"Stupid thing!"

Cress looked up as Thorne erupted in a string of curses, shaking the little barcode scanner wildly in the hopes of getting it to work. Shaking her head, Cress focused on taking stock of the many crates filled with countless vials of antidote. Well, not countless for long, as Cress and Thorne were in the middle of counting them. Cress focused on looking through the crates for vials that, even after mission to a town or hospital, were still full and could be used for their next trip. The empty vials would be brought back to Luna and exchanged for more antidote. Thorne's task was scanning the crates—apparently, with little success.

"Aces, why can't the scanner work for just two days straight? I knew the military was cheap but this is annoying."

Cress didn't say anything. She had given up mentioning that he could do the task manually. It would take longer but she had learned that Thorne didn't like doing his work one way when there was an easier way to do it.

It was only when he slapped the device that she chimed in. "Don't break it. The scanner is sensitive and won't return to the American Republic until the end of the week." So far, the crew had managed to break three scanners—two because the small device had slipped from Wolf's massive hands and the third one was thrown against a wall in an angry outburst, courtesy of Scarlet, who shared Thorne's thoughts on doing the task manually.

He scoffed. "Kai told me that Cinder uses that trick all the time and it works."

Cress pursed her lips. "Maybe on portscreens but not with the barcode scanner. Give it to me."

"Gladly." Instantly, his mood changed as he handed the scanner over to Cress and took a relaxed seat next to her, popping up his feet on one of the crates, obviously enjoying the break.

Cress shook her head with a smile and examined the scanner. She instantly noticed the problem and quickly re-configured the device so it would actually scan the crates and not just tell the content and quantity of it. She tested the scanner on one of the crates and it worked as it was supposed to.

"I love it when you sing."

As usual, Cress hadn't noticed that she had started singing (even though she tried to be mindful if they were among strangers) but it never seemed to bother Thorne. On the contrary, he often stopped to listen to her, sometimes even humming or singing along if he knew the song—and sometimes even if he didn't.

Still, she blushed at his compliment. "Thank you." She handed him the scanner.

He sighed, but duly took it and together, they continued to work. Even the routine tasks she had so abhorred on her satellite were much more enjoyable with Thorne's company. She happily hummed a few popular songs for Thorne to chime in, only interrupting herself when she need him to get her something from the upper crates.

"You're in a good mood."

Cress grinned at him. "Shouldn't I be?"

"Oh, you should, after all you're in the company of Captain Thorne," Thorne told her with a winning smile.

"Exactly," she agreed with a laugh.

"Aw, darling, I'm flattered." He blew her a kiss. "But seriously, why are you in such a good mood? Do you know something I don't?"

Cress shrugged, carefully placing the full vials in one of the empty crates. "It's as you said. I just like spending time together with you."

He strutted over to her, practically preening at what she said. "You have good taste. I'm the best company you can get."

"And the vainest."

"That too."

He helped her close the crate and scan it. With it being the last box, their work was finally done.

Thorne leaned against the crate, eyeing her. "If you're already this happy about storing and taking stock for antidote, I can't wait until we're doing something really exciting together." He coughed, a hint of red on his cheeks. "You know, stuff like ... dancing."

Cress's heart fluttered at the thought. Distributing antidotes to places where the the deadly letumosis virus had spread didn't leave much room for sightseeing or fun activities of any kind. Cress didn't mind—the newness of changing landscapes and meeting people hadn't worn off yet—but their dating so far had been unconvential since they hadn't been able to do much of what she had seen couples do in the netdramas. They already lived together but never went out on a real date. They would protect each other at all costs but had never even watched a movie together. Or danced with each other. Hardly anything other couples did to get to know each other.

Although there was kissing, Cress conceded. Lots of it, actually.

Cress smiled at the memories of all the kisses they had shared, completely missing what Thorne said next. It was only when he clapped his hands and called for Darla, that snapped out of her daydreams. Suddenly, music blared out of the speakers.

"Um, Thorne? What's going on?"

He gave her his most winning smile, the one that usually made her swoon but now filled her with some trepidation. "What's going on is that is that we"—he shimmied over to her, taking off his leather jacket in the process—" are going to dance. You owe me a dance."

