Lexy’s leave

The dock’s cold air seeped through Lexy Belmont’s patched jumpsuit, a faint, persistent sting against her skin as she stepped off the Marlin’s ramp. The station’s sprawl buzzed around her, a tired beast exhaling vapor and steel groans into the haze. Cranes loomed overhead, their arms creaking under unseen weight, while flickering lights cast jagged shadows across the grated floor. Her boots struck a slow beat as she wove through the shouting techs and crews, business as usual.

Burnt fuel and recycler runoff hung thick in the air, curling into her lungs with each breath—a familiar ache, sharp and unyielding. Similar to the Marlin’s recycled atmosphere, but distinct enough to notice. A different flavor, if you will. She smirked at the thought.

Three days stretched ahead, a brief exhale before she’d climb back aboard. Tonight, though, was hers. The thought settled in her chest, heavy yet fleeting, a tether to something lighter than the looming threat of losing the Marlin—her home.

She tugged her ponytail tighter and headed for the lower decks. Dani—short for something she never said—had docked a couple of months back, a freelance hauler with dusky skin, sharp cheekbones and sharper smirks. They’d met over synth-beers in the Pit, traded barbs, then kisses, before the Marlin shipped out. Dani’s rig, the Talon, was a small transport, built for quick ferry gigs around the station. Lexy had checked the logs before disembarking. If Dani was still here, she’d be at the Pit.

The lift rattled as she descended, walls trembling, the air thickening with sweat, burnt lubricant, and the faint but unmistakable stench of waste processing leaks—so common in the station’s lower decks. The lanes sprawled tight, neon flickering over pitted steel, pipes hissing overhead like a living thing.

The Pit loomed ahead, a bar hollowed from an old cargo bay, its red sign buzzing faint against the gloom.

Lexy pushed through the hatch, and the noise rolled over her—shouts weaving through a bass thud, clinking glasses, the air heavy with synth-booze and cigarette smoke, blending with sweat and burnt wiring.

Lights pulsed over grime-slick tables, shadows crawling across faces too tired to care. Lexy’s gaze swept the room, tension coiling in her ribs—until it landed.

Dani.

Slouched in a back corner, black jacket open, cropped hair catching the neon haze, a glass of amber cradled in her hand. Her brown eyes flicked up, met Lexy’s, and a slow, deliberate smirk tugged her forward.

She wove through the crowd, boots sticking to the floor, and dropped onto the stool across from her. Steel cold under her thighs.

“Thought you’d bolted,” Lexy said, voice low, threading the din.

“Thought you’d crashed,” Dani shot back, smirk deepening. She slid the glass over, synth-beer sloshing faintly. “Still hauling junk?”

Lexy took it, the chill biting her tongue, bitter and thin. “Yeah, what about You? Still dodging trouble?”

Dani’s laugh scraped out, rough and brief. Lexy grinned—something sharp flaring beneath the weight in her gut. She didn’t name it. Didn’t need to.

“Barely.” Dani leaned in, elbow on the sticky steel, voice dropping low. “Last haul, some bastard rigged the weigh-in. Said I skimmed, tried to cut me dry.” A smirk, a shrug. “Took my knuckles to his snout. Felt good.”

Lexy’s lips twitched, half-grin breaking through. “Not bad. Last run, I hauled scrap through a storm—damn near lost it all. GSN’s breathing down our neck, could take the ship if we don’t square up.” A pause, flicker in her gaze, shadow crossing her face. “Dad’d be gutted—that heap is his life.” Her tone held, guarded. Dani didn’t need the rest. The debt. The weight.

Then she shrugged, grin snapping back, teasing rough. “Fuck it. I wanna get drunk, I wanna get fucked, and I wanna wash it out.”

Dani’s smirk widened, something more than heat sparking in her brown eyes—a thread tugging loose.

“Drunk’s easy,” she murmured, voice a low purr. “But, getting fucked’s on you, sweety. Better keep up.” A beat. “You’re half here,” she said, voice soft, teasing, barely threading the noise. “Rough shift?”

“Rough stretch,” Lexy admitted, a weary grin holding. “But, it’s okay. You’re enough.”

