[Insatiable Verse - In Which Lieutenant Uhura Wears Pants]
Despite the emotional whirlwind they've been through, it's easy to drift off to sleep in Jim's arms. She wakes in the middle of the night to his lips against her skin, and they move slowly against each other, so slowly that it's almost painful, except it's a wonderfully slow burn that she feels in every inch of her. She loses track of time, and it seems they have an eternity to move like this. When they drift off again afterward, still curled around each other, she sleeps soundly. She knew already that she feels safe with him, but it still surprises her. There are so few people she sleeps soundly with, and a part of her wants to ask to sleep in his arms every night, but of course she doesn't.
The shower sex is wonderful, too, and she's beginning to think that they'll be having sex for the rest of their lives until she has to get ready for duty. She's completely presentable and professional when she walks out of his door; if anyone sees her she doesn't look at all like she's just had sex for the third time in 24 hours... Unless of course they recognize the joy in her eyes.
Over the next few days, she makes sure to throw him a few challenging smirks and innocent smiles, and she can't help remembering what he told her about watching her work on the bridge. A part of her feels a little shy that he saw so much of her fear and vulnerability, but it's easy to see that he doesn't judge her for it, and it's possibly the most wonderful thing she's yet learned about him.
But she still has no idea what she's doing. The conversation with Gaila keeps replaying in her head. You're falling for him, aren't you? She tries not to think about it, because if she does she'll end up running away or asking him what they're doing, and she doesn't want to do that, doesn't want to see him bolt away from her again. Part of her knows that she's denying some inevitable confrontation, but she's so happy now, and she decides to let herself just be happy a little while longer.
These thoughts are swirling in her head before shift a few days after she woke up in his arms. She reaches for her uniform dress, and then pauses as she sees the pants hanging in the back of the closet. Suddenly she recalls their conversation in the lift, and she blushes a little. He wouldn't really... Would he? It concerns her a little that her stomach clenches at the thought, but she pulls the pants out of the closet and puts them on before she can change her mind. There's no reason why she shouldn't wear them, she tells herself firmly, even if that has nothing to do with it.
When she walks onto the bridge, she gives him a polite, professional nod and walks to her station, ignoring the fact that her heart's pounding just a little.