Cant_Catch_Rabbit did the amazing beta-reading!
"Fuck," Luka hissed. "And this? This okay?"
"That feels better," Miku said. "Not quite right, though."
Luka hummed, pulled, then pushed a bit more. "Shit. Sorry. I didn't think this would be a problem."
"Neither did I," the android said with a giggle. "Neither of us could have foreseen this."
"Water resistant but not immune to sand?" the woman asked sarcastically. "What a joke."
"To be fair, sand does get everywhere."
"Right. And this?"
Miku watched carefully as the woman tried to fit the android's foot back into the socket. It popped in smoothly, but after she rotated the limb a bit, the android frowned.
"There's still some resistance."
"Damn it! Did I damage the socket?"
"No, the material is far harder than any grain of sand should be," Miku assured her. "It must still be there."
"Still?" Luka removed the limb again with a pop. "I don't see anything."
"May I?"
The woman handed the android her own foot, then sat back on her haunches, sweat beading her brow.
The sunlight was absolutely delightful, if warmer than what she was used to. It entered the ship through the large window, and also via the open pressure chamber door, illuminating the inside of the craft with its beautiful yellow light. A slight breeze managed to find its way into the ship, cooling her slightly, inviting her out, but she kept her eyes on the android.
Still examining the socket of her foot, Miku was seated on her workbench. Tools, ranging from brushes to scrapers to air guns, covered the surface of the table around her. For the first time, the notes on Miku's arm had been pushed aside; during the previous half hour, they were relentlessly hunting a single grain of sand. Just one.
Luka swore under her breath. This was a problem, as there were still countless other grains to deal with. Mere hours prior, they had arrived at her still unnamed planet. It was a beautiful planet with numerous biomes, and Luka had told Ruko to touch down at her favorite place: the infinite sandy beaches looking out on an endless sapphire ocean. She had been so enthusiastic to show it to Miku, especially after so long in space. To say that it was a sight for sore eyes was an understatement, even more so after visiting Kitanai.
Sadly, a single walk on the beach had been enough to cripple the android.
"Ah, there it is," Miku mumbled, poking at the socket for a bit, before rubbing her fingers together. Luka figured that she ought to have been destabilized by the sight, but she had spent far too many hours peering at her open arm at that point. "Yep, I pulled it out."
"Great. Let's see how it fits, now."
Miku handed her foot back and Luka tried to return it to its place. Her whole limb had been peeled open, much like her arm had been to reveal her gun, but this only displayed the inner workings of her leg, from the lightweight yet strong structure of her 'bone' to the countless wires, bundles of artificial muscle, millions of tiny little sensors, processors.
Still, Miku was literally opening up to her, which spoke volumes in terms of trust. Luka still didn't know what exactly Dex had done to her, yet Miku hadn't hesitated to split apart her shell to give the woman access. The whole time, even while she was battling frustration, the scavenger couldn't help but feel humbled. Her belly squirmed when she thought about it too much.
After another pop, Luka sat back.
"How about now?"
Miku tested the limb, the various tendons and chords automatically reaching towards the foot to fasten themselves to it, before pulling it in all directions. "It's fixed!"
"Great," Luka said with a sigh, standing up. With a small whirr, the android's leg returned to its normal state, clicking shut. "Guess we can go somewhere else."
"What?" Miku stood from the workbench, perplexed. "We're leaving?"
"If a single grain of sand is going to incapacitate you, then we can't stay in an area like this one," Luka deadpanned as she sat in the pilot's chair.
"But this is your favorite part of the planet," the android protested, standing at her side by the window. Behind them, the pressure chamber door started closing.
"Sure, but if it's not compatible with you, then it's not going to work," Luka insisted.
Miku pouted. "I'm sure I can make boots—"
"What about wind? Sand gets everywhere. Or what if you're in a hurry, and can't put on the boots?" Luka insisted. Without giving the android time to reply, she turned her attention to the ship itself. "Ruko?"
"Yes?"
"Please give me manual control."
The dashboard flickered once. With that, Luka took hold of the controls and, with practiced motions, raised the ship into the air.
"Thanks. Let's go scouting."
As the ship accelerated, planetary boosters engaged, Luka and Miku watched the beach beneath them recede, then make way for dunes, then plains, then forest. More and more and more forest.
