Yoü and I

[Danger Arceneau]

​

B E S T I N E
Nebula Dawn - VT- Silver


It was strange. Surreal.

Danger couldn't manage to keep her eyes off the ring. Perhaps, this was a small token sensation towards what Sunstone sickness felt like? No, it wasn't that. [member="Alric Kuhn"] had made sure that the glow of the Sunstones would be muted, but still beautiful. Still stunning.

The two polished and cut gems gave off a soft glow akin to that of the Twin Suns, the dark brushed Aurodium and electrum seemingly shifting like the sands of the Western Sea. It was... breathtaking. A slight wiggle of her fingers enhanced the illusion of movement, and the result only widened the curve of her smile.

Verdant eyes rose to latch upon the cobalt blue of the Old Tetan sitting beside her, his expression bathing with content pleasure and simple joy at her lingering reaction.

"How did you ever..." she began, still wondering how it all came about. What had happened. Above all, why he was in an arm cast and using a cane to walk. There were still several unanswered questions, her emotions were all over the place, and she was stuck between wanting to embrace him and digging for more information.

"Is this why you're hurt?"

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

He smiled, his head tilted back against the couch, eyes barely hanging open as he looked at her.

There was a certain serenity that carried through him, an absolute indescribable peace that simply seemed to float off of him. Everything seemed...right. The pain had dulled, the agony had been wisped away and everything was just perfect. The small amazement that still sat on her face, the disbelief, it was satisfaction put into an expression for Alric. This had always been his intent, his greatest want, to see Danger like this. He knew that deep done she was ready to jump over the moon and back.

That was enough.

"Kind of." Alric said truthfully, he owed her that. "I wasn't supposed to get hurt, but on my way back I was grabbed."

Confusion reigned on her face. "I made a mistake with the seedships. It came back to bite me...A few of the engineers from one of the ships...there was an accident, I didn't know about it."

The entire thing was hard to explain, very hard to explain.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

"An accident with the Seedships?" Danger would frown, brows furrowing together in confusion. After a moment, she scooted closer to Alric, searching his face. It was something that was difficult for him to discuss, she could tell by the slight strain that tensed his weathered visage, the clench of his jaw.

Her hand rose and came to rest on top of his own, the other joining just under his palm, squeezing his hand in comfort. The ring would bring with it the ember light glow along with it, a small candle like sphere of illumination. A focus.

"Do you need me to help in any way?" she wouldn't press for more information, if he wanted to elaborate he would do so himself. It was how they always would handle business matters between one and the other. Nothing was ever hidden, and they respected each other in regards to business decisions. That wasn't to say that counsel wasn't requested when asked, but otherwise, things were left be.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

He shook his head. "Nothing to do."

"The people that took me are all dead." The explosion that the machine had caused ensured that. Most of them had been in the main facility, those that hadn't been were caught by their own prisoners and torn apart. It was a harsh thing, but Alric had found out about it shortly before Danger had arrived. Vanir was relocating the prisoners from the ruin of the facility, bringing them home and ensuring that they would all make it through the next couple of months. It was the least that he could do. "The people that caused them to do it...well they'll get what's coming to them."

He had already made sure of that as well.

Things had moved quickly when he had finally received a proper com. The Seedship had been recalled, the captain had been placed under arrest, and now things would proceed into an actual inspection of all four of the seedships. It was necessary, and Alric very likely would put in place far more stringent oversight for each of the vessels.

A warm smile crossed his face as he looked at her, his good hand snaking into her lap to gently squeeze just above her knee. "I think for the next few days we'll focus on you."

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

Danger gave a half amused snort at that, as if that was a rather silly idea considering his state of affairs.

"I think that we'll focus on you instead, Mistah Kuhn." she said with emphasis, giving a pointed look at the cane he now used to walk and the brace his arm was in. That wasn't even including any other damage he possibly had under his suit. She enjoyed the touch of his hand none the less. The more time she spent with him, the more that she had him here with her, the more the tension she had been storing the past month eased away. She had been so anxious, holding it in as she was wont to do. He likely had seen it, noticed it. Nothing now a days ever seemed to slip past him, not when it came to her.

He'd always had that knack.


"You need rest." she added, halting the slight bite of her lower lip as she made her decision. They were already en-route back to Elysium Station. "And medical attention." she emphasized, already going through her mind what she would need to do. She could have Six take over for a time. The Techno Union already had received her notice that she was stepping down from the Executive Council. Motions had already gone underway to present a distinct Arceneau Representative to all applicable governments and bodies of power throughout the Galaxy.

