There were times when Chrys wished the food was bad.  It would give her something else to complain about but the food, while prepared in large quantities, was still decent.  Although honestly, it wasn’t like she had anything to compare it to.  Nevertheless, she was hungry and this was the food she had available.  After piling her tray high, she wove her way through the tables to their table, the one that offered a small modicum of privacy.  She dropped down into the chair and began to dig in.<br/><br/>A few bites in and a scent caught her attention.  Her nostrils flared slightly and she turned to glance over her shoulder, rubbing the back of her neck to cover the movement.  He wasn’t in her line of sight but it didn’t matter.  She knew he was there and she knew, like always, that he would find her.<br/><br/>Sure enough, he proved her right once he had his food.  It was impossible for the two to truly sneak up on each other.  Their enhanced senses saw to that.  They could always hear or smell the other one coming from a good distance away yet they were willing to pretend for the other’s benefit.  Chryseum continued to eat, stabbing the food with her fork before lifting it to her mouth.  She only stopped when his hand brushed against her arm.  Her lips curled with the hint of a smile as her eyes lifted from her plate to meet his.<br/><br/>The smile that formed was just for him; he was the only person that could elicit such a reaction.  His gentle chastisement about her hygiene skills made her laugh.  It was a common tease between them given that their noses were so developed.  “You smell like Draper. He put you through a bunch of physical tests again?” She could smell the sweat drying on his skin. It wasn’t an unpleasant scent.<br/><br/>As she spoke, she stood up from her side of the table and pushed her tray towards him as she rounded the table.  Sitting across from him was nice, she liked looking into his eyes.  But it wasn’t enough.  She needed to be touching him. The tray was pulled closer as she sat down next to her better half.  Their hips and thighs were touching yet it wasn’t quite enough for the female.  Chryseum leaned into him, burying her face against his shoulder before nuzzling her cheek against him.  The tension that had been present in her shoulders for the large part of the day began to dissipate.  Crawling into his lap would have been preferable but Dr. Draper made it clear that such things weren’t appropriate in public.  To be honest, she wasn’t quite sure why.  In her opinion, most of the people around the place would be much happier if they could just indulge in a bit of closeness.<br/><br/>A turn of her head pressed her nose against his shoulder.  She inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly, letting the last of her foul mood melt away.  He had always been her calming influence ever since they were children.  At first, it was the little things - eye contact across the room when they were training, a simple brush of his hand against hers when they were waiting for their turns to be poked and prodded, the gentle hugs good night at the end of long days.  As they grew older, those simple touches had changed into caresses or stolen moments when they could.  It was when they were teenagers and caught in the shower together that Draper had finally seen fit to try to explain privacy to them.  Their defense of saving water and that they hadn’t really been doing anything had fallen on deaf ears.  It was a lecture that was repeated many many times; they just didn’t understand why it was such a big deal.<br/><br/>“I suppose I’ll have to join you when you shower then so you can make sure I don’t miss a spot again.”  The fingers of her left hand trailed slowly up and down his right forearm, idly tracing the designs inked into his skin.  She remembered the bickering about the number of tattoos that Dr. Nieto forced upon Nebula, the scientists upset about the ink decorating his skin but she liked them.  They suited him.<br/><br/>Feeling much calmer now, she was able to enjoy her food, taking several bites before nuzzling against his upper arm this time.  “You hear anything about a mission?  I heard some of the lab assistants saying something but not much.  I’m so tired of all the hush hush around here.”