Sunlight filtered through the window, casting warm golden rays across the room. Satou's eyes opened slowly, his mind still pleasantly foggy from sleep. The first thing he became aware of was warmth, the comfortable warmth of another body pressed against his

Lyra.

She was still asleep, her face peaceful in a way he rarely saw during waking hours. Her hair was tousled, spread across the pillow, and she looked younger somehow, without the weight of responsibility creasing her brow.

Satou couldn't help but smile. Last night had been unexpected. Perfect, but unexpected. He'd gone into the date thinking it would be a pleasant evening to help Lyra relax. He hadn't anticipated how natural it would feel to be with her, how right it felt to hold her, to kiss her, to…

His smile widened at the memory.

Careful not to wake her, Satou reached out and gently traced his fingers along her cheek, following the curve of her jaw. Her skin was soft and warm beneath his touch. He found himself memorizing this moment, the quiet morning, the peaceful expression on her face, the simple contentment of having someone beside him.

At his touch, Lyra stirred slightly. Her eyes fluttered open, unfocused at first, then sharpening as she registered where she was and who she was with. For a brief moment, panic crossed her features, the instinctive response of someone used to waking alone with work to do.

Then she saw Satou's face, saw him smiling at her, and the panic melted into something softer.

"Good morning," Satou said quietly, his hand still resting against her cheek.

"Morning," Lyra replied, her voice still husky from sleep. A blush crept across her face as memories of the previous night clearly came flooding back. "So that happened."

"It did," Satou confirmed, his thumb gently stroking her cheek. "Any regrets?"

"None," Lyra said immediately, then seemed to reconsider. "Well, maybe one. I wish we didn't have to get up and go back to being responsible leaders. Can we just stay here forever?"

Satou laughed softly. "Tempting. Very tempting. But I think the settlement might notice if both their leaders disappeared."

"Let them notice," Lyra mumbled, snuggling closer to him and burying her face against his chest. "I'm sure Urgak can handle things for a few days. Or weeks. Or months."

"Lyra, are you suggesting we abandon our responsibilities?" Satou asked, feigning shock. "You? The same person who worked herself to exhaustion three days ago because there was too much to do?"

"That was before I discovered how comfortable your bed is," Lyra replied, her words muffled against his chest. "And how nice it is to wake up next to someone who actually cares about you. I'm reconsidering my priorities."

Satou wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer. "I do care about you. More than I realized until last night."

Lyra lifted her head to look at him, her expression serious despite the intimate position. "Really? This isn't just a one time thing because the date went well?"

"Really," Satou confirmed. He leaned down to kiss her forehead. "Last night made me realize I've been so focused on building the settlement that I forgot to actually live. You reminded me that there's more to life than just surviving and working. And I'd like to keep being reminded of that. Preferably by you. Frequently."

"Frequently, huh?" Lyra's smile was both shy and pleased. "I think I can arrange that."

"Good," Satou said, kissing her properly this time. The kiss started gentle but quickly deepened, hands beginning to wander as the pleasant warmth between them shifted into something more heated.

Then, just as things were getting interesting, a knock sounded at the door.

They both froze.

"Satou?" Jessica's voice called from outside. "Are you home? You have a visitor!"

Panic flashed across both their faces. Lyra immediately rolled away from Satou, scrambling to find her clothes which were scattered across the floor. Satou wasn't much better, grabbing for his pants while trying to smooth down his thoroughly mussed hair.

"Just a minute!" Satou called out, his voice probably sounding more strained than he'd intended.

"Is everything okay?" Jessica asked, concern creeping into her voice. "You sound weird."

"Everything's fine!" Satou replied, hopping on one foot while trying to pull his pants on. "Just give me a second!"

Lyra had managed to get her dress on but was frantically trying to retie the laces that had been hastily undone the night before. Her hair was an absolute disaster, clearly advertising exactly what they'd been doing.

"Here," Satou whispered, moving behind her to help with the laces. His fingers were clumsy with nervousness, but he managed to get them tied.

"How do I look?" Lyra asked, trying to smooth down her hair.

"Like you just had an extremely enjoyable night with someone," Satou said honestly. "Your hair is a mess and you're glowing."

"That's not helpful!"

"Satou?" Jessica knocked again, more insistently. "The visitor said it's urgent. Something about a summons?"

"Coming!" Satou called. He looked at Lyra. "Ready?"

"Not even slightly," Lyra replied. "But we can't hide in here forever."

"We could try," Satou suggested with a grin.

"Don't tempt me," Lyra said, but she was smiling too.

Satou took a deep breath and opened the door.

Jessica stood there, her expression initially concerned. Then her eyes went wide as she saw not just Satou, but Lyra standing behind him, clearly having just gotten dressed, her hair still disheveled despite her attempts to fix it.

"Oh," Jessica said, her voice flat. Then her eyes narrowed. "Oh."

"Good morning, Jessica," Satou said cheerfully, as if there was nothing unusual about having Lyra in his room at dawn. "You said something about a visitor?"

"What is she doing in your room?" Jessica asked, her voice taking on an edge that Satou hadn't heard before. Her eyes flicked between them, taking in Satou's rumpled appearance, Lyra's obvious nervousness, the general state of the room that suggested two people had spent the night together.

There was something in her expression, something that looked almost like hurt, though Satou couldn't quite understand why.

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