Clean Up! Aisle Sex! (After Take off)

The vents were clean. The ship smelled slightly better, but Serena was also pretty certain it was because mold spores took up residence in her nose. At this moment, they were multiplying like bunnies, taking over. At least the Crew Chief wouldn’t have to hear her snore, and considering he slept with Daisy, that was saying something.

Cargo secured, - there were a few knots that needed redone, she cleaned two bottles which had somehow wound up broke before Daisy or Rebel came to lap them up. Well, the ship had smelled slightly better. In a day or two it would smell like moldy bourbon. Too bad the mold cleaner machine had been returned, they’d have to use the fungicide, seeing as it was normal old mold.

She wasn’t sure if she was supposed to ‘know’ he left the ship or not, Rebel. Him and Yeva, not so much as a good-bye which was just as well. She was the first friend on the ship Serena made, and it would have been painful. They’d always have memories of moving Michah and cleaning, which probably wasn’t all that exciting for a widow with a fancy accent -- mostly. The problem with eavesdropping was that sometimes, people get upset when you do it, so you weren’t supposed to admit you knew anything, which was hard. Her brain held a lot of information, and sometimes it spilled out into conversations.

The cargo bay quieted down during and after take off and Vas set up the crew table in a nook up in the hay loft. Even if none of the crew actually used it he did. The cargo bay was his sanctuary and was happy to share it with the crew. And since the number of crew has fluxed he had made sure there were spots for everyone. It was tight but it was the crews. A nice getaway.

He started the rounds checking the tie downs in the hay loft real quick. The new girl said she worked on ships in the water but spaceships did have some glaring differences. So just to be safe. He knew Gill and Serena knew the drill. Serena more so. So when he found an odd knot here and there he just out and out fixed it. He would talk to Serena maybe she could show the new girl the ropes. Literally and figuratively.

He wandered down and saw Serena cleaning up the last of the few broken bottles looking about as introspective as he was feeling. "Need any help?" He offered.

“Sure,” she said with a smile, “but mind the glass. Sure getting tape sounds like a good idea, but it’s not on account of it itches like crazy after a while.” She scratched at her hip for emphasis.

"Could be worse, coulda been staples. You want to talk itchy!" Vas snarked. "Tape is a good thing and it'll be off before you know it." He said in a more assured tone helping her pick the glass from the floor. "Next thing you know it'll be nothing but a bad memory."

“Lotta good came from it.” She replied chipperly, fetching the mop and bucket. “I got a lot of cookies, and Yaz did my hair up real pretty, and I didn’t have to do dishes or change sheets for two whole days, and I got to spend a few nights on the safest part of the boat, and I got to use *discretion* when having sex with Gil.”

"Glad you had a good time of it." Vas laughed. "Never had been shot inspired such luxury." He teased. "Though I'm glad your back and up to work. It's been lonely working without you." Vas admitted. So far Serena was the only one proven to have been there for him. He told her true and he did so in kind. He had her back and she had his. They weren't perfect and they had there spats but hell … he could talk to her and she listened to him. Never judging.

Gill hasn’t meant to eavesdrop he’d wandered in just after Vas and had quickly stepped back into the doorway not wanting another confrontation with the chief so soon. He would have turned and left the but Serena's voice had cut through and kept his attention. At that moment he hated that she and Vas were so friendly.

At the mention of them having sex Gill was suddenly rooted to the spot. Of all the gorram people in all the gorram verse why was she… why would she… how could she?

Vas had laughed, like it was a joke? Gill hands were balled into knuckle white fists as he tried to force himself to breathe steady. He could not listen to anymore and made to leave.

Serena looked up just in time to see Gil turning to leave. He was breathing funny too, maybe his nose was full of mold spores. She was still sore over the whole ‘other girl’ incident, but now that they were lifting off, there wasn’t a lot of chance he’d go and have sex with her instead. “Gil!” She called. “Couple of bottles got broke. You could give us a hand cleaning it up!”

Gill stopped and turned. There was no getting away from it now. He would have to go in. Setting his shoulders straight he walked into the room doing his best not to meet Vas’s gaze. Things have been strange with Serena since the bar. The love note tattooed on his hand would take some explaining. He glanced down at his hand nervously the dammed ink would not wash off.

“Sorry I didn’t mean to interrupt, I was just…” he paused and hesitated, why was he here? He had clean forgotten but wasn’t about to admit that in front of Vas.

“All good.” Vas said as if there wasn’t anything wrong. Well to him there wasn’t. Whatever had transpired was long and done and in the line of duty. The fact was it wasn’t personal, he was just doing his job. “Wanna give us hand? Could use some cleaner … don’t wana attract us any Kellers …” Vas prodded since he seemed to have not heard Serena.

