alara x ed

chapter 1: late nights

*they had just finished a battle with the krill and one of their crew members was killed, and Alara blames herself*

Alara awoke to the sound of someone entering her door. She 
Meant to say "Come in", but nothing came out. Eventually, they left. Alara rose groggily from her bed and walked over to her food synthesizer, but stopped in her tracks when she found she wasn't hungry. She got dressed in her uniform and depressingly got ready to go to the bridge. Once she sat down, she took a glance at her captain, Ed Mercer. She admired his smile (although it was at Kelly), and his sense of humor. Of course, when he looked at her, she looked away. She was always hesitant about her feelings, maybe because she had trouble expressing them, or maybe because she doesn't think about it much, but there is one thing that she does know. Alara Kitan is in love with Ed Mercer. She knew he could never feel the same, but that never stopped her. "Alara? Do you need something?" Snapped her out of her trance. "No Captain, I'm ok" she managed to blurt. She felt this would be a long day.

Timeskip to later that afternoon-

Alara was in her quarters, crying. She was thinking about her fear and how it killed a crewmate. And she heard the door ring. "Come in?" She said hesitantly, considering it was pretty late. She was wondering who was at the door at this time.
Ed was standing in the doorway, looking at her with concern, although she was hoping he didn't notice the red in her eyes. "Can I sit?" He asks, motioning toward her bed. "Sure," she said, her voice giving away her emotions. "Would you... mind telling me why you were acting different on the bridge today?" "I.." she started to cry, her makeup smearing and her nose running. When Ed realized what had happened, he was surprised. Never before has he seen an Xeleyan cry, especially not Alara. He slowly, awkwardly wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to him. In slight confusion, she looked up at him. They locked eyes, making her flustered more than sad. In seeing this, she laid her head on his chest, pulling him to lie down with her. He pulled her closer to him and this time, wrapped both his arms around her, waiting until she fell asleep. He tried to stay awake, but eventually, he fell asleep too.