"No more secrets, yeah?" David looked at Alma curiously when she spoke up. They were sitting on the bridge again, much like last time the shields were down and the endless sea of black and stars could be seen vividly. Truthfully, he hadn't exactly looked away from her since earlier. He couldn't totally believe it that she had finally seen things his way. It was good, it felt good, and he hoped things wouldn't change so drastically when everyone else was awake.
Taking breakfast with her she had decided to go halves and share with David. He scrunched his face up, he could totally see why she always complained about the food, it was awful. There was a reason why he chose not to eat it, even if he didn't necessarily need to. Just another thing to do to fit in, it is one thing on the list with many others. But afterwards, she had taken to holding his hand. She turned it over in her own and inspected it. David watched her, all rather uncertain with what she was trying to find. He didn't know if she found what she was looking for, but she eventually placed her palm against his and linked her fingers with his.
It was after sitting silent like this for a few moments before she piped up. David shifted slightly and looked from the view to her. "Like?"
Alma hummed and pouted in thought. "Like...if something is bothering you, don't lie or cover it up." She decided with a nod and looked to him quickly before looking back to the windows.
David looked at her and slowly sighed. "Peter Weyland is onboard."
"Wait, what?!" Alma stumbled a little over her thoughts and double took at him. David smiled honestly and even nodded slowly. "What?" She could only just about manage that one word. She couldn't quite figure out anything more.
David looked forwards at where their legs outstretched. Tilting his head back against the unit behind him, he shut his eyes. "He's onboard." He repeated sounding slightly more distant on the matter. Opening his eyes, he tilted his head to look at her. Alma was looking at him with wide eyes. She opened her mouth to try and say something, only to shake her head and look around confused. "You said no secrets."
"I wasn't expecting that! I was expecting little sneaking admissions of dream watching. Or even standing behind the controls and pretending to drive the ship; not this, never this. What's he doing here?" Alma asked while turning to kneel beside him.
David looked her over with a plain look and looked forwards again. "He believes that whoever made you, can help provide more life."
"He's dying?"
"He's supposedly dead."
"Erm..."
"There's a message, it was recorded before this ship left. He states it himself, the being dead part; not the other part about your creators. The message will be played when everyone is awake." He explained while she let go of his hand and ended up turning and laying down. David looked down as she simply rested her head in his lap. She crossed her arms with a puzzled look on her face. He smiled down at her, "What is it?"
"You don't speak very fondly of him." She said while glancing his way. "Like...you two spent a fair bit of time together. I honestly thought you wouldn't sound so...displeased."
"Do you believe in what he thinks?"
"No."
David inclined his head, "Enough said."
Alma frowned slowly, she uncrossed her arms and pointed a finger at him. "You think he's an idiot."
"Your words not mine." David smiled and stroked a hand over her hair.
"But you're not contradicting."
He shrugged simply, "No secrets go hand in hand with no lying, and you dislike being lied to; so, there we go, Weyland is here, he thinks he can stop himself from dying, and you think he's an idiot." Alma laughed, which caused him to grin. He did sound rather serious on the matter only to end up turning a little joking.
"I take it no one else knows?"
"Miss Vickers."
"Of course."
"But no one else. Try and keep it secret, Alma."
"I'm not exactly going to go shouting it about, am I?"
"Even more so now, I mean I would be the only one who could hear." David shrugged, Alma laughed and placed her hands over her face. She nodded agreeing with him though. "But I mean it. Try to not let slip."
She peeked from her fingers. "Especially where Meredith is involved." Her voice was muffled from her hands, but she could see David nod slowly. He looked at her curiously though when she sat upright and put her hands to his chest. "That's who else you talked to!"
"I'm very selective, what can I say?" He smiled, she rolled her eyes and shook her head. "But I did not visit him as much as I visited you."
Alma leaned forwards, "I'm not jealous." She whispered and then moved back and stood up when David tried to close the distance. He frowned up at her but took the hand that was held out to him.
Slipping his hand into hers he stood, she didn't contribute much to aiding him here, but it was the thought that counts. "Did I voice such a thing?" He chose to ask.
"You're the one who said you visited me more. Are you trying to not make me feel like second best?"
"You're not second best," David said while stroking the back of his hand over her cheek. "Never. Now," he leaned down and picked up the abandoned and forgotten food things and stood back up straight with the tray in his hands and a small smile on his face. "How would you like to spend the day?"
