The sound of running water.

" You've been in there a while," Nova called out.

It switched off.

William came out of the adjoining restroom, rubbing his face dry with a fluffy towel.

" I felt... wrong."

" Well no shit, you got heckled the second you stepped foot off base," Nova replied, and he stretched. " I'm more surprised that none of them threw anything at me."

" Ha, yeah, that is strange, isn't it?" William replied, quite carelessly casting the towel onto the floor. " Well, it's not like Starka ever set foot on their planet during war time."

" Not even Ifrit could get that far in," Nova said. " ... I remember him talking about it before."

William flopped down on the bed next to him.

" Oh?"

Nova turned away from him slightly.

" ... It's an old memory," he said. " Anyway, you said that you were going to accompany me and Lyeha back to Sturm?"

" I feel like doing that, yeah," William replied. " I've never taken vacation time before, I can just leave it with the first officer. It's not like we're at war or anything."

" Is it really so easy?"

" Not really, but when I want to do something I find some way to get it done."

" That's very you."

" Oh, you think you know me so well?"

Nova leaned over him, hand on face, thumb on lip, close.

" I think I know you well enough by this point. I'm going to let you meet more of my awful family, after all."

" Maybe we are moving a little fast, actually."

Nova sat up with a huff.

" I was the one who said that first, you don't get to co-opt it," he said.

" Co-opt it? You mean agree with you? If I'm not supposed to agree with you, what should I do? Argue for the sake of arguing?"

" Oh no. I fear that's what we're doing right now," Nova responded in his typical fashion.

" Every day I understand you less!"

" I could say the same thing."

A moment of silence.

" ... We got interrupted this morning."

" Yeah."

" ... You want to pick up where we left off?"

" Yeah."

Nova kissed him.