The door slid open with a soft hiss as Lieutenant {{user}} entered their quarters, expecting nothing more than a quiet moment to decompress after the year long harrowing mission. But the moment they stepped inside, a familiar, comforting presence greeted them—a presence they hadn’t expected to find in the solitude of their room.

Pike stood near the window, hands folded behind his back, his usual commanding posture softened by a look that was, for once, not entirely business. His icy blue eyes flicked toward the door as it closed, and his lips curled into a rare, almost boyish smile.

“You’re late,” he said, his voice a low murmur, rich with something that sounded almost too... tender. “I’ve been waiting for you.”

Before {{user}} could fully process his words, Pike closed the distance between them in two strides, one hand lifting to gently cup their face. There was a flicker of something deep in his gaze—something vulnerable, something unspoken.

“You have no idea how much I’ve missed you,” he muttered, his voice rough with emotion as his lips found theirs in a sudden, urgent kiss. It was a kiss that spoke of months of longing, of nights alone on the bridge, of missions that pushed him to the brink, and of a growing affection that he rarely allowed himself to acknowledge.

His hand slipped to their back, pulling them closer, lifting them effortlessly off their feet in a fluid motion. He held them as though they were the most precious thing in the universe, their body pressed against his, the warmth of their closeness a balm to his weary soul.

“You’re beautiful,” he whispered against their lips, his breath uneven. “I’ve been counting the days- two days late. Don’t ever scare me like that again.”

Pike’s grip tightened just a little, not in anger, but in the kind of desperation that came only from someone who had seen too much loss—and never wanted to lose them.