Jasper sat comfortably sprawled on the curved metallic sofa, his arms lazily stretched behind his head. The hum of the ship's engines provided a familiar backdrop as he exhaled in contentment. The past few hours had been a rollercoaster of nonsense, mostly involving Serena's endless teasing and Sienna's quiet, unreadable patience.
But now?
Now, things were calm.
And that meant something bad was about to happen.
Serena sat across from him, her golden-red eyes gleaming with the look of a woman who had just devised a plan that was equal parts brilliant and diabolical.
Jasper narrowed his gaze at her. Something was wrong.
"Serena," he drawled, "why are you looking at me like you just won the intergalactic lottery?"
Serena smirked, tilting her head. "Oh, nothing much. Just thinking about how boring space travel can be. Wouldn't it be nice if we, I don't know… spiced things up a little?"
Jasper immediately sat up. "No."
Serena gasped, mock offended. "Wow, you don't even know what I was going to say!"
Jasper scoffed. "I always know what you're going to say, and it's never good."
Serena leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand. "Oh, come on. You trust me, don't you?"
Jasper stared at her blankly. "Not even remotely."
Serena clapped her hands together. "Great! Then let's begin."
Jasper groaned, already regretting every life decision that had led him to this moment.
Jasper was already suspicious when Serena cheerfully announced she would be handling lunch.
This was a red flag for several reasons.
One, Serena had never willingly done chores unless it directly benefited her.
Two, Serena did not know how to cook.
And three, she had the most evil smirk imaginable as she placed the plates in front of them.
Jasper and Sienna sat at the metallic dining table, their eyes immediately drawn to the over-the-top romantic setting Serena had somehow created in under five minutes.
The overhead lights had dimmed to a soft golden glow.
A holographic candlelight projection flickered between them, casting an intimate, warm hue.
And worst of all?
A soft, orchestral melody played in the background, the kind that belonged in a dramatic love confession scene.
Jasper stared at the setup. Then at Serena.
Serena beamed. "Isn't this nice?"
Jasper exhaled slowly. "Serena, I swear to every star in the cosmos—"
Serena cut him off. "Oh, shhh, shhh, Jasper, enjoy the moment."
Jasper turned to Sienna, who sat with her usual calm and unreadable expression.
"Sienna," he said, gesturing to the absurd scene around them, "is this not the most ridiculous thing you've ever seen?"
Sienna picked up her utensils gracefully, tilting her head. "It's… unexpected."
Jasper groaned. "That's putting it lightly."
Serena took a seat, watching them like a scientist observing her experiment in real time.
Jasper picked up his fork, completely unfazed by the so-called romantic atmosphere.
"Well, whatever. If it's free food, I'm eating it."
Serena pouted dramatically. "Ugh, you're impossible."
Jasper smirked. "I try."
Jasper should have seen it coming.
After the candlelit lunch disaster, Serena had suspiciously disappeared for an hour.
Now, Jasper found himself walking down the ship's central corridor, stretching his arms. Training had left his muscles sore, and he figured a quick walk around the ship would help loosen them up.
He rounded a corner and—
BOOM.
Something—or rather, someone—collided into him at full speed.
Jasper's reflexes kicked in instantly, his hands grabbing the person before they both hit the floor.
He blinked down at the unexpected weight in his arms.
Sienna.
Sitting directly on top of him.
Her silver-white hair cascaded over his shoulder, her hands braced against his chest, their faces mere inches apart.
Jasper blinked.
Sienna blinked.
And then—
"Oh wow."
Jasper internally groaned.
Serena's voice echoed from down the hall, her tone dripping with exaggerated awe.
"Jasper," she gasped dramatically, "you caught her in your arms?!"
Jasper sighed, not even remotely flustered. "Yes, Serena. That's what happens when someone runs into you at full speed."
Serena clutched her chest dramatically. "Oh no! And now you two are in the perfect romantic position! How ever will you get out of this one?"
Jasper turned his head slightly to Sienna. "You good?"
Sienna, still maintaining her usual composure, nodded. "Yes."
Jasper helped her up, brushing off his shirt casually. "Great. Crisis averted."
Serena threw her hands in the air. "ARE YOU SERIOUS?! NOTHING?!"
Jasper smirked. "Oh, did you set this up? That's cute."
Serena screamed into her hands. "YOU ARE UNBREAKABLE."
The final, most ambitious of Serena's accidental romance setups came later that evening.
Jasper entered the bedroom quarters, rubbing his eyes after a long day of absolutely nothing.
And then he saw it.
The problem.
The room—which usually had separate sleeping quarters—now had only one large bed.
Jasper stared at it for a full five seconds before turning on his heel.
"SERENA."
Serena peeked her head through the doorway, grinning. "Yes, dear?"
Jasper gestured at the obviously rigged sleeping arrangement.
"Explain. Now."
Serena shrugged. "Oh, weird. Looks like the ship's auto-adjusting system accidentally merged the sleeping quarters. Guess that means you and Sienna have to share a bed."
Jasper's left eye twitched.
Sienna, who had just arrived, stared at the clearly staged setup, then at Serena. "You are relentless."
Serena grinned. "Thank you."
Jasper sighed, completely calm. "You know what? Fine. I'll sleep on the floor."
