She's done it thousands of times.
She's never done it.
She's doing it right now.
She's dreaming. She's awake.
River is quiet. She roams the ship, a wraith in red. She makes no sound as she climbs to the upper deck and even less as she makes her way to the hatch.
There… she pauses, waiting. River doesn't know what she's listening for. She's not even sure that she is listening. But when the not-sound rings in her brain, she silently opens the hatch and climbs down.
And this is what she sees: Kaylee, naked, facing the rear bulkhead, kneeling over a pan of water, cloth in hand. The sheen of water on her skin, glowing softly in the dim light of the bunk. Streaks of grease are washed away by scrubbing, leaving red trails. A soft tune passes through strawberry-pink lips, filling the damp air. Humidity caresses River's cheeks, arms, all of her bare skin. It's as tactile as the floor under her feet, the fabric on the bed, the drapery on the walls.
Transfixed, River stares as quietly as ever, listening and not-listening, feeling and not-feeling every caress of rough cloth, every drip of moisture as it trails over golden skin. This is what she wants, what they both want. River knows.
Faster than thought, River is upon Kaylee, one hand over her mouth to stifle the surprise, the other across her waist to pull her even closer, lips tasting her shoulder. Clean water, soap tingle, and salt skin underlying it all. River drinks it in, tongue soaking up the moisture even as it lays damp trails of its own.
Within moments, Kaylee's leaning back into River, moaning in pleasure, her tongue tracing fiery patterns on River's palm. Neither of them can or wants to stem the rising tide, or wants to, even as River's dress clings to her skin, soaked in bath water and sweat.
A moment more, and Kaylee just twists her body around, not escaping from River's grip, just manipulating it. They're facing each other now, lips to lips, breasts to breasts, bellies to bellies, hands tracing intimate patterns, pulling each into the other.
Gasping for air, they pull apart briefly, River tracing Kaylee's jaw with her tongue, following an imaginary trail down her neck. Every lick, every taste just adds to her addiction, to River's fervor. She no longer knows or cares where Kaylee begins, she just knows how to find the inevitable conclusion.
Laying Kaylee back and down, onto the bed, River trails kisses along her collarbone. Soon, she's got Kaylee's breasts in her hands, thumbs grazing pebble-hard nipples, listening to a choir of moans. Watching Kaylee's reaction carefully, she takes one tentative lick, and is rewarded by a body arching into her. She knew it was coming, but River had to see, to know.
Now she's feasting on Kaylee's breasts, suckling as greedily as a child. River's teeth bite and scrape, her fingers pinch and pull, and Kaylee just groans and holds onto River's head.
River moves to explore further down. Muscles in Kaylee's abdomen quiver with every lick and stroke. Her navel offers ample opportunities for exploration, but River has a goal in mind.
Gently, she pushes the lean legs apart, and kneels before her lover. A smile flits across River's face, and she bends down to taste Kaylee.
A quiet gasp from above, "River… !" and she is burying her face in between those legs. The sweat and the soap are still there, along with a musky fragrance that soon overwhelms them, that drives River on. Tentative licks are soon replaced by firmer strokes, and once shy hands join in.
There is so much heat here, and it's red and moist and delicious. River takes her time exploring, pulling back lips, dragging her sensitive tongue along even more sensitive folds. An elusive nub of nerves shelters in its cove, River refuses to let it retreat, licking and prodding at it as her whim dictates.
Kaylee's thrashing now, incoherent noises falling from her mouth. River feels her own pleasure deep inside, a coiling thing in her belly, and sharp points lower down. It's a pale echo of what Kaylee is feeling, but it's enough. River knows that if she can just nudge her over that edge, she will join Kaylee. One last twist of that hand, one last push with that one, and one last press of the tongue, and the dam breaks.
River sighs as she climaxes as well. Kaylee goes limp, finally, a quiet moan belying her earlier noise. It makes River smile, as she slithers up the slick body below her. Their lips touch, Kaylee accepting her own flavors bonelessly.
Senses intrude, and River sighs again, painfully, as the quiet thrum of engines and not-her-voices drowns out her satiation, overlaying the evocative scents and tastes she still has in her memory. One last kiss, given to an almost asleep Kaylee, who murmurs in reply, and River climbs to the deck again.
A wraith in red, and she's listening and not-listening. And it's just like every other night.
And it never is.