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closed | let's talk about all the good things

CHARACTERS: Cibo, Murphy first, Scout second
LOCATION: Murphy's Room w/Murphy → Cibo's Room w/Scout
WARNINGS: Talk of condoms and sex. Probably depressing things too. WHO KNOWS.
SUMMARY: Cibo is officially dating Scout. Murphy is being big brother. CiSco are awkward couple.
NOTES: because of this.

It was back on that ninth jump that Cibo woke from her gravity couch for the first time and met Scout.

...aaand then slept with him the same week.

Okay, so she's has come a long way in the way of building friendships, learning right from wrong, and figuring out just what the hell love is. After a month of not seeing him after the events of the other worlds and finally talking to him about their status, she's finally got her relationship with Scout straightened out. Maybe it was seeing Killy that one last time that made her realize that the feelings she had for him just would never happen. Killy was still important to her, but anything more intimate just would not happen. She didn't want that with Killy.

Somehow, she was content with that.

But circumstances on the Tranquility were extremely different. She finally able to let herself love. And for whatever reason, her heart decided to fall for Scout. Maybe he was there for her. Cared for her? Well, Murphy was always there for her too. Maybe in another way she loved Murphy, but not like Scout. Scout was special to her; He held importance to her that was beyond her control.

Officially, Cibo chose Scout. They're in a relationship. A couple. Dating. No matter how you put it, Cibo is pretty ignorant. And, because Murphy is usually there for her when she needs him to be, hopefully that's why she's found her way to his room; to get some advice on what she should do now that she's a girlfriend. Now that she has a boyfriend.

So let's talk abouuuuuut sex.

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With so many things to worry about as it were, it was easy to forget about the more mundane problems that life had to offer. It became impossible to keep track of all of them.

Cibo's was simple, though. Not in the way that she wasn't smart, but more simple in the way that Murphy was pretty sure she didn't get things like most people should. In his experience, a girl like that thrown out into the kind of world that he knew...?

One might as well be throwing her to a pack of rabid wolves.

Murphy didn't know what to make of Scout when he first met him. He didn't think Scout was a bad kid, but just...

Well.

He used to know guys like that.

By the time Murphy had responded to Cibo's message, he was already headed back to his room. In fact, she might catch him opening the door to his quarters with his tattoo when showed up.

Yep. There he was. Opening his door just as she came to the hall.

"Murphy!"

There was notable amount of joy to her tone as she waved for his attention. It had grown over the last few months, like she's been adapting to emotions in general and they were finally peeking through her regular stoic demeanor. There was also a small trot to her step to hurry herself toward him. Maybe she picked that up from Scout...

"I didn't know you weren't already here." Not that she wouldn't have waited for him.

"What did you want to talk about?"

Right to the point today.

Nope, not even a 'how are you' or a 'let's get inside' or anything.

Far too excited for that.

Murphy might have jumped slightly when Cibo called out to him. It was a bad habit that he still hadn't, if he ever could, shake.

At least he wasn't about to readily backhand the first sign of surprise this time. Well done, Cibo.

"Er, yeah. I was just gettin' off... work." It was the only way he had to describe what it was. He had a routine that he woke up to every day, with chores and a sense of duty to carry out. So, it was work.

The door in front of him slid open at the command of his tattoo. Murphy nodded towards it in a silent gesture for Cibo to accompany him inside.

"We can talk in here."

Murphy was pretty sure that Anne wouldn't be around for a little bit. And even so, he wasn't worried about her getting the wrong idea.

She followed his gesture with a similar sort of hop to her step. Except something poked her mood strangely when she passed him. Maybe the look or his tone? It made her worry.

Her usual spot on the floor across from the bed was the first place she nestled herself when she came to Murphy's room the first time. (That was an odd first time, wasn't it.) Creature of habit, perhaps, as she moved for the same position when she entered the room.

But instead of sitting on the floor to look up to him, she turned to face him with that small worry now visible on her brow and in her voice.

"Is something wrong?"

The door slid closed when Murphy stepped through. He stood there awkwardly for a moment, because here he was... and she was, and Cibo wasn't sitting down.

Yeah. Awkward. What else was new with Murphy.

He just shook his head at first.

"This... 'boyfriend' you were talkin' about. That's the guy I met, isn't it? Er, Scout...?"

He could tell by the way she acted that it was serious. Or, rather, it definitely meant something to Cibo. Not that he wasn't happy for her, because hey. This was improvement from the time he found her crying in the showers.

"Yeah. It's Scout."

Because who else would it really be? She didn't make any particular effort to get as close to someone as easily as—

Stop. Rewind.

No one made any real effort to get as close to Cibo as quickly as Scout did. Except maybe AM.

Even if close meant in her pants.

"Why...?"

Who else, yeah... Granted, there could be worse guys. There could always be worse guys.

But still.

"Have you guys been, uh... safe, 'bout what you two have been doin'...?"

