0-SA (The Last Ship Series)

Chapter Twenty-Three: Together

Don't shoot him! Stop! Just let me explain!

"Osa!" Raven sat up suddenly, frantically feeling around. The woman was disoriented, the world was black around her, and her eyes still heavy, "O-Osa!"

The woman gasped as she felt something move behind her; nearly falling out of the bed. Though, she was grabbed by her waist and pulled forward into its frame, but that familiar scent came with it. It was Osa.

The alien spoke softly, but stern. "Raven I'm right here, stop. You need to be quiet. It's not morning just yet. We're not safe just yet." A soft murr rumbled in his chest. He had hold of her cheek with one hand, and his other hand wrapped around her back.

Raven had gone near silent with she heard his voice. Her arms just went over his shoulders as she rested against him, "Oh my god they didn't get you.." The woman rested her forehead against his chest, "Osa..why didn't you leave me there?"

Osa was afraid of this question. In fact he dreaded answering it, fearing he had ruined her chance of going home, "I-"

"Jacques or one of them could have shot you. Y-You could be in the back of the truck right now tied like a wild animal. You should have just ran." Raven found herself unable to let go of Osa. The meet thought of what they would do to him made her skin crawl. She saw what soldiers did to the infected, and feared it would be worse for Osa.

Osa was caught off guard by Raven's sudden remark about leaving her, himself getting hurt, and he could only pull her tighter to him as she clung to him, "I couldn't just run and leave you. Your people, they were upset with you, you were shot, and I-" He paused, almost seeming to think over what he was going to say, "I couldn't just let you go like that. When I saw you fell over, I didn't think to run, Raven. I wanted to protect you because of my feelings for you." The Irinaut spoke in a husky tone, not speaking above a whisper to avoid them being found, "We agreed, I protect you, and you protect me, did we not?"

Raven listened to him. Her eyes swelled with tears behind the mask as she clung to him, "I'm trying to protect you, Osa." She rubbed her hand down his chest before her fingers curled into his cloak and held it, "I know you see what I'm thinking." Raven stated. The woman really feared him getting hurt, "I shouldn't feel the way that I do, but I don't want anyone to hurt you."

Truthfully, Raven was scared of the feelings she was having. She had never had a connection with her own. The closest she had gotten to anything was with her previous team, but they were lost in the accident. Often she blamed herself for it.

Osa made a deep purring sound. His hand came up before holding the back of her head, "Why shouldn't you?" His skin had that soft glow, and he was warm. The Irinaut's skin was rather hot compared to Raven's, "If that were the case should I be saying the same?" Osa rested his head against hers as he rubbed her back, "I don't deny our connection, why should I? In all my time that I've been alive I've not felt this way before, and I don't want to let it go."

Raven just, listened. She didn't know what to say to him or even if she needed to. The Irinaut could just look at her and know what she was thinking. She knew she didn't want him to go. The soldier knew for a fact now she wasn't leaving him. Just seeing her group ready to shoot him down, it terrified her. Osa wasn't bad, she knew that, but they didn't.

The woman brought her hands up to hold his face mask, "Osa, I don't deny it. I just don't know what to think of it. I spent my entire life being taught that you and your kind were monsters. I was brought up to believe that you destroyed everything. That your kind made our world what it is, but it wasn't you. It was, Yok?" Raven did listen. It was one of the reasons she asked so many questions. She wanted to know, and Osa was obviously telling the truth. "It was the infection that followed you. Not you. I don't see a monster when I look at you. I see something beautiful and unique, and special. I don't want to let go of that. I don't want to see what the Faction would do to you, and what's worse is I almost helped them the first time."

Osa's breathing had softened. The Irinaut smiled beneath his mask. A bit of relief flushed over him as he realized he hadn't done wrong by bringing her with him, and that the woman was willing to admit how she felt. The Irinaut just laid there and held her. The two didn't speak anymore on the subject, just seeming to find comfort in one another's presence.

The Irinaut finally released Raven to sit up. Osa pulled open a curtain to look outside the truck windows. He chirped softly, "Morning is here." He spun himself around before stretching out his legs, "We should get ready to head back to the ship. Are you good to walk?"

Raven wasn't ready to get up, but as Osa shifted out of the bed she found herself rolling over to look at him, "I should be fine. Just groggy." The woman wiped over her face mask.

Osa pushed himself up off the bed, "Then let's get going."