"A shame," Miku muttered once they reached constant speed. "I quite liked that place."
"Yeah, it's gorgeous," Luka conceded.
"It has been so long since I have seen an ocean," Miku whispered. "Eons..."
"It won't be going anywhere anytime soon," the scavenger reminded her, eyes darting between the forest below and the dashboard. "We can still visit, with boots I guess. Or somewhere with rocks along the shore instead of sand. It's just not a good place to settle down."
"But it is your paradise first and foremost. You had pinned the location of the beach for a reason."
"Please. It's fine. I promise. I'm sure this planet has at least one other cool place."
"I can survive removing sand from my systems," Miku started, and Luka felt her grip on the controls tighten. She could barely focus on their altitude and speed, much less the view outside. "If it's only for a handful of decades—"
"Please stop," Luka grumbled. "I don't feel like debating this right now."
Miku looked like she wanted to protest, but nodded, staying silent with her eyes on the window. It took a few minutes for Luka's grip to relax, but eventually she could sit back and enjoy the view, keeping an eye out for any interesting locations.
Luka wanted to believe, to truly believe, that they didn't need Dexter. That the peace between them didn't lie in the hands of a stuffed animal. But it got difficult sometimes. Luka didn't like having to put her foot down, stop the android in the middle of her line of thought, but she preferred it to the conflicts she knew would eventually come.
She sighed. At least Miku listened when she said that they needed to stop. The woman had even noticed that the android would abort conversations herself, spotting Luka's quickly evaporating patience before she did. But this was their first little spat in a while, and though it was nothing new for them, nothing really dramatic, it still stung a bit. Luka grimaced, going over the conversation in her head as she weaved Ruko between tall mountains.
She didn't want to live in the mountains, so she easily flew past them towards the vast desert ahead.
Luka cleared her throat.
"I appreciate it, you know," she whispered. "That you're putting me first."
Miku nodded, eyes trained on the golden sand below. Large groups of animals clustered around an oasis, but they passed too quickly to get a good look at them.
"But if I say that it's fine, please take my word for it eventually," Luka went on. "I don't like that it sometimes feels like you just don't hear me. Sure, this was supposed to be my paradise. But you're part of it now; if we're going to build a paradise, it'll be a paradise for us both. That's what I want, now."
"Are you sure?"
Luka sighed. "Yes. More than anything." When a conflicted frown remained on the android's face, she added, "Imagine if I had to spend the rest of my days worrying about sand in your sockets. That isn't what I was hoping for in terms of paradise."
"It would be my issue to worry about—"
"It's not!" Luka snapped. "When will you understand?! I'm not asking you to be with me for protection or anything anymore. I'm not dragging you behind me as some kind of 'just in case' solution. Sure, I'm asking for help with scavenging, but outside of work, I..." She trailed off, unsure of where exactly she was going. "I'd worry. Even if you don't want me to, even if you don't expect me to, I'd worry. So let's go somewhere where we can both be worry-free. Please."
Miku let out a resigned sigh. "Very well."
"I'm sure there is someplace amazing somewhere," Luka insisted. "This is a huge, complex planet. There are lakes and seas and so many other places. One of them will be just perfect."
"What precisely are you looking for?" Miku asked.
"I want to live by the water somewhere. Nothing too high up, not too much climbing."
"I'll keep an eye out."
"May I recommend areas with large lakes?" Ruko asked.
"Sure."
A basic map flickered up, with one dotted line showing the current travel path, and another showing a suggested path, bringing them towards large lakes and other bodies of water.
"Give us the tour, please?" Luka asked, hands still on the controls.
"Understood."
After another flicker of the dashboard, the controls froze. Luka released them and sat back as Ruko turned sharply, making a beeline for the nearest lake.
As the quiet seconds ticked on, Luka eventually let out a deep groan.
"I'm sorry," Miku whispered.
"It's fine."
"I suppose I cannot overstate how little I mind being inconvenienced, if it would help you in any way. I truly mean it, when I say that I would put up with sand time and time again if it would give you the place of your dream. I know that your plan is different now, I won't keep fighting you on that," Miku rushed to assure her when she spotted Luka's rising tension. "But if you ever hesitate to ask me anything out of fear that it might bother me, please ask regardless. I am happy to give."
