The soft hum of the Odyssey provided a constant, soothing backdrop as Alfie and Jordan found themselves enveloped in a world of their own making. Jordan’s comfortable room had become a haven where they could escape the rigours of their demanding training. The dim lighting cast a warm glow over the space, illuminating the PADDs strewn across the floor. It was a showcase of the day’s hard work.

Soft music played softly in the background, adding to the moment’s intimacy. The gentle strumming of guitars and the soothing melodies seemed to amplify the emotions running through them. Alfie’s heart raced as he kissed Jordan, their lips moving in a synchronised dance they had perfected over the past few weeks. What had started with them agreeing to remain close friends had evolved back to what they had during their last training field excursion. They had reverted to it being something much more passionate, more consuming. Tonight, as they tangled together on Jordan’s bed, it felt like all the walls they’d rebuilt had finally come down. Over the last few weeks, they sneaked a few kisses here and there while training or studying. The innocence of their friendship had been lost. What they had tried to restart was gone. Everything had changed so fast again. Now, they had decided they wanted to be together, but they had decided to keep it between them for now. 

Jordan’s fingers trailed lightly over Alfie’s jawline, sending shivers down his spine. He pulled Alfie closer, deepening their kiss, their bodies pressed together, desperately trying to eliminate any space between them. They broke apart briefly, both gasping for air, their eyes meeting and communicating more than words ever could.

“Are you sure no one else is going to be around?” Alfie whispered, his voice barely audible over the hum of the ship and the soft rock ballad playing.

Jordan responded by capturing Alfie’s lips again, the intensity of the kiss leaving no room for doubt. “No one is going to be home for ages. I want you more than anything,” he breathed against Alfie’s mouth, his eyes sparkling with a mix of desire and affection.

Alfie smiled, a feeling of contentment washing over him. This was where he wanted to be, with Jordan. They had spent months convincing themselves that friendship was all they needed, but the magnetic pull between them had grown too strong to ignore. As they held each other close, the boundary between friends and lovers blurred completely. 

Their discarded cadet uniform jackets were thrown on the floor. Jordan’s hands slid under Alfie’s shirt, their touch igniting sparks on his skin. Alfie responded by running his fingers through Jordan’s hair, their kiss growing more fervent, more insistent. The rest of the galaxy seemed to fade away, leaving only the two of them lost in each other’s embrace. As they lay together, their breathing eventually steadied, and the reality of their situation began to settle in. 

Jordan rested his head on Alfie’s chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. “We’ll figure it out,” he murmured, sensing Alfie’s unspoken worries.

“We will,” Alfie agreed, wrapping his arms around Jordan and holding him tight. “As long as we’re together.”

Suddenly, voices echoed downstairs. Jordan had his own room, which he shared with his parents in large quarters. They recognised the deep, authoritative tone of Jordan’s father calling out.  

“Jordan! William! Come down here, please!”

Both Alfie and Jordan froze, their eyes widening in shock. They exchanged a panicked glance, the spell of their intimate moment broken. They hadn’t expected anyone, least of all Jordan’s family, to interrupt them.

“What do we do?” Alfie whispered, his voice tense with urgency.

“I… I don’t know,” Jordan replied, his mind racing. The unexpected arrival left them with a myriad of emotions and no clear plan. They held each other’s gaze, trying to figure out their next move as the reality of their situation settled in.

“Jordan! William!” Jordan’s father called again, impatience creeping into his voice.

Jordan shot up off his bed and picked up their jackets, throwing one to Alfie and then quickly rushing to get his one on. “Get up; we just need to make it look like we were just studying.”

“Studying anatomy?” Alfie joked as he got up from the bed and started to put the jacket on. 

Seconds later, they both walked out of Jordan’s room and saw both of Jordan’s fathers standing in the living area of their shared quarters.

“Oh, Alfie, I didn’t know you were here with Jordan,” Max said, looking between his son and his friend.

Alfie looked at Max and then back at the captain. “I’m sorry, sir. We were deep in our studies.”

 “Studying what?” Tobias asked as William followed his brother and friend down the twisted staircase.

“Interspecies biology,” Jordan said, smirking.

“Must have been intense,” William commented as he walked over to one of the sofas in the centre of the room. “You guys have been in there all afternoon.”

Ignoring his younger brother, Jordan looked back at his parents. “Can Alfie leave?”

“Sure,” Max confirmed.