"Bet I can beat you at basketball." Alma said while turning away and walking over to the shield controls. She lowered them and watched as he passed with a smug smile on his face.
"I doubt it. But we'll see."
"You wouldn't even let me win to humour me?"
David looked confused over the suggestion. "But what good would that do?" He looked at her as he entered the kitchen with her trailing after him.
"It'd make you a nice, considerate person and me feel rather chuffed."
"Even though your victory would be a lie?" David asked while placing the tray down on the counter and then turning to look at her. Alma nodded her head quickly, he shook his. "You humans have some strange ways."
"Come on!" Alma said playfully, "Come on!" She laughed when he looked like he was about to say otherwise. She walked forwards and grabbed onto his hands and started walking back. "It'll be fun. We'll do this, I'll gloat over my already predetermined win and then we can do something you want."
David raised an eyebrow at that. "Something-"
"Within reason." Alma rolled her eyes.
David got his hands free from hers and held them up in defence. "I was merely going to suggest watching a movie." He smirked, lowering his arms he reached out with one and tapped her on the forehead. "What's going on in there, hm?" He asked and watched as she looked a little flustered. David smiled and nodded forwards, "Will you be able to play?"
"Hm?"
"Your arm." He said slowly, he didn't like to remember the fact that he had to physically grab her to stop her. He had hoped words were enough. She rubbed it slowly and cautiously earlier on. The thought of basketball and a possible bruised arm didn't seem to settle well with him.
"Oh!" Alma said suddenly as if she had just remembered the whole thing. David smiled, thankful that she was trying to forget the whole turn of events. "It'll be fine."
"May I see?" She looked at him guardedly and hesitantly. "Please?" He asked softly. If he hurt her, he would like to see the damage. He didn't know anything he could do to help a bruise. He could only apologise for it being there.
She sighed and stopped walking to fidget and pull her jumper up and over her head. She straightened out the plain black vest and looked at her arm. She turned and showed him too and David's eyes slowly darkened. It wasn't much, a hand print which was faint in colour, but there nonetheless.
He reached out and tentatively turned her arm to look at it better. He ran a finger tenderly over the mark and watched as she winced slightly and tried to pull away. "Sorry," he whispered, both for the sudden shooting pain she was no doubt feeling, and for hurting her in the first place. David tilted his head in thought and leaned down and kissed the mark gently, he hardly touched her at all and got a small flinch from her.
"I'll heal, it'll be fine." Alma said while turning her jumper over in her hands, by now his hands were resting on her shoulders. "Honestly...now are you going to let me win a game or am I going to have to go and have a game on my own?" Alma asked with a smile as she turned on her heels and trotted quickly towards the court, David sighed and shook his head. He stuck his hands in his pockets and followed her slowly, he frowned when he felt something in his pocket. Pulling his hand back out he opened his palm and looked to the ring sitting there.
He glanced up to where Alma was now standing bouncing the ball on the spot, she seemed none the wiser to him suddenly watching her, again. "You left something in your room." David said while tucking his hands behind his back and stopping in front of her.
Alma stopped her actions and looked up bemused by his words. "I did?" She frowned in thought, David pulled his arm from around his back and held his hand out to her. Opening it up, he turned it and allowed her to see the ring. Her eyes widened slowly as if she suddenly realised, this was made more obvious by the fact that she suddenly looked at her hand and finger and then back at his palm.
"May I ask why you even took it off?" David asked while taking her hand, completely ignoring the ball which now fell to the floor and bounced a few times before rolling away. He turned her hand over and slipped the ring slowly back onto her finger. She didn't answer straight away which caused him to look at her with a frown. She was looking at her hand with a distant look, yet David stood and waited patiently for her to say something.
"Because I was angry." She reasoned slowly while slowly looking away from where her hand remained in his. "Now, are we going to have this match or not?"
"If you wish," David conceded and walked over to where the ball had trailed off. He threw it in the air and caught it while smiling at her. "First to what number? I'll allow you that much."
"Ten?" She offered with a tilt of her head.
David's eyes narrowed, he smiled though and looked about the dimly lit space. "Sure, that's if you can get past one."
"You're so cocky!"
"I may allow you to win, as that apparently will make me a nice person, and considerate and all that. But I never said I would make it easy on you." He said while walking past her and jumping away when she went to make a lunge for the ball. David just shook his head and even went to hold it above his head, he didn't even have to run and move away from her; being taller than her meant that if he held the ball above his head, she had no hope in getting it. Though she did try, she did jump and try and he'd just move his arm away from her outstretched hands.