Cress crossed her arms. "I do not."

He continued his movements as he made his way towards her, never faltering. "You do. We never got a chance at Cinder's coronation after all."

Cress remembered that he had told her she owed him a dance at Cinder's coronation and she had still been recovering from her stomach wound. She had been looking forward to a dance then but now, she felt some of the old shyness coming back.

She took a step back from Thorne who was still swaying to the beat. "I'm not dancing."

"Aww, Cress, don't be a spoilsport. Also, I've seen you dancing around the galley and through the corridors, so don't tell me you can't dance," he told her with a wink, offering her his hand.

Her cheeks turned red as she imagined Thorne watching her as she did the dancing routines she had picked up from years on the satellite. Growing up as isolated as she had, one of the trickier challenges for Cress was that she never had a real comparison of how well (or not) she was doing in many aspects of life. She was smart, that she knew. Sybil had singled her out for that reason. But was she a good singer, could she explain things well to others or was she funny? She didn't know. And she didn't know if she was a good dancer or would embarrass herself in front of Thorne.

Even though he just complimented her dancing, she still wasn't convinced. She stayed where she was, not taking his hand. He slowly lowered it with a raised eyebrow.

Cress almost regretted her decision when Thorne suddenly erupted into a coughing fit, doubling over and clutching the crate for support. "Thorne!" She ran to his side, rubbing his back in what she hoped was a soothing motion.

"Cress," he murmured, looking up at her with pleading eyes, before coughing once more. "Cress, darling, I can't hide it any longer. You need to know that I ... I'm going to die." He clutched at his heart." And I never even danced with you."

"Oh, you!" Cress let go of Thorne who was still pitifully coughing but now she could hear how fake it sounded. "You scared me!"

He didn't seem to listen. "We were going to have such an epic dance, like, in the dramas. But, no—I'll die alone, never having danced with you, not once." Another overly dramatic coughing fit accompanied a mischievous wink.

She was surprised that he could recall her feverish whining almost word for word but it certainly wasn't flattering. "I hope you remember that you in that scenario didn't grant me my wish for a kiss. You're not dying now," she mimicked Thorne when he had denied that she was about to die in the desert. He had been right of course. But that didn't mean she was taking to his joking lightly.

"But I am dying, Cress. Don't let me die without having danced with you," he pleaded with a puppy-dog expression.

Thorne wasn't the only one remembering their exchange in the desert though. "You told me then it wasn't a good time for romance. That you were itchy and sweaty and hadn't brushed your teeth for two days. Well, I'm tired and not wearing anything appropriate for dancing and don't know the steps."

"Boo, Cress. Those are the lamest excuses ever."

She poked him in the side. "Didn't you forget to cough a bit more?

"Oh, yeah." He gave another cough. "Don't let me die without giving me a dance worth waiting for. And if I have to count one more vial with antidote I'll surely die."

And Cress couldn't help it—she had to laugh. He was so ridiculous going to such lengths to get her to dance with him ... how could she resist?

Thorne must have known that he had won her over because he offered her his hand again and this time, she took it. Together, they stood up, but Thorne didn't let go off her hand. He drew her closer and quickly led her into movements that matched the song blaring from the speaker. It wasn't as formal as the choreographies she had seen on the net or but a fun mix between twirls and steps she caught from dancers in videos. Soon, she forgot her shyness and laughed and danced with Thorne as he lifted her off the ground and spun her around.

She had never felt this light before.

Eventually, he lowered her back down and they continued to sway to the music. The rhythm was off—the song was still fast-paced—but neither of them seemed to mind. The height difference didn't make it easy to keep eye contact so Cress was content to snuggle close to Thorne and lean her head against his chest while his hands traced light patterns on her back.

When the song ended, Thorne told Darla to turn off the music completely. Silence filled the cargo bay but it didn't evoke the cold loneliness Cress had experienced in the satellite. Enclosed in Thorne's arms, loneliness was the last thing she felt.

She felt his lips on the top of the head, placing a light kiss on her hair. "I love you."