"I'll have Aeri and Six take over my duties," she could take a month off, maybe two to look after Alric. If she didn't he was likely to wind out somewhere and get himself hurt again.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

He smiled slightly, though perhaps it was more of a smirk. Alric knew that even if he hadn't been injured this likely would have been the outcome of today. It was an occasion to say the least, something that the galaxy itself had likely never thought it would see. Danger Arceneau was engaged. It was something to be marked down in the history books, something that would spread across the galaxy and sweep through the holo-net in a matter of hours.

Alric knew that.

He also knew how Danger would respond to it.

"Medical attention, huh?" His hand slowly slipped to the inside of her thigh.

Mischief entered his eyes, amusement played across his smirk, bright blues sailing over Danger as his eyebrows gave only the slightest of waggles. "I could go for a bit of that."

He hadn't told her the other news yet, the decision that he had come to shortly after releasing the call with Vanir Headquarters. It wasn't something life changing for them, wasn't something that would be as marked as his proposal, but it was something of note. Alric knew that it was the right thing to do, knew that he had to do it, but right now he wanted Danger to focus on herself. She might insist on caring for him, doting on him even, but Alric could tell that in the back of her mind Danger was cheering in her own little way.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

He was a rascal. And he knew it.

That smug expression lit his bruised visage, the quirk of his lips twisting in the midst of his trimmed beard. He teased, drawing her from her thoughts about making sure he was taken care of by a medical attendant. It was more than that to be honest. He knew that right now that Danger was in shock, likely still registering the engagement. The ring. Everything.

He knew that this would be surreal for her. It was a situation she'd never expect herself to be in. Throughout her life, Danger was an extremely private person when it came to her personal life. Her reputation, her business, how others saw her, was important. This was why Danger never had a man tied to her name in the entire length of her career. She was the untouchable and unreachable beauty. She'd flirt, she'd tease, she'd make anyone feel as if they were on the top of the world -- but never beyond a platonic, business relationship. Her allure was in the chase, and she knew that.

It was for this very reason that twenty years ago, Alric and her had that arrangement. Nothing ever was public. Nothing revealed. No expectations. No commitments. To think that decades later, the former Titan would have taken the steps to make it so was mind-blowing. Danger was still reeling from it.

He knew that. He also knew how to distract her from her own internalization. Which is what she was doing. She had come a long way since being with Alric, but every now and then she reverted back to her old ways. Alric drawing her from that with a mere brush of his hand normally did the trick.

So along with the innuendo in his gaze and the smirk across his lips, Danger found herself distancing from those distracting thoughts. Their banter always did that.

"You'll certainly need plenty of bedrest." she began, amused as her fingers lightly went sailing up his arm and over his chest. There, she played with the collar of his shirt, a forefinger tracing the length of his jaw, feeling the bristle of his beard.

"Can't have you straining yourself in your old age, Kuhn."

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

His sly smile didn't disappear.

"Well, with all thats happened..." For a moment he trailed off, taking his good hand and wrapping it around her fingers, kissing her knuckles gently. "I think I'm due for someone else doing the strenuous activity."

It wasn't really subtle, but he was old, happy, and subtle was the least of his worries right now.

The truth was that he had her. He had her in a way that no man would ever have thought to had her. It wasn't about owning her of course, that was ludicrous, it was about companionship, true partnership. It was about accepting one another and Danger finally realizing what had been in front of her. In that regard she had always been as dense as he, and now, now with the ring on her finger and the small smile on her lips Alric could tell that she knew.

She knew he loved her.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

"That's a fair assessment," Danger would add with a throaty chuckle of her own, leaning in close to press her lips against his in a kiss. She was pliant, supple, sinking against him as much as she could without bringing him harm. How she loved this man. How every part of her being hummed at his presence, sent her ablaze in abandon.

I love him. I want him. To have. To hold. Mine alone. All these thoughts would race through her mind, and it made her feel exactly what the former Titan had wanted Danger to feel. Special. Adored. Desired. Wanted.

She would never ask to replace Silara. Danger knew well that Alric would always love his first wife. Just the same as she knew that Lily and Rose would always be first. But with this, what he had gone through great lengths to acquire, to forge and craft in the image of the place he detested the most meant more to Danger than anything else ever could. It was a strange thing to believe, but it did.

Maybe because Danger knew that despite his intense dislike for Tatooine, he was there for her. No matter what.

"I love you." she told him, a confession spoken aloud and rarely ever heard from the Queen of Trade. Her gaze softened, and that sweet surrender lay within it.