"This isn't fair!"
"I did just say it wouldn't be. Seriously, Alma..." David sighed and simply cupped the ball and threw it. She stopped trying to jump for it then and just stood still holding onto his shoulders from where she was trying to get some leverage to get the ball. The ball by now had gone through the basket and bounced lamely against the ground before stopping. She slowly looked away and up at him, David smiled rather happily with himself. "1 – 0, Miss."
"I don't think I want to play anymore." Alma said while playfully glaring up at him.
"You're being such a sore loser already, Alma. I never thought you'd be the type." David said while moving over to the ball and passing it to her. "Go on," he sighed and crossed his arms.
"Don't stand there giving me a free pass!"
"Who said anything of the such? I'm waiting for you to make a move. Then I shall defend however possible." David said while she looked at him worriedly. "I'm not going to go totally full on defending, don't look so scared." Alma bounced the ball and nodded slowly, he watched her and easily ran after her when he managed to avoid her and dodge to the side.
Honestly, David would've loved days like this to go on and on, but sadly it did eventually come to an end. He laid in bed with Alma, she was happily asleep, using one of his shirts as pyjamas. It was strange really, David didn't quite understand it, but it seemed to bring her comfort of some description, along with having him close. He watched as something troubled her and she turned her face more against the hand which rested under her face, she buried her face against the grey sleeve and then let out a sigh. For someone who said they didn't dream, they seemed to be doing a pretty brilliant job here.
Regardless he had to check the systems, like he did every day to make sure everything was working properly and up to standards. He brushed a stray strand of hair out of Alma's face and tucked it behind her ear. She stirred slightly and her eyes tiredly opened to look at him. David smiled, "Go back to sleep, Alma. I'll be back in a couple of minutes or two." She smiled and reached up to give him a loose hug before letting him go and laying back down.
David stood slowly from the bed and turned and pulled the covers back over her. She buried her face now into the pillow which he had been using. He smiled and reached down to pick up his own grey shirt from the floor, pulling it on over the white t-shirt he wore, he turned and left the room while buttoning it up. The last month or so since her waking up, had gone smoothly. David if anything had to admit that he had never known such happiness as this. And by the ever increasing casual and content behaviour from Alma, David was rather assured that she felt the same. They were on the same page this time. And they had been on a few things, keeping their relationship – Alma's words were: "What we have," but David preferred relationship – a secret from the others was a given.
Though he was even more up for being open about it all, he was only feeling this way towards her. Other people knowing their business didn't sit well with him. No one else needed to know about them, their past as such, other than the obvious. They both decided that her waking early couldn't be kept a secret, because anyone could access the records on the ship and see that one chamber had been opened early. The whole Christmas affair was something they thought they'd tackle together if anyone ever found out. If not, then what other people didn't know wouldn't hurt them. Which could be generally said about their relationship. David didn't want to go broadcasting it, he may not care about what other people thought or said or even did, but Alma did; and that alone was why he'd keep silent unless called out.
Other things they agreed on were the obvious notions of how they acted towards each other. They had to have some semblance of professionalism, even if it would be relaxed professionalism. Alma agreed that at the end of the day he could come back and spend the night with her. She didn't like both the thought of him walking the corridors like he did when on his own, or being stuck with someone he didn't want to be around; mainly thinking of Meredith here. And both agreed that if a moment arose just to let it go and see where it went; honestly it hadn't been a onetime thing, there had been a time where Alma had clung so tightly to him, David had sworn he had never been held so tightly before. There were deeply content sighs and sounds which came from her, that he couldn't help but feel a little smug knowing that he could make her feel like this. She'd run her hands through his hair and grip onto the blonde strands before deeply kissing him. David couldn't help but smile widely when she'd kiss him like that, it was safe to say that any and all preconceptions had been well and truly forgotten on her behalf; and he was all the happier for it, it meant no more persuading attempts, shortly spoken words to get her out of any denial...and they were happy.
It would make sense that it couldn't last. Bliss never seemed to. David looked down at the wet footprints that he had stumbled across, his eyes followed the trail before his feet picked up and followed too. He turned and walked forwards, only to suddenly be confronted with Meredith Vickers doing push ups. He couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, well if anyone was going to do something like this as soon as they woke up, it would typically be her.
