Parr leaned back, stretching her legs out so her boot nudged his under the table. “Careful with compliments, Ayres. I’ll start thinking you’re angling for something.”

He arched an eyebrow. “Like fishing?”

“More like the kind that gets you in trouble.” She did not move her foot.

He shifted slightly, but not enough to break contact.

“I thought I was already in trouble. You’ve been accusing me of all sorts of crimes since you sat down.”

“Only the fun ones.” She lifted the PADD and flicked through a couple of screens without interest before setting it down again. “You’re terrible at pretending to work, by the way.”

“That’s because I’m out of practice. I usually have a very dedicated executive officer doing all the work.”

She smirked. “I must be getting lazy.”

“Or maybe,” he said, leaning forward just enough to lower his voice, “you like giving me room to breathe now and then.”

The corner of her mouth curled. “I suppose you’ll find out, if you don’t manage to talk yourself into more romantic holidays with other captains.”

“I told you, we debated boxing. Hardly romantic.”

“That depends,” she said, meeting his eyes, “on how you define romance.”

Ayres let out a quiet laugh, feeling a strange warmth in his chest that had nothing to do with the breeze. “Remind me never to get in the ring with you.”

Parr tilted her head, a glint of mischief in her eyes. “Oh, I think you’d hold your own, for a few rounds.”

A server passed by with a tray of drinks, the scent of strong coffee curling into the air between them. Parr turned to flag him down, brushing her fingers against Ayres’s forearm in the process. It was the lightest touch, but enough to make him pause mid-thought.

“Two coffees,” she told the server without looking away from him. “One for the captain, before he starts thinking too much again.”

He raised an eyebrow. “You think caffeine will help with that?”

“I think it’ll keep you from overcomplicating things.” She leaned just a little closer as the server moved off. “You’re a menace when you brood.”

“I don’t brood.”

“You do. You get this faraway look and I start wondering if I should throw something at you to bring you back.”

“That’s violent for an XO.”

“Only for certain captains.” She tilted her head, close enough now that he could catch the faint trace of whatever she had used after her cold plunge earlier, a clean, bracing scent that did not match the warm breeze.

He could have leaned back. He did not. Her foot pressed lightly against his again under the table, deliberately this time. The coffees arrived, but neither of them looked away.

“Captain. Commander.”

The voice snapped the space between them like a taut line giving way. Ayres sat back, Parr shifted just enough to glance over her shoulder.

Meredith Vennock strode up the pier with a medkit slung casually at her side, her short, efficient steps making it clear she had better things to do than stroll.

“Relaxing, are we?” she said, setting the kit down on the empty table beside them with a solid thunk. “Glad to see the two of you aren’t stuck in some conference room pretending to enjoy an operations briefing.”

“Doctor,” Ayres greeted, voice smoothing into formality that did not quite hide his annoyance at the interruption. “What brings you out here?”

“Jimmy told me I should get some fresh air before I start blending in with the sickbay walls.” She gave Parr a quick, sharp nod. “And before you ask, yes, I’ve had breakfast, and no, I’m not here to drag you to sickbay.”

Parr smirked. “I wasn’t going to ask.”

Vennock turned her attention back to Ayres. “The engineers tell me they’re ready for the Sacramento’s medical systems to be reconnected. I told them to send me a message when they actually meant it. So, here I am.”

She glanced between them, her eyes narrowing a fraction, quick, assessing. “Well, don’t let me ruin your little strategy meeting. I promised Jimmy I’d walk around, look at the flowers or whatever it is you people do in here.”

With that, she lifted the medkit and started down the pier, “Try not to break anything while I’m gone. Bones or otherwise.”

Parr waited until Vennock was well out of earshot before leaning back toward Ayres, a spark of amusement in her eyes. “Friendly.”

“Very,” Ayres agreed. But his gaze lingered on Parr for a moment longer than necessary, as if picking up exactly where they had left off.

Parr sipped her coffee, eyes still on the lake. “You know,” she said, as if mulling over something, “Vennock’s comment gave me an idea.”

“Oh?” Ayres leaned back, wary. “That’s usually dangerous.”

She turned to him, her expression unreadable except for the faintest lift at the corner of her mouth. “You and I should spar.”

Ayres blinked. “Spar.”

“Mmhmm.” She set the cup down, leaning her forearms on the table. “You keep telling me you’d lose, but I think you just like saying it. We could test the theory.” She tilted her head, studying him. “A friendly contest. We both know you’re too competitive to walk away from that.”

He tried for a dismissive smirk, but it came out closer to a grin. “You mean you want to hit your commanding officer and get away with it.”

Parr’s voice dropped a shade lower, just enough for the words to feel heavier. “Oh, I wouldn’t just hit you.”

The air between them seemed to shift, warmer somehow despite the breeze. Ayres cleared his throat and reached for his coffee, buying himself a moment.

“I’ll think about it,” he said.

Parr leaned back in her chair, satisfied. “That’s all I wanted to hear.”

Parr finished her coffee in a few easy swallows, set the cup down, and stood. “Come on then, before you come up with an excuse.”

Ayres stayed seated, looking up at her with mock scepticism. “Now? I thought we were pretending to work.”

“This is pretending to work,” she said, hands on hips. “For me, anyway. You can walk behind me all the way to the gym thinking of ways to get out of it.”

He sighed, set his own cup down, and rose. “If I’m going to lose, I’d rather do it quickly.”

“Such confidence.” She fell into step beside him, her arm brushing his as they headed off the pier. “I’ll be gentle.”