As much as he hated the fact that he occasionally would glance over conversations on the network (even if it was public, it kind of felt like eavesdropping), he heard what Cibo had said. And it worried him a bit.

"Safe?"

There hadn't been any real danger to begin with. Well, other than the crazy events the ship threw at them. ~~And that one time not so long ago that she had her memory reformatted.~~ Everything had been peachy other than a little misunderstanding or two. Or ten.

"Why would we not be safe, Murphy? Scout understands that this ship is dangerous just as well as I do."

Nothing had been happening lately though. So why was Murphy even asking her that? Maybe there was something happening...?

"Is there something we should be looking out for?"

"That's... not what I meant..."

Murphy sighed. Shit, how was he ever supposed to go about this? It wasn't like he'd never been geared for it during his budding years of fatherhood, but even then... Charlie didn't get to live long enough for that to even be a prospect on the horizon.

Kind of depressing once he thought about it.

But now wasn't the time for that.

"D'you guys... use anything, when you're together. Protection?" If dangers like that still wasn't a concern, Murphy wouldn't have heard about it on the network months ago. There wouldn't be contraceptives and then some stocked up in the medbay. Was Scout even thinking about that kind of stuff?

Even with his second attempt at asking what seemed to be the same question, Cibo obviously couldn't up on whatever hint he was trying to lay out for her. Rephrasing it wasn't a good way to go; she could understand that much at least.

So, in some sort of defeat or frustration, she pout a smidge more than she normally would.

"Murphy. I don't understand what you're asking. What sort of protection are we supposed to be using?"

"Protection!" Murphy, calm down. Getting flustered wasn't about to help anybody here. "Stuff you use when you're... together. You can get some in the medbay... Jesus, Scout seriously never told you 'bout any of this?"

Damn Murphy's deficiency when it came to utilizing certain key phrases that might be a bit useful in this situation.

That sudden tone almost startled Cibo. And not in the way that would mean fear more than defensive action. She would ever hurt Murphy of course, but reflexes aren't the easiest to suppress when it's so unexpected.

Had he ever been frustrated at her like that before...?

"No, he didn't say anything like that..." Otherwise she might know what you're talking about, Murphy.

"What do you mean when we're together? What protection is in the medbay? Please, I'm not understanding the context of you're talking about."

For what it was worth, he didn't intend to come off as snappish and short. Hell, Murphy wasn't even necessarily annoyed with Cibo, per se, when she didn't even understand pants when he had first met her.

"Really? No one's ever given you guys the 'birds and the bees' talk? Sex ed? Nothin' like that?" Murphy was on the verge of kicking himself here and giving a roundhouse kick to his own mouth. But hey, it had to be said.

Someone had to...

"Wait, that's what you're talking about?"

At least he started using words she understood. Sex education, right? Well. She didn't really need to be educated in that—Scout was doing well enough to teach her what she needed to know. That still didn't mean Scout ever said anything about protection though.

"Why would we need protection during sex? I know it's a time of vulnerability but what could really go wrong from it...?"

This conversation just went from bad to worst.

For Murphy, in any case.

"Oh, I dunno... disease? Pregnancy? A number of things when you're doin' that kinda thing in a place like this?" Murphy snapped incredulously without even realizing it. He was just naturally curt when frustrated.

That tone.

Cibo is silent for a few seconds; just to let that sink in.

At least she couldn't be too surprised with Murphy's attitude towards the subject. Disease? Pregnancy? These were important dilemmas with the human body, weren't they?

Reproduction obviously seemed like such a negative sanction with anyone aboard the Tranquility society. Maybe even a taboo considering she never heard anyone speak of it in public. And it had taken such effort to make Murphy say these things out loud—Maybe it was her fault for not understanding though.

When she finally spoke, her voice remained gentle. (Why would she be upset with Murphy about something he didn't know?)

"There are extremely few things that can make me sick, Muprhy... My immune system has been several times enhanced so I don't get obtain any sort of disease through wounds or poisoning."

There's only a small pause before she continues with an almost cautionary tone in response to his own.

"And I'm not capable of becoming pregnant, so please don't worry about that..."

Murphy sighed and rubbed his eyes. "Some things change here, Cibo. Even if these things are true where you come from, you don't know what they do to us here. If they have the ability to turn non-human things into human when they show up, you have no idea what they... what they've done to your body."

Okay, that was an awkward and unfortunate way of phrasing it. But already Murphy had seen an outbreak go around on the ship firsthand once, so he knew well enough that not everyone was completely immune to sickness and disease. Much as he wanted to believe her (and how much of a terrible mixed blessing it is to hear that she's infertile. To Murphy, he couldn't imagine anything that could be worse), he still had his reasons and no, he wasn't at ease with them at all.

"I'm just sayin', you should try and stay safe. They've got, uh... things in the medbay to look into stuff like that. I'd suggest you probably check in some time -- just to be sure."

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