As he approached the door, Alfie thanked them for having him. Jordan then called out to him as the doors opened.

“I’ll drop your study notes off later?”

Alfie just nodded as he left the Duncan-Court household.

Jordan then turned back to his parents. “So, what did you want to talk to us about?”

Before his question was answered, Tobias stepped forward. “Why does your jacket look too small for you, Jord?”

Feeling alarmed that he had been caught, Jordan took a breath and looked down at his uniform. “Ah, man, I must put on Alfie’s earlier after we—” He paused as he considered his words. “We got changed from being in the gym earlier.”

Deciding to ignore it, Max just told Jordan to come and sit down so they could talk. “Listen, we’ve got some news to discuss with you, and then we’re going to visit the station to see your grandparents.”

“That sounds very formal,” William responded.

“Well, it’s important,” Tobias added.

“Things around here will change, and you both need to understand what it means,” Max said before telling them about his news. “Especially for you, Jordan.”

Jordan was intrigued as he unzipped Alfie’s jacket. It was too tight, and he needed to breathe in case whatever he was about to be told was bad news. 

Hopefully not.  

Walking into his shared quarters with his parents, Alfie soon realised he wasn’t wearing his uniform jacket as it was a bit loose around the shoulders. Smelling the collar, he realised it had Jordan’s sense on it. He smiled at that and stopped mid-track as he saw his mother and father standing at the doorway waiting for him.

“I promise it’s not what it looks like,” Alfie said. He quickly dropped his action of sniffing Jordan’s jacket.

Both James and Karyn looked at each other. Alfie immediately saw the confusion across their faces and then saw his father’s uniform change. He walked forward and smiled. “Dad, have you been promoted?”

James nodded. “I’m a commodore now!”

Closing the distance between him and his father, Alfie wrapped his arms around his dad and congratulated him. “Well done, Dad, I’m proud.”

“Thanks, mate,” James said after letting go of him. 

Alfie looked between his parents and saw something else stitched into their expressions. “So why do I feel like this isn’t good news?”

“Sit down, Alfie,” Karyn insisted as they all went to the sofa and armchairs. “We have something to talk to you about.”

Worried beyond light years, Alfie sat down. In his mind, he wondered if they had found out about him and Jordan. Had someone else noticed the small things they had been doing to one another lately? Had they been too obvious? Nerves now shuddered down his spine. 

“My promotion isn’t the only thing that has happened today,” James shared.

This now worried Alfie. 

“I’ve been asked to take command of the Bellerophon,” Karyn said. 

Relief. Pure relief swept over Alfie. “Oh wow, Mom, that’s great news too!” He got out of his seat and went over to her to hug her. “I’m super proud of you both,” He said after letting go.

“Thank you, Alfie,” Karyn said, smiling sweetly. “But it does mean I won’t be here on the Odyssey.”

“Oh,” Alfie said, realising the implications of his mother’s news. “Oh,” He repeated.

“Before you even start to think it, your mother and I are not separating,” James assured him.

“What?” Alfie asked, surprised to even hear that. “That thought didn’t cross my mind.”

“I’m sure it didn’t,” Karyn said, grabbing Alfie’s hand. “But we wanted to let you know these changes will impact us all.”

“I understand,” Alfie assured them.

“My promotion to commodore brings some changes too, Alf,” James stated. “I won’t be commanding the Odyssey anymore.”

“Who will?” Alfie instantly asked.

“Captain Duncan,” James answered.

“That makes sense,” Alfie said, realising that Jordan must have been having the same conversation with his parents.

“I may have to travel between the other ships in the squadron,” James stated. “Which means I won’t be here as much, some of the time.”

“Okay,” Alfie said.

“So,” Karyn said after looking at her husband and then back at her son, “we’ve discussed this with Max and Tobias, and if you’re up for it, we wondered if you wanted to request shared quarters with Jordan.”

Alfie’s eyes opened as wide as they could, and his chin dropped almost to the floor. “Wh-what-what?”

“Shared quarters with Jordan,” James repeated. “They won’t be as big as ours, but like the other cadets on the ship, you would have your own shared dormitory-style quarters. And this isn’t to say you can’t come home to these quarters when I’m here but with your brothers on Cestus and your mother moving to the Bellerophon and me not being around as much. We don’t want you to be alone. If Jordan agrees to it, what do you think?”

A huge grin just appeared across Alfie’s face. He imagined Jordan was doing the same thing.