment he’d given Richmond. Now it was hers to do with as she pleased.
“Close,” she gasped suddenly, clenching her eyes shut and moaning out in that heated, humid storeroom. “C-Commander…!”
“Cum for me,” Yuki snarled, biting down on the curve of her shoulder. “Cum for me, Memphis… let it out!”
Shattering around him with a sharp, piercing cry, she clenched so tight he saw white stars bloom behind his eyelids. Yuki followed with a broken groan, burying himself deep as he burst inside her, his whole body shuddering with the force of it, as if he was wringing himself dry from the exertion altogether. It just kept coming and coming. It wouldn’t stop, as if his body needed her all along. His balls tensed as he let himself go; as he unloaded into Memphis’ quivering, whimpering form, nose pressed to her collar, breathing her in.
They stayed locked together, gasping, trembling, clinging to each other as the aftershocks rolled through them. Slowly, as the haze cleared, Yuki eased them down to the floor, cradling Memphis against his chest.
“You good?” he murmured roughly, brushing her hair back from her sweaty forehead, his chest heaving. Memphis huffed a shaky laugh, her whole body still buzzing as she matched his breaths, nodding, pleased.
“Yeah,” she whispered. “More than good, Commander…”
Yuki burst out laughing, the sound hoarse but genuine, as he lay there on the floor with Memphis still tangled around him.
“Holy hell,” he gasped, brushing a hand down his face. “We skipped literally everything.”
Memphis blinked up at him, her brow furrowed until the realization hit.
“Foreplay,” he said, shaking his head. “We just… went straight in like animals.”
She groaned softly and covered her face with one hand. “Don’t say it like that, Commander!”
“Say it like what?” Yuki challenged. “That we fucked like a pair of feral rabbits in heat?”
She whacked him in the chest, but she was smiling—pink in the cheeks, flustered but not really mad. “Shut up, Commander.”
“Not my fault you’re irresistible when you’re pissed off,” Yuki said with a grin, trailing his fingers down her thigh.
Memphis shot him a look, but there was a glint of something else there now. Something warm and mischief-tinged.
Their eyes met. A shared pause.
And then she moved.
Sliding down between his legs, Memphis gave him a look that was equal parts warning and promise. “Don’t think this means I’m letting you off the hook,” she muttered, her fingers already stroking him back to hardness.
Yuki let out a strangled groan as her lips followed, hot and slow and devastating. She wrapped those soft, sweet, spicy lips around the head of his cock, already working up a fine rinse with her warm saliva.
Yuki couldn’t help but tip his head back with a throaty groan. “Y-you call this punishment? Fuck… that feels so good…”
“Oh, shut up,” she said around him, her tone muffled but full of attitude, blushing beet red as she bobbed her head up and down, back and forth, over and over again.
He leaned back with a sigh, one hand threading into her soft pink hair. “God, I love you.”
She paused.
Then, looking up at him with lidded eyes and a flushed face, she whispered, “You better.”
And took him deeper.
Her mouth was heavenly—hot, wet, and enveloping him in a slow, dragging suction that made his whole body tense. Memphis wasn’t tentative; a confident smirk played on her lips as she sped up. She wanted this, and it showed. She swirled her tongue around the sensitive head before sliding down again, her hands stroking the base of his cock with slow, steady pumps that had him cursing under his breath.
“F-fuck, Mem,” Yuki groaned, his head falling back against the crate behind him. Memphis hummed around him in response, sending a shudder through his entire frame.
She was relentless, bobbing her head with a slow, deliberate rhythm that had him straining not to buck his hips up into her mouth.
“Still think you’re in charge?” she mumbled wickedly when she pulled back for air, her hand never stopping its slow glide up and down his slick shaft. Messy strands of saliva connected Yuki’s thick cock to Memphis’ slick, gorgeous lips, and her eyes twinkled with mischief just as Yuki’s had. Memphis’ strokes were languid and loving, a back-and-forth motion that had Yuki grunting and groaning with jubilation as waves of pleasure echoed out from deep in his core. It wouldn’t be long until his second climax, and it was all thanks to her and her wiles—to say nothing of her expert throating skills.
“Never doubted you for a second,” Yuki panted, smirking through the haze of pleasure.
