Cait and Rhys has retired to the crew cabin, leaving the bridge unattended, though Cait had piped the alarm system to the shipwide intercom so they’d be alerted if anything happened. She drifted into her bunk and raked her hands through her hair as she settled into place on Rhys’ left, awkwardly regarding him as he sidled alongside her. She still wasn’t sure how she wanted this to progress, her mindset had not really changed with regards to becoming more involved with him but something about the potential threat to them had made her more open to compromise. Even if she was emotionally incapable of wanting to make herself feel vulnerable or connect with someone, she wanted to give something back to Rhys. Maybe she was living vicariously through him. As they floated side by side a couple of feet apart Rhys’ eyes wandered over her.

“How do you want to do this?” He asked.

“Let’s take things slow.” Cait suggested, unsure of what she was capable of offering him physically. Rhys nodded and placed his hands on her hips, pulling her close. She braced her hands against his chest, looking down in sadness as she was reminded that while she could touch him, she couldn’t feel. The prosthetics communicated pressure to her brain, but it was not the same. She wondered if there was any way that Rhys would understand that if she explained it.

Rhys picked up on her sadness and raised her chin with a hooked finger before caressing her cheek, trying to read her thoughts.

“We could just talk for a bit.” He suggested.

“I don’t think that would help.” Cait said with a slight shake of her head. She ran her hands down his stomach and deftly unhooked his webbed belt that cinched his loose fitting pants around his waist, while Rhys reciprocated by peeling her singlet up her body. She hesitantly raised her arms to allow him to peel the garment up her body, her large full breasts gently bobbing against her chest.

Rhys’ eyes scanned down her body, lingering on her chest. She could tell his eyes were drawn to the focal point of her nipples and was content to let him take his time. Then his gaze wandered further south and she instinctively moved a hand to cover the scars across her belly. He locked eyes with her for a moment and she gave her head the briefest of shakes, indicating she didn’t want to talk about it, which he acknowledged with a nod and pulled her against him. Her breasts pressed against his chest and a shiver went through her body in spite of their combined warmth – or maybe because of it. She folded her arms under his, her hands holding him close as he gently stroked her back, his fingertips caressing her spine, sending another shiver through her. She felt his fingers find the numb scar tissue on her back that matched the trio of puncture wounds on her lower torso, where metal shrapnel had passed directly through her and his touch there made her tense up with anxiety until he realised and moved on.

Cait ran her hands down Rhys’ back and started to push his pants off and he helped by using his feet to kick them off into a corner of the room where they came to rest, then started to return the favour, lifting her up slightly so she floated eye to eye with him and gauged her response as he began to pull down her shorts. Cait placidly allowed him to remove her shorts, a small part of her rationalising that it was because she’d already displayed herself earlier when she was defiantly trying to drive him away in a fit of anger. Nonetheless once her shorts were off she pressed her legs together, instinctively trying to hide and conceal her hairless mound and lips from view. She had taken to having laser treatments to remove her body hair ever since she started working in space, as often personal grooming was problematic and it meant she didn’t have to worry about it on longer missions. Right now, that decision made her feel quite exposed.

Rhys took her by the hips and held her at arm’s length as his eyes drank in her now fully nude body. She casually regarded his cock which appeared to be sitting at half-mast already – or maybe that was just the lack of gravity. She hadn’t really looked at it last time, as she’d been more inclined to disassociate from the experience. She looked back up to his face, his expression expectant but his demeanour one of patience. Cait remained still for a long time as they drifted a couple of feet apart, unsure if she should wait for him to make the next move or if he was waiting for a signal from her.

“You can touch me, if you want.” She said gently.

Slowly he reached out and took her by the arm, for which she suppressed a flinch, and pulled her close. She could feel his cock rub against her thigh as he cradled her face in his hand and kissed her gently. She was reluctant to reciprocate at first – the gesture seemed too familiar and intimate, and had the potential to involve emotions she wasn’t inclined to process, but gradually she closed her eyes, eased into it and returned the kiss.