Vael's POV
I watched Lirien pull on the maintenance uniform. The dark grey shirt and pants were a little big on his slim frame, but he still looked believable. He stood in front of the small mirror, fixing the collar with nervous fingers. I could see the tension in his shoulders.
"You look good," I said quietly. "Like you belong here."
He turned to me and gave a small, unsure smile. "I don't feel like I belong. My hands won't stop shaking."
I walked over and placed both hands on his shoulders, squeezing gently. "That's normal. First time is always the hardest. We'll go slow. If anything feels wrong, we turn around and come straight back. No hero stuff tonight."
Lirien nodded. I could tell he was trying to be brave.
Before we left, I made him repeat his fake story one more time.
"Name?"
"Ensign Lirien Voss."
"Position?"
"Maintenance technician, Deck 7 night shift. Joined at Calix Station."
"Good." I adjusted the small crew badge on his chest. "If anyone speaks to you, keep answers short. Don't offer extra information. Most people are too tired or busy to care."
I took a deep breath and opened the door. The corridor outside was quiet exactly as I had planned. I had checked the security schedule twice before bringing him out.
"Stay one step behind me," I told him. "Walk like you know where you're going."
We stepped out together. The door closed and locked automatically behind us. My heart was beating harder than usual as we walked down the long corridor. Every footstep felt loud. I kept my face calm, the same expression I wore on the bridge every day, but inside I was on high alert.
We took the service elevator down to Deck 7. I chose the quietest route, avoiding the main hallways where crew members usually gathered. Lirien stayed close behind me, head slightly down, just like a new shy technician would.
Halfway down the corridor, two crew members came around the corner. My stomach tightened. I recognized them engineers from the day shift.
"Captain," they both said, straightening up immediately.
I nodded. "Evening. Everything alright?"
"Yes, sir. Just finishing checks."
Their eyes flicked to Lirien for a second. I spoke before they could ask anything.
"This is Ensign Voss. New maintenance tech. He's still learning the ship layout."
They both gave polite nods. "Welcome aboard," one of them said.
"Thank you," Lirien replied softly, exactly as we practiced. He didn't say more.
The two men continued walking. I waited until they turned the corner before I let out a slow breath. Lirien's hands were clenched into fists at his sides.
"You did well," I whispered. "Keep going."
We reached the maintenance storage room I had chosen earlier. It was a large, dimly lit space filled with tools, spare parts, and cleaning equipment. Almost no one came here during night hours. I locked the door behind us and turned on only one light panel.
Lirien looked around, eyes wide. "This is where I'm supposed to pretend to work?"
"For now, yes." I leaned against a metal shelf. "You can stay here for a few hours each night. I'll assign you simple tasks that don't require real work. Cleaning logs, checking supply numbers things you can do while staying hidden."
He walked slowly between the tall shelves, touching some of the boxes. "How long do you think this can last, Vael? A week? A month?"
I didn't want to lie to him.
"I don't know," I said honestly. "The longer you stay, the higher the chance someone finds out. But I'm not ready to let you go. Not yet."
Lirien turned to face me. The light made his silver-white hair look softer. "I don't want to leave either. But every time we step outside this room, I feel like I'm putting you in danger. You're the captain. If they catch me, they'll blame you for hiding me."
I stepped closer and took his hands in mine. They were cold.
"I knew the risks when I decided to help you," I said. "I'm choosing this. I'm choosing you."
We stood there holding hands for a while. No kissing. No touching beyond that. Just quiet understanding between us.
After some time, I showed him the emergency exit routes, the blind spots of the cameras, and where the nearest escape pods were just in case. I made him memorize two different paths back to my quarters.
By the time we finished, almost two hours had passed. Lirien looked tired but less nervous than when we first left.
"Ready to go back?" I asked.
He nodded.
The walk back was smoother. We didn't meet anyone this time. When my quarters door finally closed behind us, I felt the tension leave my body all at once. I locked the door and leaned against it.
Lirien sat on the edge of the bed and let out a long breath. "I did it," he said, almost surprised. "I actually walked around the ship."
"You did," I smiled. "And you did it well."
I brought him a glass of water and sat beside him. We were both quiet for a long time.
"I've been thinking," I said eventually. "If this works for a while, maybe I can slowly move you to a real low-risk job. Something where you don't have to hide so much. But we take it one step at a time."
Lirien leaned his head on my shoulder. "One step at a time," he repeated. "I like that plan."
We stayed like that for almost an hour just sitting together, talking about small things. Favorite foods. Music we liked. Stupid stories from our pasts. Nothing heavy. Nothing about heat or sex. Just two people getting to know each other properly.
Later, when the ship lights dimmed for the night cycle, I made sure Lirien took his pregnancy prevention pill and changed his patch. We didn't go further than that. Tonight wasn't about desire. It was about building something real while we still had time.
As I lay in bed with him curled against my side, I stared at the stars outside the window and felt a strange mix of hope and fear.
I had spent years building a perfect, controlled life.
Now that life was changing fast, and I was letting it happen.
For him.
For us.
And even though the danger was real, I had no desire to turn back.