Memphis smirked back—then sank down even deeper until her nose brushed the base of him. Yuki let out a hoarse cry, raking both hands into her hair now, anchoring himself as she sucked him in earnest. He resisted the urge to just grab her head and start facefucking her, content to let her set the pace and control all the actions here. She deserved that much, at least, and it certainly seemed as if she intended to suck him dry with zeal.
She set a merciless pace, bobbing her head, stroking with both hands, her cheeks hollowed with effort and her deep green eyes locked on his. Every time he tried to say something cocky, she did something feisty—a flick of her tongue, a tighter seal—that reduced him to broken groans.
“Y-you’re… goddamn evil,” he rasped, gritting his teeth.
Memphis pulled back with a wet pop—just enough to grin. “And you love it.”
Before he could answer, she swallowed him down again, hollowing her cheeks, moaning low in her throat. She looked so fucking beautiful like this that he didn’t want anyone else to service him like she did. She had him right where she wanted him, and as soon as he let that thought sink into his head…
That did it.
Yuki’s hips jerked involuntarily, his entire body locking up as he spilled into her mouth with a loud, ragged groan. Memphis’ eyes widened at the sheer volume of spunk that was being blown into her mouth, coating her tongue and teeth in sweet, sticky white seed. She slowed her stroking as Yuki’s balls pulsed; as he wrung out and shot rope after hot, thick rope of seed straight toward the back of the shipgirl’s sweet and sultry throat.
Memphis took everything, licking him clean with slow, lazy drags of her tongue, savoring every twitch and gasp he gave her. When she finally pulled back, wiping the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand, she looked far too smug for Yuki’s sanity.
He stared at her, dazed, heart pounding.
“You,” he said breathlessly, “are going to kill me one day.”
Memphis just smirked and crawled back up his body, kissing him slow and deep.
And Yuki, for once, didn’t have a single damn complaint.
He wasn’t about to let Memphis have the last word; his retort was already forming in his mind, sharp and ready as his tongue—a tongue he was more than ready to put to good use.
Still breathless from her thorough “punishment,” he shifted under her, flipping them both over with surprising gentleness. Memphis yelped, laughing breathlessly as she found herself sprawled beneath him.
“Commander—!”
“Shh,” Yuki murmured against her inner thigh, spreading her legs with firm, reverent hands. Memphis gasped, the sudden intimacy sending a jolt of heat through her already spent body. She could gaze down between her thighs and see the Commander—HER Commander—right there smooching up her legs. It was a sight she’d longed to see for as long as she’d known him. Of course, there wasn’t a chance in hell she’d ever tell him that. It would go right to his ego.
Even so, Yuki kissed the inside of her thigh slowly, teasingly, before moving higher—nipping, tasting, savoring her reactions. He lingered there, sucking little marks into the tender flesh, savoring the way her thighs trembled under his lips.
“About time you used that smart mouth for something useful,” Memphis teased, though her voice was already shaking with anticipation.
Yuki chuckled low against her skin. “Believe me, sweetheart, I intend to.”
He didn’t rush. He mapped her thighs with his mouth, kissing everywhere but where she needed him most, drawing frustrated little whimpers from her lips. His hands smoothed up and down her hips, keeping her pinned and helpless against the floor.
When he finally, finally pressed his mouth to her slick folds, Memphis let out a broken, desperate whimper.
Yuki groaned against her, savoring the taste of her, the way her body trembled under his hands. He licked a slow, deliberate stripe up her center, then circled her clit with the tip of his tongue, feather-light.
Memphis bucked up into him with a desperate cry, her hands flying to tangle in his hair.
“Ah… Commander…!”
He grinned against her, flicking his tongue faster now, alternating between teasing flicks and broad, devastating strokes that had her thighs clamping tightly around his head. She ground herself against his face shamelessly, lost to the pleasure, her hips jerking in frantic, needy movements. Yuki moaned low in his throat, the vibration making Memphis sob out loud, the pleasure so intense it bordered on painful.
One reaction wasn’t enough for him; he yearned for a chorus of feedback. He switched rhythms, sucking gently on her clit, dragging his tongue in lazy, luxurious strokes that had her writhing helplessly beneath him.
“Don’t you dare stop,” she gasped, her nails scraping along his scalp.