Meredith's own blue eyes slowly looked up at him as she paused, David just looked down at her as she remained stationary for a moment. "Robe!" Clearly him just standing there was irritating her somehow, with a restrained sigh David walked around and grabbed one from a hanger before holding it out to her. She basically snatched it from his hands, pulling it on she turned to an adjoining room. "How long?" Her voice spoke up, David remained where he was standing, though he could see her walking about.
"Two years, four months, eighteen days, thirty-six hours and fifteen minutes." David listed off simply while getting the slightest of nods from her. He wasn't expecting anything more really.
"Any casualties?"
"Casualties, ma'am?" He asked with a small frown appearing on his face.
Meredith turned and looked at him as if he had just asked the most ridiculous question possible. "Has anyone died?" She asked bluntly. Honestly, the last thing she wanted to contend with was a corpse on the ship. If there was one she had dearly hoped that David had seen to sorting out the protocols for it.
David frowned, "Miss Meadows had a touch and go moment." There was no point in lying. They had agreed to not keep her awakening early a secret, after all.
Meredith looked at him curiously then. She had paused in trying to find clean clothes. Her head tilted slightly and the corner of her mouth turned up ever so slightly. "Your pet human? What's wrong with her?"
David didn't rise to it. "Her body was giving up under the pressures of hypersleep." Which was true. If she stayed asleep any longer, she would've surely have died.
"She's still alive?"
"Very much." David responded with a small nod.
Meredith seemed to muse over this for a moment before nodding her head slowly too. "You must be pleased." She smirked and returned to finding clothes to put on.
David narrowed his eyes when her back was turned and let out a short sigh. Smiling politely when she turned back to him, he easily responded, "I'm pleased no one onboard has died during transit."
She didn't look bought on this, yet she just rolled her eyes. "Wake the others up."
David nodded and backtracked out of the room. As soon as he was away from her he let the smile slip, the expression was just replaced with a rather stormy one. It was still present when he walked into Alma's room, he should technically wake her up so she could be present when the others came to. She could be of some aid as well, because he knew full well Meredith wouldn't be.
Only when he got back to her room he was met with an empty bed. He turned and looked to the side as she popped up with a toothbrush in her mouth. She was still in his shirt, "What?" She asked after quickly going to spit out the foamy substance and return after wiping her face clean and drying it.
"We have company." David said while watching as she pottered around the room pulling clothes out for the day, his words caused her to pause.
"Company?"
"Miss Vickers."
"Oh shit..." Alma muttered under her breath and sat down on the bed cross legged. "No wonder you look unhappy." Meredith and him clashed at the best of times, she had seen it in a few instances, but now this? Why did she have to be the first to wake up?
David walked over, he knelt in front of her, "She already knows that you're awake too, Alma."
"Oh great!" She exclaimed sarcastically and threw her arms in the air.
David leaned forwards and put his hands either side of her, "I need your help. It'll mean being with me and not near her. We need to wake the others. But to do that I suggest getting dressed. Not saying my shirt doesn't suit you, but it may raise suspicions, don't you think?" He smirked and raised an eyebrow in question.
Alma sighed and wrapped her arms around his neck. She combed her fingers through the back of his hair and sighed again. "But it's comfy."
"You can return to it when you need to sleep." He said quietly while kneeling more upright and becoming on an almost similar eye level as her, she was still a bit taller from being on the bed. "Get dressed, and get up, Miss." David said, much to her annoyance as he moved away. He watched as she got a little annoyed over his teasing, leaning back down he kissed her. She reached up to hold onto him, she even let out a saddened noise when he moved away again. "Now, Alma."
"You're distracting me."
David smirked and stepped away. "I'll leave you to it. I'll stand right here and wait for you then." He watched her jump to a stand and go back to the bathroom to change. After a few moments, she appeared while braiding her hair. "Ready?" She nodded her head, "You know some may have similar reactions to you?"
Alma looked suddenly pale as they left her room. "I don't do well with sick..."
David looked up at the ceiling. "Perhaps you can provide water for them then?"
"Be the tea lady as it were, huh?"
"It gets you away from kidney bowls and bodily functions."
"Ew, David! Why did you have to go there for? What is wrong with you?" Alma laughed, she couldn't help it, no offence to the others who were probably going to have an awful awakening; but his rather blunt joking did make her laugh.
——
(Edited: 2/March/2021)