Dani’s smirk twitched, foot hooking Lexy’s ankle, tugging light. “Sweet talker,” she murmured. Then, head tilting, smirk lazy—“Wanna dance?”

Lexy snorted, swiping Dani’s glass for another sip. “Now? Nah.”

Dani’s knee brushed hers under the table, a quiet claim. Her deep brown eyes catching the neon flicker—locked onto Lexy’s almond-shaped green. “C’mon. My capsule’s better. Less filth.”

A drunk lurched past, glass shattering somewhere behind them. A flicker—Lexy’s mind slipping, for just a second. Lexy drained the last of Dani’s drink, set the glass down slow. “Lead the way.”

The crowd parted as they wove through—too many bodies, too much heat. Lexy followed, eyes tracing the alluring line of Dani’s nape, the smooth stretch of brown skin under the dim neon glow. She moved like she owned the space, sharp and sure, even here, where nothing stayed claimed for long. Lexy’s pulse ticked up, chasing something bright against the weight. Dani led them through the lanes, past flickering signs and hissing pipes, to a stack of crew capsules—cramped steel boxes bolted to the station’s frame.

The hatch at 17-C hissed shut behind them, sealing them in. The air hung close—warm, faintly metallic, humming under the yellow glow of a flickering lamp. Bare walls. A narrow cot.

Dani’s black jacket slid off her shoulders, pooling on the floor with a dull thud. Lexy’s patched jumpsuit soon followed, fabric catching briefly on her hips before slipping free.

Their eyes locked. A current snapped between them—hunger, sharp and new, not yet worn familiar, but thick with promise.

Dani stepped closer, breath brushing Lexy’s cheek, and the world shrank to this: skin, heat, the station’s distant pulse fading into shadow.

Lexy’s hands found Dani’s waist first, fingers curling against the taut curve above her belt, the warmth of her seeping through thin fabric. Dani grinned—a slow, wicked flash—and tugged the shirt over her head, tossing it aside. Her small breasts bared under the lamplight, nipples dark and already tightening. Lexy’s pulse kicked, a slow throb settling low, eyes tracing the curve of Dani’s collarbone, the dip between her breasts. Heat pooled in her belly, sharp, insistent.

Dani’s mouth crashed onto hers, hot and unhesitating, tasting of synth-beer and salt, her tongue slipping past Lexy’s teeth in a bold, searching sweep. Lexy groaned into it, a sound swallowed by the kiss, her hands sliding up Dani’s back, tracing the lean muscle flexing beneath smooth brown skin, nails grazing just enough to draw a shiver. Dani’s fingers found the hem of Lexy’s undershirt, yanking it up and off. Her mouth dipped, lips closing over a nipple—warm, insistent, tongue flicking in a slow tease that made Lexy’s breath stutter.

She arched into it, fingers digging into Dani’s shoulders, nails biting skin as heat flared, a slow burn spreading through her chest, down her spine. Dani’s teeth grazed, a sharp, deliberate scrape, and Lexy tipped her head back, a moan slipping free, lost in the capsule’s soft hum.

They tumbled toward the cot, legs tangling, Lexy hitting the edge first, falling back onto the thin mattress with a breathless laugh. Dani followed, straddling her hips, knees pressing into the cot on either side, her weight a delicious anchor.

The lamplight flickered, catching the sweat beading on Dani’s collarbone—a glint Lexy chased with her mouth, tongue flicking over the salt-slick skin. Dani’s breath hitched, a soft, ragged sound, and her fingers tangled in Lexy’s black hair, tugging the ponytail loose until strands spilled wild over the pillow.

“Fuck, you’re trouble,” Dani murmured, voice low and husky, lips curling as she dipped to claim Lexy’s mouth again. This time, slower, teasing, nipping at her lower lip, flicking her tongue in and out in a way that had Lexy’s thighs twitching in response.

Lexy arched under her, hips lifting, seeking friction, and Dani obliged—shifting to press a thigh between Lexy’s legs. Firm. A pressure that sent a sharp jolt through her, electric, immediate. She gasped, breaking the kiss, head tipping back as Dani’s mouth found her throat—sucking, biting, leaving heat in her wake.