Serena sputtered. "Wait—what?!"
Jasper grabbed a pillow, dropped it on the floor, and laid down without a care in the world.
Serena gawked. "You—you can't just ruin the setup!"
Jasper grinned. "Oh, I can. And I did."
Sienna, watching the whole scene, simply shook her head, suppressing a small laugh.
Serena collapsed onto the bed dramatically. "I hate you so much."
Jasper smirked. "Love you too."
Sienna sighed.
Tomorrow was going to be another long day.
Jasper lay on the cold, metallic floor, arms crossed behind his head, staring up at the smooth ceiling of the ship. The dim blue glow of the night mode lighting cast soft shadows across the walls, creating a quiet, almost peaceful atmosphere.
He didn't mind the floor.
He was used to sleeping in uncomfortable places—orphanages, alleyways, makeshift bunks in intergalactic stations. A bed was a luxury.
And honestly, after dealing with Serena's relentless romantic sabotage attempts all day, he was just grateful to have a moment of silence.
His breathing slowed, his body relaxed, and for the first time all day—
He felt calm.
But just as sleep was beginning to claim him, he felt a shift nearby.
A presence.
Soft. Quiet. Close.
Jasper cracked one eye open and—
There she was.
Sienna.
Lying down on the floor beside him.
Not too close.
But close enough to feel real.
Her silver-white hair fanned out against the metal, reflecting the soft glow of the ship's lighting. She had shifted to lie on her side, her face turned toward him, her expression as unreadable as ever.
Jasper blinked, fully awake now. "...What are you doing?"
Sienna's voice was calm, soft, but there was something different in it tonight.
"Sleeping."
Jasper snorted. "On the floor?"
Sienna didn't move. "You're on the floor."
Jasper sighed. "Yeah, because Serena rigged the room so there's only one bed, and I refuse to give her the satisfaction of winning."
Sienna hummed. "And yet… I'm here too."
Jasper gave her a side glance. "You could just take the bed, you know."
Sienna closed her eyes for a brief moment, then opened them again. "I could."
She didn't move.
Jasper stared at her for a moment, then sighed. "Alright, fine. Whatever. Do what you want."
A few moments of silence passed between them, neither moving, neither speaking.
And then—
Sienna broke the quiet with a question.
"Jasper."
"Hm?"
"...Who do you think your partner will be?"
Jasper blinked. "My what?"
Sienna's silver eyes locked onto his. "Your future partner. The person you'll choose to be with."
Jasper frowned slightly, staring at the ceiling. "...Never really thought about it."
Sienna waited. Patient. Silent.
And then, slowly, Jasper let out a small breath.
"I guess… if I were just a normal guy, living a normal life, I'd probably want something simple."
Sienna tilted her head slightly. "Simple?"
Jasper nodded. "Yeah. Just… a normal woman. Someone who's kind. Smart, but not too complicated. Not a fighter. Just… someone who makes home feel like home."
Sienna listened. Really listened.
Jasper wasn't joking.
This wasn't one of his sarcastic deflections or lazy dismissals.
This was his truth.
He continued, his voice softer now.
"I'd probably live somewhere quiet. Somewhere stable. I wouldn't need much—just a house, a good life."
Sienna's voice was barely above a whisper. "...And kids?"
Jasper exhaled, a small smirk tugging at his lips. "Yeah. Two. One girl, one boy. That's all I need."
Sienna watched him carefully. "...That's all?"
Jasper chuckled. "What? You expecting some big, dramatic answer?"
Sienna shook her head. "No. I just… didn't think you'd want something so ordinary."
Jasper shrugged. "I grew up with nothing. No parents. No family. No idea what love or home even means. So yeah… I don't need anything fancy. I just want what I never had."
Sienna's chest tightened.
For all the times Jasper had avoided emotions, for all the moments he had dismissed love as unimportant—this was the most open he had ever been.
He didn't see love as some grand romance, some deep passion.
To him, love was stability. A place to belong. A future that didn't feel like running.
And somehow, that realization hurt more than she expected.
Because Jasper didn't even think of himself as someone who deserved anything more than 'simple.'
Sienna shifted slightly, her voice even softer. "...And what about love?"
Jasper blinked at her. "Huh?"
"Would you love this person?"
Jasper frowned, rolling the thought over in his mind. "...I mean, I guess? If we're married and have kids, yeah, I'd care about her."
Sienna's silver eyes searched his face. "But would you love her?"
Jasper hesitated.
Not because he was embarrassed.
But because he genuinely didn't know the answer.
After a moment, he sighed, running a hand through his messy hair. "...Love's a weird thing. I don't know if I'd ever understand it."
Sienna studied him. "And if someone loved you?"
Jasper blinked, caught off guard by the question.
For the first time, he didn't have an immediate response.
Sienna didn't press him. She just let the silence sit.
Eventually, Jasper let out a dry chuckle. "I wouldn't know what to do with it."
Sienna's heart ached just a little.
Because she knew—
Jasper wasn't afraid of love.
He just didn't know how to receive it.
She exhaled softly, shifting onto her back, staring at the ceiling like he was.
Neither spoke for a while.
And yet, despite the cold floor beneath them, despite the vast emptiness of space surrounding them—
For the first time, Jasper wasn't completely alone in his thoughts.