So there it was, what Alric was searching for. What he was waiting for. It was the joy in her eyes, the glow in her expression, the adoration in her touch. Warmth then encapsulated Alric Kuhn in that VT-Silver. It followed the trace of her lips, the sail of her hands, and the heat of her mouth.

If anything, one could certainly say that Alric Kuhn would have the happy ending he'd been looking for.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

​

A day or two went in the blink of an eye. Alric was confined to the bed, Danger did all in her power to speed his recovery, and everything seemed to go...well.

It was the only way he could have put it, the only way he could describe it. He called the girls and told them. Lily responded in her usual awkwardness to the subject, but in the holo-call he could see that she was happy for him. Rose was practically giddy, having warmed up to Danger quite a bit. Kiran simply offered him a grunt. Of course there would be bigger announcements soon, but for now Alric had only called those three. He was sure that Danger had made some calls of her own, though she had sneaked away for those.

Now it was the dawn of the third day, and Alric found himself sitting on the edge of his bed.

The Bacta treatments and Danger's expert nursing had done well for him, his arm was entirely healed and his ribs were only a dull ache. The pain in his leg was gone, though the muscle tissue there had been permanently damaged. Aspha could have fixed it, but in his Old Age Alric had decided he no longer wanted something like that. He could deal with a bit of a limp, it wasn't the worst thing that could have happened.

Slowly he shifted, groaning slight as his ribs prevented him from completely getting up.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

"Didn't I tell you to not go off movin' on your own?" the soft chide from Danger came floating from the refresher, the steam of the shower puffing small clouds of condensation around her as she adjusted her robe. Damp hair was slicked back away from her heartshaped face, and a stern gaze filled the green of her eyes at the Tetan.

A loose knot at her waist, bare feet would amble the matron over to Alric Kuhn, where she gave a slight flick of her forefinger against the width of the former Titan's forehead as punishment.

"Come on, I'll help you up," she offered, leaning down as her robe went slack, her hands moving to encircle one hand and the small of his back.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

Alric gave a grunt.

Staying in bed was all well and good, but eventually a man grew tired of laying around and enjoying the view. For Alric that time had now come. He wanted to get up and do things, or at least, sit somewhere else. The hand as his back pressed, and slowly Alric managed to push himself up and off of the bed. A spell of dizziness struck him for a moment, his head careening slightly as he tried to catch his balance. Eyes folded closed for a moment, using Danger to support himself.

He let out a deep breath, then shifted. "I"m alright."

There was something to be said about him survive all of this, taking all these injuries and still doing as well as he did. For some reason it was a point of pride for the old man, something that he took as a symbol of his ability to still do things. Of course, very shortly he would have a lot of time to do things, but that wasn't on the plate just yet.

"Hand me my cane?" Alric looked at Danger for a moment, then added. "My darling Fiancee."

A sly grin crossing his lips.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

It was still so strange to hear.

Fiancee.

That he added along with it an endearment would make anyone wonder if he was being smart about it, likely to rile Danger up. The mischief in his grin certainly spoke volumes of that theory, and Danger wasn't having none of it.

Her faint glower would hood her eyes, and she gave a slight snort. Granted, it did nothing to hide the faint smile that cracked the corner of her mouth, so in that it was a moot point. Taking his cane, she bopped him on the shoulder with it once before offering it for him to use.

"Darling, my ass." she quipped with a hoot, smoothing the sides of her robe and tying the waist with quick cinch. She watched him set the wooden cane down, his broad hand flexing over the knob as he gathered his bearings. He insisted on not using the Aspha, which only made her shake her head. Stubborn fool, she thought to herself, glancing back up to his face. "Want me to get you some tea?"

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

A more prideful man wouldn't have used the cane, but Alric was far beyond that. He didn't mind admitting his weakness, didn't mind showing it either. The cane was a plain wooden one that had been retrieved from the Doctor, not really anything special. Alric hadn't minded it so far, and truthfully he had only used it once or twice to get around the house. Perhaps in the future something more would be called for.

"Nah." He said with a shrug. "I'm in the mood for something stronger."

Caf perhaps?

It was hard to pin exactly what he wanted, though it's not like they were hard for choices. The apartment in the station contained nearly everything one could ever dream of. It was part of the benefit of living right near a tradeport. "What else do we have?"

Slowly the old man began to hobble towards the kitchen, somehow maintaining an air of dignity.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

"There's StarCaf," she mentioned the stimcaf they had. It was one of many varieties they had. "Blue milk, Namana nectar, Jaffa cider..." Danger would let her gaze wander behind the Tetan, appreciating the view of the bare chest and the ripple of sinew and muscle as he hobbled along. He may not be as young as he once was, but he was still in his prime. He kept himself fit and it showed.