Lexy’s hands roamed greedy over Dani’s skin, cupping her breasts, rolling nipples between her thumbs until Dani moaned—a throaty sound that vibrated against Lexy’s collarbone. The sound fueled her, need curling thick and molten. She tugged Dani down, their chests pressing flush—soft curves melding, nipples grazing, friction sending shivers skittering down her spine.

Dani’s fingers slid lower, tracing the edge of Lexy’s underwear, a deliberate skim that made her breath hitch.

“This okay?” Dani murmured, rough whisper against her ear, voice edged with want—but with something else, too. A pause. A thread of care woven into the hunger. Lexy nodded, quick and sure, fingers tightening on Dani’s hips, urging her on.

Dani grinned, a flash of teeth, and peeled the fabric down, dragging it off Lexy’s thighs in a slow, teasing pull. The air kissed her bare skin, cool before Dani’s warmth replaced it.

Her fingers brushed Lexy’s inner thigh, feather-light, a tease that drew a whimper—soft, involuntary, a sound Lexy barely recognized as hers.

Dani shifted, easing down, kneeling between Lexy’s legs, parting them with a careful press of her hands. Firm. Certain. Her thumbs stroked the sensitive skin where thigh met hip, and Lexy’s breath shuddered out, tension rippling through her before softening under Dani’s touch.

A quiet “Goddamn” slipped from Dani’s lips, almost to herself, her eyes dark with want as they roamed over Lexy—her flushed chest, the dip of her stomach, the slick heat between her thighs.

Then Dani leaned in.

The first brush of her lips—just above Lexy’s navel—was almost sweet, a contrast to the hungry, reckless way she’d kissed her before. The next, lower. A trail of wet heat that had Lexy’s hips twitching, breath catching.

When Dani’s mouth found her, it was a shock of warmth, her tongue pressing flat, lapping broad and slow over her folds. A deep moan punched from Lexy’s throat, hips tilting instinctively toward the pressure.

Dani worked like she had all the time in the world—slow flicks over her clit, then a firm suck that made Lexy see white behind her eyelids.

She gripped the cot’s thin sheet, knuckles whitening, as Dani’s tongue moved in lazy circles, testing what made her gasp, what made her whimper. The pleasure coiled tight, winding in her belly, and she rocked against Dani’s mouth, thighs trembling, the world narrowing to this—the slick heat, Dani’s breath, the creak of the cot beneath them.

Dani’s hands slid up, one gripping Lexy’s ass, tilting her closer, the other pressing flat on her stomach, a grounding weight as her gasps sharpened, edged with need.

Then Dani pulled back, just enough. Lips wet, eyes burning.

Lexy groaned—a protest, a plea—until Dani’s fingers replaced her tongue, tracing her entrance with a touch so gentle it almost undid her.

“Easy,” Dani murmured, voice a velvet rasp. She watched Lexy’s face as one finger circled, slow, testing, before pressing just the tip inside—waiting.

A flicker of tension—old fear, muscle memory—but Dani didn’t push. Her thumb dragged over Lexy’s clit in a steadying stroke, and the tension melted, replaced by a deep, aching need.

“Good?” Dani whispered.

Lexy nodded, breath ragged, hips tilting toward her hand.

Dani smiled—small, knowing—and eased deeper. One finger, slow, careful, curling just right, hitting that spot that sent Lexy arching, a sharp cry spilling out.

The pace stayed unhurried, a steady rhythm of friction and slick heat—Dani’s finger moving in deliberate thrusts, thumb circling her clit in a slow, devastating climb.

Lexy’s hands tangled in Dani’s hair, pulling her up for a kiss—messy, ****, tasting herself on Dani’s lips.

Dani pressed her thumb down just right, and Lexy broke—head falling back, a moan tearing free as the coil snapped, pleasure crashing over her like a flood. Her body clenched around Dani’s finger, thighs shaking, breath shattering into jagged gasps.

Dani kept going, slow and steady, drawing it out, until Lexy slumped boneless against the cot, spent.

Dani eased her fingers free, careful, and climbed up, fitting herself against Lexy’s side. Warm. Sweat-slick. Their breaths tangled in the thick, humid air of the capsule.

