Day 5 of @rqgfemslashweek: Rare Ship
(I got so caught up in the tma finale that I forgot to post for the last couple days so we’re taking care of that now lol)
Sasha has been living and working aboard Earhart’s ship for a few months now, and it’s the safest she’s ever felt. That safety and comfort is at its greatest, though, when she’s at Earhart’s side and they can steal a quiet moment together.
Sasha never used to like sleeping. It was a risk to be unconscious and unaware of her surroundings when there were so many people who might take advantage to do her harm.
When she did require sleep, she slept with a dagger in one hand, and her body curled up into a tiny ball so as to avoid detection. And if she was detected, well, the dagger would take care of that.
But on The Swift, Earhart’s airship, sleeping didn’t feel so dangerous anymore. And sleeping next to Earhart, sharing the same bed… that almost felt like safety. Such safety that after a while Sasha didn’t sleep with a dagger in hand anymore, though of course it was still nearby.
Waking up next to Earhart was a gift too. Most days, Earhart was up and out before Sasha, off to deal with the ship and the crew, but Sasha loved the days when she would wake up and find her still there beside her.
And this was one such day. Earhart blinked blearily as Sasha rolled over toward her. As stealthy as Sasha was, Earhart could always tell when she moved around in bed, ready to comfort her if a nightmare struck.
“Good morning,” Earhart said quietly, a sleepy smile on her face.
“Morning. How’d you sleep?”
Earhart let out a contented murmur and scooched a little closer to Sasha, their bodies brushing under the covers.
For a moment, they were content to just exist in each other’s company, and then Earhart breathed, “Sasha… I really like having you here.”
“That’s… that’s well good. Because I like being here.”
She chuckled. “But I do want to make sure that you’re staying because you want to, not because you feel you have to.”
Sasha pulled back a little and scowled. “Are you trying to get me to leave?”
“No! No, not at all!” Earhart groaned. “I want you to stay. But I also want to make sure that that’s what you want. You told me about Other London and about the ring they used to keep tabs on you… and I don’t want you to ever feel like you’re trapped here.”
“Oh.” Sasha relaxed and reached out to take hold of one of Earhart’s hands. “I’m not trapped here. I mean, I suppose I am in a way, since we’re flying and there’s nowhere to go besides other parts of the ship, but that’s not the point. Even if you were horrible, you’d be nothing like Barret. And you’re not horrible. You’re… you’re wonderful.”
“Okay, I just want to check in, you know?” She brushed her thumb along Sasha’s hand.
“Well, you don’t have to worry. Besides, if I didn’t want to be here, I would just disappear next time we make port. But I do want to be here. I love being here, honestly. I love the ship, I love the crew, I love y-”
Both Earhart’s and Sasha’s eyes opened wide in surprise, then Sasha tucked her face down as she started to blush.
Smiling, Earhart leaned over and pressed a quick kiss to Sasha’s forehead.
Sasha peeked over at her, and, even with her face half hidden behind the covers, it was impossible to miss her smile.
They stayed like that for a while, holding onto each other, until a yell sounded outside the cabin.
“I suppose we should probably get up and tend to our duties and all, yeah?” Sasha said, though she made no attempt to move.
Earhart held a little tighter to Sasha’s hand. “I think we can wait a couple more minutes.”