“Somehow I doubt that.”

“Smart man.”

The walk through the starbase’s arboretum was warm and bright, the lake receding behind them as the path curved toward the indoor complex.

Ayres was aware, more than he should have been, of Parr’s stride matching his, the easy swing of her hand at her side.

“You realise,” he said, “if word gets out you floored me, I’ll never hear the end of it.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t tell anyone.” She shot him a sidelong glance. “Some things are better kept private.”

The doors to the gym hissed open, cool recycled air replacing the lake breeze. A few people glanced their way, but Parr ignored them, heading straight for the sparring mats.

“Don’t worry, Captain,” she said over her shoulder. “I’ll make sure you walk out of here in one piece.”

He followed, a faint smile tugging at his mouth. “And if I win?”

Parr stepped onto the mat, turning to face him with a grin that was all challenge. “Then I’ll owe you a reward.”

Ayres stepped onto the mat, rolling his shoulders. “You’ve been waiting for this, haven’t you?”

Parr was already barefoot, stretching with the casual precision of someone who enjoyed this kind of thing. “Since the day you told me you don’t have time for sparring.”

“That was a polite way of saying I had better things to do.”

She circled him slowly, feet light on the mat. “And yet here you are.”

He mirrored her movement, watching her stance, loose, but not lazy. “If you’re hoping for an easy victory, you’ll be disappointed.”

“Oh, I’m rarely disappointed.” She stepped in first, testing him with a quick jab toward his midsection. He deflected, but she used the momentum to sweep her leg toward his. He hopped back just in time.

They traded a few more light blows, neither committing fully, both learning the other’s rhythm. Ayres feinted left, caught her wrist, and spun, but she slipped free with a twist that left them closer than before, her breath warm near his ear.

“Careful, Captain,” she murmured, “I might think you’re enjoying this.”

He stepped back, resetting his stance. “If I said I was?”

“Then I’d hit harder.”

She lunged again, but this time he caught her arm and used her momentum to pull her forward. They locked briefly, her palm flat against his chest, his hand gripping her forearm. Neither moved. The faint hum of the gym’s ventilation was suddenly the loudest sound in the room.

“Still think you’ll win?” he asked.

Her eyes flicked to his, a spark there he had not seen before. “I know I will.”

She broke the hold with a clean pivot, sending him back a step. He laughed, short, genuine, and came at her again. The match picked up speed, their movements blurring into something more like a dance than a fight, each countered strike a half-tease, each brush of contact a fraction longer than necessary.

Finally, she caught him off balance with a hooked leg, sending him down to one knee.

“Yield?” she asked, grinning

He looked up at her, breath steady but pulse racing. “Not a chance.”

Ayres surged upward before she could press her advantage, catching her around the waist and pivoting hard. They tumbled to the mat together, the impact cushioned but close enough that she gave a startled laugh. She twisted to pin him, but his grip was firm, his weight balanced just enough to keep her from rolling free.

“Yield?” he asked, echoing her earlier tone.

Parr’s eyes narrowed in mock challenge. “You first.”

For a moment, neither moved. Her hands pressed lightly against his chest, his forearm braced beside her head. There was no urgency to end it, no real effort to break free, just the steady thrum of their breathing, the hum of the gym, and the strange stillness between them.

Then, with a sudden shift of her hips and a hooked arm, she reversed their positions and landed astride him, one knee pressing gently into his shoulder. “Yield,” she said again, her smile downright triumphant.

Ayres let his head drop back against the mat and exhaled through his nose. “Fine. You win.”

“Of course I do.” She released him and stood, offering a hand. He took it, letting her pull him to his feet, though she caught the faint smirk he tried to hide. “What?” she asked, brushing at the loose strands of hair that had escaped her braid.

“Nothing,” he said, retrieving a towel from the nearby bench. “Just thinking how much you’re going to enjoy telling people you beat me.”

“Oh, I’m not telling anyone,” Parr said, collecting a towel of her own. “Like I said, some victories are better kept private.”

As they left the mat side by side, Ayres realised he was grinning and tried, somewhat unsuccessfully, to look serious.

The gym doors slid open and the warmer air of the arboretum rushed in, carrying the faint scent of the lake again. Parr fell into step beside Ayres, her hair still slightly mussed from the match, a few wisps catching the breeze.

The path wound between clusters of tall, green-leafed trees, the lake glinting through gaps ahead. Somewhere off to the right, a birdlike creature gave a bright, lilting call.

“You’re quiet,” Parr said at last, glancing sideways at him.

“Just thinking.”

“Dangerous habit.”

He smiled. “I was thinking about how you fight.”

Her brow lifted. “Careful. That sounds like the start of a compliment.”

“It was,” he said, without hesitation.

That earned him a small, genuine smile. “You weren’t bad yourself. For an old pilot.”

He huffed a quiet laugh. “High praise.”

They reached the edge of the pier where the Sentinel Café still bustled, though their table was now taken by a young couple enjoying an early lunch.

Ayres slowed, as if unsure whether to head back to quarters or stay in the arboretum a while longer. Parr matched his pace, her arm brushing his again, light, accidental on the surface, though neither of them moved away.

“You know,” she said, eyes still on the lake, “if you ever want a rematch, I might let you win.”

He turned to look at her, catching the slight curve of her mouth. “I doubt that.”

“Depends how much I’m enjoying myself.”

She met his gaze, the air between them still humming from the match. They stood there a moment longer than needed, before Ayres nodded toward the path leading deeper into the arboretum. “Walk?”

Parr nodded. “Walk.”