A kiss against her jaw, lingering. Then Dani smirked.

“Worth the climb?”

Lexy huffed a raw, breathless laugh, turning into her, lips finding hers again—hungry, grateful.

“Worth it,” she rasped.

Her hand slid down Dani’s side, fingers curling over the waistband of her pants, ready to return the favor.

Lexy lay on her back, staring up at the curved steel ceiling, the low hum of the capsule thrumming through her bones. The cot beneath her creaked as she stretched, one arm slipping out from under the rumpled sheet. Her skin was warm, still flushed from the night before, a lazy heat curling low in her belly.She trailed her fingertips along her stomach, idly tracing the faint dip of muscle, the soft plane of her navel, the curve of her hipbone. Not wanting, not even thinking—just feeling. Herself, her body, the simple fact of being in it.

Her fingers drifted lower, over the fine hairs at the edge of her mound, before retreating just as easily. Even alone, she never… tried.

It wasn’t a rule, just a truth.

Her hand skimmed back up, over her ribs, her collarbone. She could still feel Dani’s mouth there, the press of her lips, the deliberate drag of her tongue.

Dani, who had taken her time. Who had asked. Who had touched her like she already knew the answer.

Lexy swallowed, fingers stilling.

That had never happened with men.

The memory flickered through her, uninvited.

The ache had started at sixteen. Doctors on Henderson called it vaginismus—a clinical name that didn’t explain the way her body locked up at the worst moment, the burn, the failure. Spasms, no entry, try stretching. She tried. Pills, breathing exercises, gritted teeth. She hadn’t made it that far. She even cried once, in the station showers, when it still wouldn’t stop hurting. At eighteen, she’d given it one last shot. Same pain. Same look on the guy’s face when she said stop. The boys turned bitter, quick. One called her frigid. Another just… stopped talking.

At nineteen, she stopped pretending.

And a mechanic’s daughter with oil-stained cheeks and a crooked smile had touched her in a cargo bay like there was nothing broken to fix. For the first time, her body didn’t fight her. No clenching, no shame. Just yes.

Lexy exhaled, blinking back into the present.

Dani lay beside her, still asleep, one arm draped across the sheet, her breathing soft and steady. The dim nightlight cast a low amber glow, tracing the curve of her cheekbone, the bow of her lips, the slight furrow in her brow, even at rest.

Lexy smiled, shifting onto her side.

Her fingers found Dani’s jaw first, skimming lightly, barely touching. She traced along her cheek, the faint hollow where a dimple might form if she smiled. Down, over the curve of her throat, lingering at the delicate dip between collarbones.

Dani sighed in her sleep, shifting slightly but not waking.

Lexy’s hand ghosted lower, down the smooth plane of her sternum, the swell of her breast—not groping, not teasing, just feeling.

Dani stirred, lashes fluttering. Then dark eyes blinked open, hazy with sleep, focusing on Lexy.

A slow, lazy smile spread across her lips. “Hey.”

Lexy smirked. “Hey yourself.”

Dani stretched, back arching slightly, and Lexy’s palm followed the movement, tracing the curve of her ribs. Dani sighed into it, warm and content, watching her with something half-amused, half-hungry.

“You always wake up this touchy?” Dani murmured.

Lexy huffed a small laugh, thumb brushing absently over the ridge of Dani’s collarbone. “Only when I’ve got something good to touch.”

Dani smirked, tilting her head, catching Lexy’s fingers between her teeth for a brief, teasing bite before releasing them.

Lexy rolled her eyes, but the warmth in her chest deepened.

Dani shifted closer, their bodies pressing together, and kissed her. A slow, sleepy kiss—soft, unhurried, the kind that didn’t lead to anything right away, just tasted the moment.

Lexy melted into it, fingers curling slightly where they rested.

Dani kissed her again, slower this time, then pulled back just enough to meet her gaze. Her eyes darkened, playful.

Lexy barely had time to register the shift before Dani started moving—sliding down, lips grazing her throat, her collarbone, lower, pressing soft kisses along the same path Lexy’s fingers had traced earlier.

Lexy exhaled, a slow, contented sigh.

And let her.