Along his back one could trace the streaks of red and pale pink that marred the expanse of his back. The scars of another near death experience decades ago. The ink script of Alric's sisters, Fiona's, Violet's, and the girls', Lily's and Rose's name was still dark, not a single sigil faded with time.

"I bought some Muja juice if you like." a thought came to her as she rounded the island counter their kitchen had. "I can make you some Javarican espresso?"

What else did they have? "A blue milkshake?"

They really had no lack of beverages.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

Alric blinked for a moment as she listed off half a dozen drinks.

"Dear." His voice suddenly became quite perplexed. "I don't even know what half those things are."

That wasn't a joke either, he hadn't ever heard of more than half of those drinks. He supposed it was a byproduct of really only drinking two things his entire life, or rather, drinking two things more often then once every blue moon. He expected that Danger was more versed in this, being rather social and also having business in several alcoholic refineries. Of course he wasn't jealous of that, though it did remind him that even though he was considered royalty, he was hardly the most cultured being in the galaxy.

Slowly he shifted, his hand bracing against the counter top. "Just surprise me."

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

"Careful what you ask for," Danger would tease, deciding then to give him something a little bit stronger than their regular StarCaf brand of stimcaf. Javarican Expresso it would be. Strong and bold enough for a good pick me up.

"Do you need me to do anything today?" she would offer, brushing a kiss against his temple before stepping off to the side to walk around the island counter.

"We have another bacta appointment at 1600," Danger would remind him, "Depending on how you feel... could go to Skeiv for dinner." Skeiv was one of the station's fine cuisine restaurants.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

There wasn't much to do with his injuries. He still couldn't really do anything that caused too much strain on his body for fear of exacerbating the injuries. Their options were limited because of that, though going out to eat sounded like it would be easy enough. A smile perked at his lips. "Sure."

He didn't mind moving around the station, Elysium really was a beautiful place to be, beautiful place to explore. He and Danger had made it their mission to see all of the station, and before he had been injured they had taken nightly walks all around the station in order to properly get a look at everything. It was nice, and Alric had come to like simply walking around the station and seeing everything. Nearly everyone on the station was a Vanir Technologies employee, and surprisingly he had come to know many of them by first name.

That thought brought something else to the forefront of his mind.

"Honey." Alric said reaching over the counter and grasping. "I have to tell you another thing. I've decided I want to retire."

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

Danger had just activated the Javacarian Espresso machine when she caught Alric’s announcement. Much like when she had notified him that she was stepping down from the Techno Union Executive Council, Alric had his own affairs to handle that normally did not require her input.

However, this was a little bit different.

Surprise would spark across her expression, and as the frothy drip drip of the espresso machine slowly filled the small Aldaaranian espresso cup, she swiveled around to look at him.

“Retire?” she would repeat, as if the word was foreign to her. It was to a degree. One could even say that the entirety of Danger’s life was a singular focus; that being Arceneau Trade and its continued expansion. Her grandfather’s legacy. Retirement was never in the cards. At least, it was something the conglomerate giant ever considered. There was too much to do. To discuss. To network.

A strength as much as a flaw for the work-a-holic.

Then again, word down the Hydian Way the past two decades said that Alric Kuhn as a family man was wont to take more time for himself. Maybe that was the difference in them both.

“Well, that certainly would extend your bedrest,” she mused with wry humor, moving to take another delicate cup for her own espresso.

“Will Lily take over?” came her subsequent inquiry. The elder twin had become more involved with Vanir Technologies, so that wouldn’t surprise her.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

Alric slowly shook his head. "No. She doesn't want to, not yet. There's a woman, a Liran that worked for me under Titan. She designed the Dark Blade and a few other vessels as well as many of the technologies in Vanir, or at least she had a hand in them. I think she's perfect for as roll as CEO, and I've already confirmed it with the board."

Vanir Technologies was of course a publicly traded company, meaning that it had a board of directors that oversaw the stockholders interests within the corporation. It of course helped that Alric and Kiran together owned more than sixty percent of the stock, and helped even more that as soon as he retired all of Kiran's holdings would transfer to him so that in case anything happened Alric would still be able to fix things. However, he trusted Nel to get the job done, and do it well at that. She was smart and very capable.

"I just think it's time." Alric said, slowly pushing himself off the counter and wandering into the kitchen to step up behind Danger. "I'm not getting any younger, and soon I'll have this beautiful and vibrant wife to take care of."

His arms slipped around her, his lips pressing against her neck. "That's a full time job."