Yuki gripped her thighs tighter, spreading her even wider as he redoubled his efforts, burying his face between her legs like a man starved. He licked and sucked and teased until Memphis was reduced to a quivering mess, her voice wrecked from the desperate cries ripping from her throat.
When he finally slid two fingers inside her, curling them perfectly against that sensitive spot inside, Memphis let out a choked scream.
Her orgasm hit her like a tidal wave—violent, shuddering, overwhelming—and she humped desperately against his mouth, grinding herself into him as her world exploded into white-hot bliss.
Yuki kept working her through it, never easing up, wringing every aftershock from her trembling body until she was sobbing, pushing weakly at his head.
Even then, he didn’t pull away immediately. He pressed soft, reverent kisses against her oversensitive flesh, murmuring low praises to her skin as she trembled and gasped for breath. Finally, he eased back, his mouth and chin slick with her arousal, his eyes dark and wild with satisfaction.
He looked up at her, flushed, panting, thoroughly wrecked—and wearing the most self-satisfied grin she’d ever seen.
“You,” Memphis panted, glaring down at him even as she shivered, “damn it, Commander… how d-dare you be so good at that…”
“Guess I’ve had plenty of practice,” Yuki said, crawling up her body and capturing her mouth in a slow, deep kiss before she could growl at him for that.
And Memphis, taste and all, kissed him back like she never wanted to let go. She found she loved the way she tasted on his lips and tongue, and that she could certainly get used to this…
The room was quiet now. The only sound was the soft hum of the overhead light and the mingled breathing of two people sprawled together on the floor, clinging to each other like they might fall apart otherwise.
Yuki had Memphis curled against his chest, her head resting just over his heart. His arms were looped around her shoulders, one hand lazily stroking her back in slow, absent circles. Her hair was a mess, her skin glistening, her expression somewhere between dazed and deeply content.
“That… was excessive,” Memphis finally murmured, voice thick and rough.
Yuki chuckled, low and warm in his chest. “Excessive? I call it overdue.”
She lifted her head slightly and shot him a look. “You’re insufferable.”
“You’re welcome,” he said smugly, brushing a kiss to her temple.
They were silent again, and Memphis nestled in closer. But Yuki could feel it—that tension still clinging to her under the softness. That tiny catch in her breath, the way her fingers gripped just a little too tightly against his ribs.
“You gonna talk to me?” he asked gently.
“About what?” she replied quickly.
“About why you were ready to rip my throat out an hour ago.”
Memphis stiffened. Then, slowly, she let out a breath.
“I didn’t think it mattered,” she mumbled.
Yuki turned a little, looking down at her. “Memphis.”
She sighed. “I saw you with Richmond. Heard the gossip. I didn’t want to care. I shouldn’t care. But… I did. And it made me feel pathetic. Like I was the one who wasn’t enough.”
Yuki’s hand slid up to cradle her cheek.
“You were the one I noticed first,” he said. “You’ve always had my attention. You just hide everything so well. I didn’t know if I stood a chance.”
Memphis blinked, startled. “You’re serious?”
“Dead serious. You’re not second to anyone. Not now. Not ever.”
Memphis swallowed hard, her eyes stinging. “You idiot,” she whispered.
“Yours,” he whispered back.
She leaned up and kissed him gently. And for the first time in a long, long time, she let herself believe she was loved. They stayed like that for a long time—tangled together on the cool floor, legs entwined, hands seeking skin. Yuki held her as if afraid she’d vanish, and Memphis let herself be small in his arms, allowed herself to breathe. No walls. No duties. No sister to compete with. Just warmth, skin, and breath.
“You really thought I wouldn’t want you?” Yuki murmured later, when her breathing had evened out, when the adrenaline had faded, but the closeness still pulsed between them.
“I didn’t think I deserved it,” Memphis admitted. “Not from you. Not after everything.”
Yuki kissed the top of her head, and then her forehead, soft and reverent. “Then let me prove it every damn day.”
She closed her eyes. It wasn’t just lust anymore. Maybe it never was. What she felt now wasn’t fleeting. It was rooted, buried deep under her skin, past everything that made Memphis… Memphis.
“You already started,” she whispered.
“Ha… then I won’t stop.”
A faint smile touched Memphis’ lips as she snuggled closer, the warmth of Yuki’s chest a welcome comfort. “Good. Because I don’t think I’d let you.”
Yuki just held her tighter.
