Chapter Text
She’s orange. She’s the first sip of a hot beverage on a cold day. She’s the swirl of leaves gently falling down in the arboretum of the Presidio where Voyager landed just an hour ago. She’s the warm crackling of fire when you’re bundled on the couch at night when conversations are easy and comfortable. She is cinnamon and nutmeg and ginger. She’s the best hug you’ve ever received, soft yet firm enough that you never want to let go. She is excitement and curiosity and adventure. She’s the lights that twinkle beneath your eyelids as your body crests the peak. She is energy and passion and life.
She is the best thing that’s ever happened to you.
And the look that you catch on her face as she turns back toward you, seeking you out amongst the crowd of people pushing her forward, is devastating.
She is devastated, though she hides it well. You don’t want her to walk away. Because you know that if you do, she won’t be coming back.
Your world, recently, has been blue.
Cold. Sterile. Emotionless. Practical.
In an effort to help someone else, you pushed her away. Part of it was intentional– you’ve been angry. Resentful, maybe, and a little jealous. You’re not perfect, by any means, but you know you could’ve tried harder. She’s not perfect either, but you know that she never wanted things to be that way. That she would’ve changed things, if she was allowed to. If she allowed herself to. But she couldn’t, and you did understand.
Things could change, now.
Nothing exists to hold you back anymore. Either of you. She’s as free as you are, only you can tell from her expression that she doesn’t yet believe it. Doesn’t believe that she can have what she wants, that she has a right to your heart anymore. The way her eyes dart just a few feet to your left and back again confirms it.
You’re only watching her, but you’ve seen enough of the blond hair in your peripheral to understand the tight look on her face. Even from this distance, you can see the way her gray eyes are beginning to mist over and the only thing holding you back from gathering her into your arms is the clicking and flashing of the holo-cameras as they document the triumphant return of the once-lost ship.
Wait… Hold on…
…Something just happened. You can feel the change as it shifts in the atmosphere.
Something monumental in the last few seconds just occurred, yet you’re not sure what. She must’ve read something on your face, or changed her mind. It doesn’t matter. Your eyes are still locked together and she’s no longer letting the crowd passively pull her away. Her eyes crinkle at the edges when her budding grin pushes them together and suddenly, she’s walking toward you, her pace growing faster with each step.
She’s practically running by now, and if she doesn’t care about the people, or the gossip, or the pictures, then you sure as hell don’t. You’ll be damned if you don’t at least meet her halfway.
The universe lights up as she gets closer, almost as if the radiance of her smile is melting the frosted blue-gray edges that have tinged your vision for too long.
Her arms are warm, her embrace is fire.
You’ve captured the attention of everyone around you by now, and the flashes of the cameras are just echoes of the synapses blasting throughout your body as your lips meet hers at last, your worldview narrowing until it only encompasses her.
Her lips taste of coffee, her skin of salt as you kiss the few stray tears that fall down her cheeks. It’s everything and nothing like you’ve dreamed of, the only thing you know is that it’s infinitely better than you could’ve imagined.