“Sure.” Gill shrugged still not ready to meet the chiefs eye. He set about the task at hand sparing the shy smile for Serena. What he really wanted was to be alone with her, to talk and to… well to do other things that weren’t likely to happen with Vas around.

“You still got a kiss on your hand.” She reminded him, in case he had forgotten. “From diamondeyes, Lyen’s showin’ me letters.”

This was getting uncomfortable and now Vas was looking for an escape route. If this turned into a lover’s tiff he did NOT want to be caught in the middle.

“Oh erm yes.” Gill took his hand behind his back self-consciously. “It, it won’t wash off. Stupid thing.”

The smell of the Bourbon was making him feel a little queasy. Desperate to change the subject he turned to Vas, “So are er things all squared away with Marisol?“ He cringed immediately, wrong question.

Vas hissed as he got jabbed with a sharp bit of glass. “I got some solvent that might help.” He offered. If anything to keep the peace. He pulled the small shard out of his thumb. “She ain’t my problem no more.” Was all he said sucking the blood from his thumb while wiping the last bit of glass bits off the floor.

“So who was she?” Serena asked, swirling the mop as she tried to seem nonchalant. *And how did I get her shirt?* “A friend… or a friend who was a girl…. Or… a girlfriend?”

Gills eyebrows almost joined his hairline as Serena delivered her questions. “What no? She’s just a girl, not my girlfriend I don’t know her and besides you're my… I mean we. That’s to say I…” he turned to Vas and blurted,

“What do you mean not your problem? Have you fired her?”

“Don’t use me to avoid your girl problems!” Vas quailed. Literally that least useful person in this arena of battle. “I didn’t *fire* her … she *quit*.” Vas reminded. “AND Riley-” Vas said about to explain till Serena interjected. How did he end up being the only one cleaning this mess?

“I’m your what?” Serena interrupted, using her outside voice as she stepped between the two still holding the mop. “Are you saying you *like-like* me *like that*?”

Gill tried to press stoically on with Vas, “but she didn’t leave she’s here so why isn’t she your problem?”

No, it was no good he deflated and swivelled to face Serena, “Yes, of course I like-like you or I wouldn’t have, I mean to say we wouldn’t have.” He ran his fingers through his hair and gave Vas a pleading look before realising that he had been needling the guy over Marisol this whole time so was unlikely to be thrown a line.

“Had sex?” Serena replied for him.

Vas clear his throat reminding Serena he was still there. Trapped. Unable to escape and prepared to projective vomit from the cavities forming. “For the love of Buddha …” Now granted Vas had his hangup about sex personally. Objectively it was just an act between two people. But it hadn’t been the act he was scared of it had been that ANY act of intimacy had been punished. Harshly. Even now. He was still funny about people touching him. Even after … especially after …

“...it was just sex not marriage! Is ANYONE going help me clean this up or should I wait till after?” He said realizing he was being ignored.

“Could you? That would be great on account of we’re in the middle of… oh, wait, that was *photosynthesis,* wasn’t it.” Serena said with a frown, going back to mopping the spill. “Well, I *like-like* you too, Gill, And we can have just sex again soon."

“We can?” Gill did not mean to sound quite so enthusiastic and glared at Vas as if it were his fault. “Well good, that you like me back and all. I well… good.”

Vas watched on like disgruntled cat before continuing cleaning. Yes because he so badly wanted to be in the middle of this. *Why me?!* Worse Gill still seemed to have a bone in his craw given that glare of his and Vas wasn’t even sure WHY. Gill got his confession of love and sex, how was this Vas’s fault! The punk kept his mutterings to himself.

As the cleaning continued Gill worked up the courage to ask something that had been on his mind since that night. It had been his first time and well he just wasn’t sure if he had done it right. Well he knew it had been right but.. he tried and failed to ask in a low voice that Vas would not hear,

“So it was ok? The er, you know, what we did?”

Vas groaned. “Gill, I thought we talked about this? I told you there is no beef between us.” He repeated. His voice lowered as if he was worried about spies lurking around the corner. “No one else found out about Haddie and....” Vas added.

There was a long pause. “You weren’t talking to me were you …”

Gills eyes were as wide as saucers as he tried to unravel the misunderstanding, he glanced at Serena and then back to Vas.

"He was asking if the sex was okay, Crew Chief.” Serena chastised. “And yes, it was, but jeez, Gil, ain't you ever heard of *discretion*?”

“I… need to check on Haddie.” Gills voice was monotone as his face flushed it’s usual shade as he backed away toward the door.

“He knows the door is in the OTHER direction right?” Vas whispered to Serena as Gill walked off robotically.

The pigtailed teen wrung out the mop and looked up. “He’ll figure it out. Sometimes he just waits behind something til I leave.”

“Is that normal? I don’t recall acting like that.” Vas shook his head convinced women were the dominant species.

“You did.” Serena replied sagely. “I’m sure of it.”

"I'll take your word on that." Vas chuffed.