It had been hard to sleep, yet Deunan wasn’t tired. She lay still, feeling Hitomi’s breath tickle softly across her chest. For once, she’d spent the whole night in the bed. Since most of the night she hadn’t actually slept in it, it had been tolerable. She smiled down at the dark head resting on her. Hitomi shifted a little and yawned. Deunan’s smile grew bigger. She just might get used to it eventually, sleeping in a bed. Maybe softness didn’t make one weak after all.
“What are you thinking?” Hitomi asked softly.
“Oh, just that it’s not too bad. I could get used to this.” Deunan went to pat the bed but Hitomi suddenly sat up and tossed a pillow onto her face.
“Denuan Knute! How could you say such a thing after last night! It was so special!” the bioroid jumped out the bed in a huff.
“Hitomi! Wait!” Deunan threw off the pillow and tried to roll out of bed.
“Not us- Hitomi!” she tangled her legs in the covers, falling to the floor.
“The bed! Hitomi! I meant the bed!” she called out to the retreating figure.

“Shut up.” Deunan growled.
“But I haven’t said anything.” Briareos pulled open his locker. “Perhaps I was just going to wish you good morning and ask about your weekend.” He took out his gun and twirled it in his hand. “Or I might think about asking what happened to cause that lovely bruise on your chin. Did you lose a fight against a helpless woman?”
“No- I fell out of bed.” Deunan kicked her locker shut with her boot.
“Oh- so, you were actually in bed? Looks like Hitomi scored a major victory.” Briareos teased. The few other soldiers in the locker room snickered.
Deunan turned a deep red, then growled and picked up the locker bench over her head. The men backed away, hands up in defeat.
“Anyone got anything else to say to me?” Deunan snarled.
“Deunan! What are you doing! Put that bench down!” Hitomi’s voice cut through the air.
Deunan dropped the bench and whirled around.
“Hitomi! What are you doing here?”
“Coming to check on you. I told you to take it easy after that tumble this morning and look, already you’re in here trying to impress with your weightlifting.” Hitomi reproached. “Now come here and let me see that bruise.”
“Yes Hitomi.” Deunan gritted her teeth and walked over for inspection. Hitomi cupped her hand over her cheek and peered closely at the bruise. Satisfied, she dismissed it with a light kiss.
“Deunan, have you been putting ice on it like I told you to?”
“Yes, Hitomi.”
“And did you remember to take out the trash before you left this morning?”
“Yes Hitomi.”
“Okay then. I have to run by the lab after work for some tests, will you meet me there?” Hitomi looked around the room. “You all don’t mind if she leaves a little early today, do you? Is that okay?”
“Yes, Hitomi.” a chorus answered her. Hitomi smiled and waved, then turned and went back out the door. For a moment there was dead silence, then a wave of laughter swept over the room. Deunan sat down on the bench, her head in her hands.
“Whipped.”
“Totally.”
“Okay, that’s enough!” Deunan sat up and glared at her peers. “You want whipped? Meet me on the field in ten minutes!”
The men groaned as they filed out.
“No fair- why should she whip our butts just cause Hitomi’s got hers?”

“You know, love is supposed to make the heart kinder, not send men to the infirmary.” Briareos chided.
“It was an accident.” Deunan put a foot up on the bench and busied herself re-lacing her boots.
“One man is an accident. Three men is a soldier out of control.”
“I’m not out of control! And I’m not in love, either! I’m- I’m…” Deunan sat down wearily, then sprawled out on the bench.
“Whipped.” Briareos crossed his arms.
“Totally.” Deunan sighed.
“Well, I didn’t say this new tour of duty would be easy.”
“In which case, I resign from it.” Deunan put her arm over her eyes. “I don’t see how this bed thing could last longer than a week anyway.”
“Oh really? So you think this won’t last longer than a week, eh?”
“No.” Deunan yawned. “Soon everything will be back to normal.”