You collapsed onto the bed and finally let out that breath you'd been holding. Your leg hurt like hell, but it was from no uncommon injury on Pandora-- you knew it'd be fine in the morning. Mordecai laid down next to you, his scarf and goggles already torn off and tossed to the side. He pulled his pistol from his belt and gently set it on the nightstand, then turned to hug you close. You could just barely feel him shaking-- maybe it was from the thrill of the fight, or maybe from the fear of another near-death experience.
You wanted to imagine it was the first, but really, you knew better. No one was so unaffected by adrenaline as Mordecai, he's been surviving too long to care about that anymore. But, with that fear of death still prevalent in his heart (and yours), you knew what was next.
That question, the one he always asks. The one always spoken after you almost die-- whether it's eaten by a skag or offed by a bandit-- the one he's never given up on. The one thing he's always wanted to do, always wanted his lover to join in on. You've been telling him no for a couple years now, turning him down every couple of weeks. You insisted you had reason to be on Pandora, and the Crimson Raiders will always want you around for something, and the entire universe is dangerous. But he never stopped then, and he wasn't about to now.
"Run away with me, cariño." He said softly, pulling you into his arms.
You were about to speak up, but he wasn't finished.
"The galaxies outside have so much to offer, more than there is for us here. Pandora has been nothing but awful to us... To you."
"Mords--"
"No, I don't care about the others, not anymore!" His voice raised just slightly, but quickly quieted down again. "I only care about you and Bloodwing, and maybe Tina. We can all leave together, start a family somewhere else. Yeah, we're dysfunctional but that's never been a real problem before. And if Tina doesn't want to come, then we can leave her, and Brick or Roland will take care of her. It can be just us, the three of us."
You yet again tried to say his name, but he was too caught up in his rant to let you have a word in.
"Think about it, we can find a planet where we don't have to worry about waking up dead. Where we don't have to worry about Hyperion or Atlas or the Crimson Lance. We can build a home, build a family, and throw away everything we used to know. We can finally live our lives together and be happy."
"Mordecai!" You finally cried, turning to face him.
He sighed and looked away. "I know, I know. You don't wanna leave…"
You cupped his face in your hands. "Mords, I want to run away with you."
His eyes widened as he looked back to you. "Really?"
"Yes, of course, I'm done turning you away. All I want is to escape with you."
Tears formed in his eyes as he hugged you closer, his face disappearing as he buried into your neck. He let out a small laugh and you felt him kiss your neck.
"This is all I've ever wanted, cariño." He mumbled.