As tightly as they both needed.
Later, after the silence had stretched warm and comfortable between them, Memphis looked down at Yuki with something almost like mischief in her eyes.
Naturally, he could never miss a look like that. It was, after all, the same look he gave her now and then. “What?” he asked, smirking up at her.
She shook her head. “Nothing, Commander. Nothing at all…”
But the way she slowly pushed herself up, straddling his lap, said otherwise.
Yuki’s breath hitched when she reached between them, guiding him inside her with aching slowness. It was only seconds later that Memphis sank down onto him with a gasp, biting her lip, her hands splaying across his bare chest for balance while she speared herself with her Commander’s thick and meaty shaft.
Yuki groaned, eyes widening with disbelief. She wanted to go again.
This time was different—no frantic rush, no messy desperation. Just slow, languid grinding, just Memphis rocking her hips in a steady rhythm that had both of them breathing hard in seconds. No sense of urgency. No need to prove herself to anyone. Just back and forth grinding, almost like a rocking chair with how easygoing it’d become. She felt his cock pulse inside her, and she tipped her head back with a long and throaty moan as she relished the feeling stirring in her core.
Yuki sat up enough to rest his forehead against hers, one hand gripping her waist, the other fumbling up to lace his fingers with hers. He could hold her intimately close like this, starting a tender handhold while keeping her balanced with his free hand.
Memphis stiffened for a heartbeat—the sheer intimacy of the gesture overwhelming—but then she squeezed his hand back, their fingers threading together tightly.
Their bodies moved in perfect sync, the wet, slow sounds of their coupling filling the air between ragged breaths and soft, broken moans. Yuki’s free hand slid up to cup her cheek, thumbing at the flush burning across her skin. “You’re beautiful,” he whispered.
Memphis squeezed her eyes shut, a shaky breath escaping her as she ground harder against him, chasing that slow, unbearable build of pleasure. Back and forth. Back, and forth… she rocked with a practiced pace, huffing and puffing while settling serenely in her Commander’s powerful arms. Alas, not even Memphis could stop the sudden surge of emotion from affecting her as profoundly as it had.
“Say it again,” she demanded, voice cracking. “Please…”
Yuki kissed the corner of her mouth, then obliged her with a self-satisfied smile. There were, of course, times when he would obviously tease her about making such a request. Right here, right now, was not one of those times. “I think you’re beautiful, Memphis… especially like this, when you’re in my arms, and when you’re bouncing on my lap..”
Memphis whimpered, her body trembling as she rode him faster now, the angle perfect, the friction maddening. She kept their handhold, her fingers intertwined with his as she rode her lover with vim and vigor, the swell of her chest wobbling with every bounce, damp with perspiration. She leaned back slightly, bracing herself against his thighs for leverage, letting him see all of her: her perky, flushed nipples, the glint of sweat on her skin, the raw vulnerability in her expression… an expression she would never, could never give anyone else.
Yuki’s mouth dropped open in awe, his hand tightening on her waist, guiding her movements. As if she needed the guidance. Every thrust had him sinking deeper into her, every grind sending shock waves through his core. She clenched so sweetly around him he couldn’t believe it, grunting and groaning to keep with her passionate pace.
She moaned his name, head tipping back, hips never stopping. He couldn’t look away.
“You feel so good,” she whispered. “Too good… Commander… Yuki…!”
“Oh, fuck… Memphis…!” Commander Yuki groaned, feeling as if he was right at the precipice; right at the very edge of his climax. “I’m g-gonna cum—!”
“Cum inside me!” Memphis begged. “Please! Commander Yuki!” She held on for dear life as she begged him, nodding so rapidly that her disheveled pink hair nearly thwacked him. “Cum inside me!!”
Their clasped hands tightened, white-knuckled, as the pleasure mounted between them. Yuki groaned into her neck, feeling her tighten around him, knowing she was close.
“Let’s cum together,” he moaned aloud. “Oh, fuck, Memphis!”
Memphis shattered with a sob, clinging to him as her climax tore through her, dragging Yuki right over the edge with her. They embraced as they came in tandem. Yuki’s moans of pleasure filled the room as he felt Memphis’ tight grip around his shaft, drawing out every bit of sensation, milking him for every last drop he could give her. His body trembled with pleasure as he released stream after stream of warmth inside his beloved Memphis, pumping her nice and full. Meanwhile, Memphis trembled atop her precious Commander, coming undone in his arms and making a mess on top of him, her body shuddering and writhing with complete and utter bliss. Their minds went blank from the sheer rapture.
