A/N: Ohmygosh so this has been sitting around in my documents for a while and I keep forgetting about it! It's just pure, shameless fluff, and I'm not sorry. I feel like this fandom probably needs it. ;_;
Star Wars belongs to Lucasfilms, . Please review if you liked it! I always love knowing what you think. Mostly inspired by the song Science/Visions by CHVRCHES.
Science and Visions
I hear your breathing
Fainter, and fainter. Galen swam in a sea of consciousness, feeling his head dip below the surface, suffocating him. He reached out for Juno, only for her to become dust and vanish in his arms.
I feel you leaving
Now she was gone, and he was all alone. Where was he, anyway? What was this blackness he was trapped in? Slowly, he felt himself slipping, deep into the underworld of darkness…
"Breathe," someone distant was telling him, "Everything's fine, Galen. Don't try to speak, I'm here."
Galen found that he liked that voice. It sounded familiar. He was aware that his eyes were open, and was suddenly aware that he could see. He couldn't see much, of course; grey and white ceiling tiles, which suggested that he was lying down – or at least, he was aware of that as soon as he noticed that he had a body. Nothing much made sense, except the voice: a woman's, it sounded very familiar. Did he know this woman? She was holding his hand. It felt nice. And familiar. So familiar. Galen wished that he understood what was happening.
He followed the instructions of the voice, and tried to regulate his breathing. He was aware that his heart was beating very fast, and that a machine appeared to be doing the breathing for him. It was very disconcerting. He felt a pressure on his hand, and shifted his head slightly to see a blonde woman sitting on a small chair next to his bed. A glint of recognition came to his mind. This was the same woman who was holding his hand and speaking to him! Galen was glad. It was nice to have company, even if he didn't really know where he was.
Slowly, he felt himself slipping away again. It was all right this time, though, as it was a sleepy kind of darkness, that kind that swallows you up into a blanket of darkness…
I hear your breathing
Juno blinked back tears as she watched Galen fall back into unconsciousness. The grip on her hand went slack and his head rolled back to the other side. He didn't even recognise her, she could tell. There was no comprehension in his eyes, no joyful recognition that she was still alive, despite the bandage now taped across her forehead. He did seem pleased to see her, though, which was something.
She looked across at the monitor that was currently keeping him alive, studying it for a moment. Everything seemed normal; at least as normal as the situation allowed. He wasn't in a coma, which was a relief, he was just…slipping in and out of consciousness.
I hear you leaving
Juno had been coming in to visit him for several days now, with little improvement. Her wounds were healing, and she would soon be discharged from the medical unit, with small chance of being allowed in to see Galen before she returned to active duty. The thought made her shiver, and she tried not to think about it. Living without him once was hard enough, but a second time would be more than unbearable.
The medical droid attending to Galen appeared at the door, and Juno knew her allotted time was over. It didn't make it any easier to leave, though. She tried not to let the tears cloud her vision as she stood up and reluctantly left the room.
Be near when I call your name
Or ask me a question
Vision. He had vision. That was a start. He could see. Where was he, again? Oh yes. Rebel med-centre. Galen had picked up that much, at least. He tried to remember the last time he had woken, but days and times seemed to be blurring. He only knew that he felt more awake than last time. Things made more sense.
"Galen." There it was, again. That voice, the pressure on his hand. Galen blinked a few times, the room swimming around him before focusing on the woman who sat next to his bed. She had been there…the last time he woke. Yes, he remembered.
"Juno…" The words escaped his lips before he knew what they meant. Who was this Juno? Did he know her?
And then he remembered the gentle pressure of her hand against his; the way her hair smelt after she'd just come out of the shower; the feel of her lips on his. He remembered those feelings, and suddenly he remembered her. Juno Eclipse, the woman he loved, and would happily spend the rest of his life with, if she'd let him. How could he have forgotten?
"Juno," he said again, croaking. He was finding it hard to form words. He saw as she leaned forward, gripping his hand tightly, her face losing its composure.
"Please don't do that to me again," she said, half laughing as she wrapped both of her hands around his, "You scared me to death, lying there."
"Where…where am I?" Galen whispered, torn between wanting to talk to Juno and burning his throat every time he spoke. Juno seemed to notice this, and pressed two fingers to his lips.