Cress turned her head to look up at him, tears stinging at the corners of her eyes. "I love you too."

He nodded, a soft smile playing on his lips. "I'm glad those are the last words I'll hear." He let her go and then, without warning, slumped to the ground in the most dramatic fashion, sprawled out in front of Cress's feet.

"Seriously?" She crouched down beside him but he didn't flinch. "Thorne?" She nudged him in the side but he remained unresponsive. If she had learned anything about Thorne it was that he could pursue whatever he wanted with a single-minded discipline. Stealing the Rampion was just one of the many ways he had proven that, just as much as aiding Cinder's revolution had. And he was patient. If he wanted to, he could probably lie on the cold floor for hours on end. Until he got what he wanted.

Whatever that might be. She had already danced with him. It had been fun and they had laughed so what was he up to now?

"You know, if I were Cinder, I would just put my hands over your nose and mouth until you were forced to move from lack of oxygen. And Jacin would let you just lie here and ignore you."

Thorne's bottom lip slightly jutted out, indicating a small pout that made her laugh. So, he was responding somewhat.

She played with the buttons of his shirt. "And Iko would strip you right here"—an interested raise of his eyebrow that made Cress roll her eyes—" and then snap some compromising pictures of you two which she would then sell to some tabloids for a pair of designer shoes."

A shudder went through his body, making her grin.

"No? Okay, now what should I do to raise you from the dead?" Cress pondered playfully, and as if in answer, Thorne puckered his lips comically, adding some kissing noises for effect. Cress couldn't help but chuckle at his antics.

A kiss—she should have known that that was what he wanted.

Cress tucked some strands of hair behind her ear as she crouched a bit closer to him, a ball of nervousness forming in the pit of her stomach. It's not as if they hadn't kissed before but so far, every kiss had been instigated by Thorne. Partly because his height made it easier for him to bend down to her but because she was much shyer than him. She was aware that he was more experienced than her, more comfortable with flirting and and any kind of physical contact whereas Cress tended to second-guess herself a lot: Was it the right time? Did he want to kiss her right now? And what if not?

But here was no opportunity to second-guess herself, on the contrary, she now knew with absolute certainty that it was the right time and that he wanted it too.

Leaning over Thorne, Cress took in his features. He was calm, no sign of impatience as he simply waited for her. She carefully laid her hand on his cheek and allowed herself the time to explore and caress his face with her fingers the way she always wanted to.

Her thumb following the line of his brow. The faint stubble on his square jaw. The lines of his lips.

A sigh escaped Thorne, making her smile.

Cress let her lips flutter over the path her fingers had traced before, memorizing the feel of his skin, his taste, his scent. Slowly, Cress leaned in for a sweet, lingering kiss on Thorne's lips, allowing just a touch of desire to simmer between them. There was a tension in Thorne's shoulders as if he resisted the urge to move but Cress was grateful that he allowed her this time to dictate the pace of their kiss.

The gentleness of the kiss faded into something more passionate as Cress moved her lips against Thorne's more urgently. Cress's fingers spread on his chest, hoping to convey every sensation in her body and soul onto him as she kissed him the way she loved to be kissed. She swallowed the moan escaping his lips before lazily making her way to his chin, trailing a path down his jawline and collarbone.

"Aces, Cress." She heard his voice, low and ragged. "If you kiss me like that before I actually die, I won't have any regrets."

Cress looked up at Thorne. His expression was slightly dazed and Cress felt a spark of pride that she had been the one for once to make him feel that way, instead of the other way around. Below her hand, she could feel the faint racing of his heart.

She couldn't resist giving him another small peck. "It seems like you're quite alive."

"What can I say? It's a miracle," he told her with a chuckle. "The power of love."

"Wonderful." Cress poked him in the side. "Because we need to take off in half an hour and get back to the New Texas Military base. Think the power of love will last you that long?"

Thorne's response was to slump his head to the side, eyes drawn shut, once again posing lifelessly.

"Thorne!"

A/N: A bit of Cresswell fluff for TLC shipweeks. I hope you enjoyed it and take the time to review. :)