Until finally, blissfully, they collapsed together, trembling, gasping for breath, still holding hands like they might drift apart if they dared let go. Memphis buried her face in her Commander’s neck, laughing softly and breathlessly.
“You make me stupid,” she murmured dizzily. “Commander…”
“Good,” Yuki replied, pressing a happy kiss to her cheek. “Then it seems we’re even…”
They stayed tangled like that, the world outside forgotten, wrapped up in each other tighter than ever before.
Mere seconds passed. Seconds that bled into minutes of comfortable silence. Nothing but the sound of each other’s breathing. The rise and fall of their chests. At some point, Memphis rolled them gently onto their sides, keeping them connected as she tucked her forehead against his.
“Commander,” said Memphis.
“Yes?” Yuki asked.
“…don’t ever make me jealous again,” she said. “Or I’ll lose control…”
“Noted,” Yuki whispered, grinning. “I’ll be sure to make you jealous in my bedroom next time, instead of a dingy old storeroom…”
She swatted him, but her laugh—low and fond—was the last thing either of them heard before drifting into a quiet, satisfied sleep.
* * *
Sunlight filtered through the glass-paneled corridor of their headquarters, giving the base a warm, golden hue that seemed out of place for the sheer chaos Memphis felt brewing in her chest.
She didn’t know why she came this way. Maybe habit. Maybe a subconscious need to see him again before she fell apart fully.
But now she was here, standing stiffly at the edge of the plaza, arms crossed, staring daggers at the scene before her.
Yuki, of course, was in the middle of it—standing beside Richmond, who was clinging to his arm and laughing about something dumb and innocent. He didn’t even look like he noticed Memphis yet, and that burned worse than anything.
Memphis turned, already ready to storm off—until Yuki looked up and saw her.
And smiled.
“Hey!” he called.
Richmond perked up, waving like a golden retriever in shipgirl form. “Memmy!”
“Don’t call me that,” Memphis grumbled out of habit, even as she walked over.
Yuki disentangled himself gently from Richmond’s grip. “I was hoping you’d show up.”
“Oh, were you?” she said, rolling her eyes, trying and failing to suppress the sarcasm.
Then, to her complete horror, Yuki turned and got down on one knee.
Memphis froze. “…what are you doing?”
He reached into his coat and pulled out a small black box. Simple. Smooth. Classic. “Being reckless,” he said with that stupid, charming grin. “And hoping you’re just crazy enough to say yes.”
“W-what?!” Memphis’ cheeks turned as pink as the locks on her head, her head whirling around this way and that, unsure if what she was seeing was real or a sick joke. “C-Commander Yuki, you can’t just—!”
Richmond gasped, covering her mouth in disbelief. “Wait, Commander, are you seriously proposing? Right here?! Right now?!”
“Yes,” he said calmly, never taking his eyes off Memphis. “Because if I don’t do this while I’m terrified, I’ll never do it. And honestly, Memphis… you scare the hell out of me sometimes. I still don’t fully understand why… but maybe you can help me figure it out.”
Memphis’ mouth opened. Closed. Opened again. Finally she spoke.
“I—You’re ridiculous. You know that, right?”
He nodded, keeping his grin. “Yup.”
She stared down at him. At the box. At the ring.
Then she sighed, shook her head, and kneeled down with him.
“Only if you promise to never make me feel like I’m second choice again.”
Yuki took her hand, slipping the ring onto her finger without hesitation. “You never were. And you never will be.”
Memphis let out a shaky breath—half laugh, half sob—and pulled him into a kiss right there in the middle of the damn hallway.
Richmond squealed behind them, clapping. “I get to plan the party! Dibs on being maid of honor!”
“You’re not in charge of anything,” Memphis muttered, a goofy grin splitting her face.
Yuki held her close and whispered in her ear, “You sure you want me forever?”
Memphis nodded sternly, matching his funny look. “If you keep your mouth shut while I’m dealing with paperwork and reviewing training plans, I’ll consider it eternal!”
He laughed, and the world blurred around them.
Just for a moment.