"Shh," she said, "Don't speak. You're – we're – in the Rebel medical facility on board the Armistice. You – you were seriously injured on our last mission. You've been here for about three weeks." She paused, and he could see her face clouding for a moment. "This is the first time you've recognised me."
He could tell this upset her; it saddened him, too. Being so close to her, for so long, and not knowing who she was – it must have been hell to witness.
"I'm – sorry," he croaked, clumsily attempting to squeeze Juno's other hand, "What about – you?"
Juno shrugged nonchalantly, "Oh, nothing compared to yours. Some debris from the blast got me in the forehead, and I fell a bit awkwardly on my shoulder, here," she gestured to her forehead and shoulder. "It's still a bit stiff – same place where Fett shot me – and the wound on my forehead was pretty deep, so they still haven't discharged me yet. It's frustrating, though. I think they just feel sorry for me."
"Why?"
Juno gave a short laugh.
"Because I've probably been spending more time in this room than my own ward. I think it's now glaringly obvious to everyone in this department that we are more than just colleagues."
Galen smiled, for what felt like the first time in days. Well, he supposed it had been a while. "They were always going to find out eventually," he whispered, feeling suddenly very tired. He felt his eyelids shutting of their own accord, and struggled to keep them open. He didn't want to sleep, he wanted to talk to Juno and to feel her hands in his. Juno seemed to have noticed, and her expression changed to one of concern.
"It's all right," he breathed, "I'm just tired."
Juno gave a half-smile in response and smoothed back his hair, planting a kiss on his forehead. "Sorry," she said, standing, "I should have realised. I'll get going, and leave you in peace."
"Wait," said Galen, using the last of his energy to catch on to one of her wrists, "Please stay…just a bit longer…"
Juno smiled sadly, but she said nothing. She sat down again and shuffled her chair closer to his bed so that she could hold his hands properly. It was the only thing she could do, really, considering the amount of wires surrounding Galen's body, but he attempted to reach up and stroke her face, gently.
"Thank you," he managed, "For being here. Even if…even if I didn't recognise you."
"Oh, Galen," replied Juno softly, squeezing his hands, "I'd never leave you alone, not when you're like this. Just…promise me you won't put yourself at risk like that again."
Galen closed his eyes and a small laugh escaped from his cracked lips. "Whatever you say, Juno," he breathed, feeling quite content.
"I mean it," said Juno, her usually-strong voice quavering slightly, "I don't – I don't want to lose you again. I want to – to be with you, you know." He heard her gulp, as if she thought she had said the wrong thing. As if you could ever say the wrong thing, Juno…
"And I want to be with you, Juno," he said, just managing to keep his eyes open and his lips moving before the painkillers took him under again, "I would…spend my…entire life with you, if – if you would have me."
He was aware of the gravity of what he was saying; they had never truly sat down and discussed their future, not properly. In any other circumstance, he would rather have been fully awake and not injured to be telling her this. But – well, he might still die. And then everything he had worked for would have been worth nothing, if Juno did not know his true feelings for her.
A panicked thought suddenly crossed his sleep-fogged mind: what if Juno did not feel the same, in the long term? He tried to open his eyes, to see her reaction, before he went under again, but it was too late; already he could feel himself slipping. He thought he heard her say something, and felt a gentle pressure on his hand, but then, he might have been dreaming…
Galen's breath went steady, and Juno could tell he was under again. Something on his medical readouts about regular medically-induced sleep, to make sure that his body healed itself.
She thought about his last statement, one that, despite his fogginess and general lack of awareness, she was quite sure was genuine.
"I would spend my life with you, if you would have me."
In the end, there really wasn't much to think about.
"Of course I would have you, Galen," she whispered, bringing one of his hands up and briefly pressing her lips to his knuckles, "I've been yours since you rescued me from the Empirical all those years ago, don't you worry."
She couldn't think of anything else to say, so she kept silent, gazing at Galen's inert form. She watched his chest rise and fall, thankful he was alive, and thankful that they had another chance to be together. Juno saw how his lips were curled upwards at the corners, and she wondered if he had heard what she had said, after all. No matter, if he didn't; she would just have to repeat them again, when Galen was feeling better. And again, if need be.
Juno didn't mind. To her, they had all the time in the world.