Luka frowned. "Just because you love me?"
"Yes," Miku quietly admitted. "And you only have so much time. If I can make even one of your seconds a happier one, I will."
The woman's frown deepened. "I'd be happier if I didn't have to worry about sand in your joints."
"I understand that now. But my point remains."
"Right."
The woman stood and returned to the workstation to clean it up a bit. She had forgotten to do so before their departure, and the tools had rolled all over the table.
"Luka?" Miku asked.
"Hm?"
"...Don't you wish to see?"
The woman looked out the windshield, seeing the approaching lakes. Her heart did leap a bit in anticipation, but she found no energy in her limbs, no excitement to fuel her. She stood still, morose.
Miku pressed on, asking, "Are you all right?"
Luka looked back down at the table, the tools, the notes and sketches of Miku's broken arm.
"Sure. I guess I just feel weird when I'm reminded that I'll die eventually," Luka explained.
"With any luck, that won't be anytime soon."
"Relatively speaking. I have literally all my life until that day. But you? You've already existed for eons."
Miku stood and joined her at the worktable. She had probably whispered something under her breath, because Ruko slowed down and descended, resting on the beach of the first lake they reached. Shade filled the ship as the trees towered above. The engines off, the ship became silent.
"It's still not as if I have to plan for it right away," Miku reminded her. "No matter the perspective, your death is not in the foreseeable future."
"I guess, at least if we can help it..."
The android gently placed a hand on her shoulder, causing a slight, mindless flinch. "What are you so worried about?"
Luka wanted to pull back from the touch, only to find herself rooted in place. "It's just weird. I'll stop existing and you never will. You're an eternal gift for humanity, the immortal Electric Angel. I'm just some scavenger who will die, decompose, get recycled into whatever soil I'm buried in, and eventually fade away. The very memory of my existence, the entire footprint of my life, it'll just evaporate."
"Mortality is an issue people have been reflecting on since day one," Miku conceded. "Innumerable generations have come and gone."
"I know. I never really worried about it though. I was okay with being forgotten, you know? When you're alive, all that really matters is living your best life. No matter how bad you fuck up, no matter how well you do, history will forget either way, so it's best to live life as you see fit. Today is all we have."
The android nodded, patiently waiting. Luka fidgeted, shifting through the tools, putting a few back in their place, but her heart wasn't in it.
"You were okay with that," the android gently prodded. "What changed?"
"I met you. You're above all that."
"I'm still bound to time. I still see each second pass as you do."
Luka sighed. "I know. But you have all of time. Anything I decide I don't have time for, you could do tomorrow, or in a thousand years. You're limitless. Infinite."
"I'm not all-powerful. I'm not a god."
"I know! I guess it's a bit difficult to process. My seconds are numbered and yours aren't. I know that you still value today as much as I do. Otherwise, you wouldn't have punished me for my manners, or you wouldn't worry about my every second being a good one. I know that if you had better plans, better ideas, you wouldn't wait for me to drop dead to get a move on. It's simply strange to accept that I'll grow old and die and you'll remain, unchanging."
"It did not seem to bother you that much, at least in the beginning."
"Things were different, then. We were supposed to part ways. And now? You're... You're going to see me to my grave."
"Does that bother you?"
"I don't know."
"Can I do anything that would help? Make any promises?" After a short wait, during which Luka didn't reply, Miku asked, "Would you want me to be gone when you pass?"
The woman scoffed. "I don't know. I..."
"I can stay for as long as you want me to."
"...Right."
"Luka? What is on your mind?"
"I don't know. I can't... I can't put my finger on it."
Miku gently squeezed her shoulder. "You have more than enough time to think about it. I won't be going anywhere, okay? I'll be here to listen when you figure it out."
"What if I never do?"
"That's fine, too." When Luka failed to reply again, she asked, "Do you need some time?"
"No, it's fine." She abandoned the idea of organizing the workbench to return to the pilot seat, escaping Miku's gentle touch. "I'm just thinking that I don't want to cut you off right now."
"Very well."
Luka glared out of the ship. A greenish lake, bathed in tree shade, gently lapped at the shore before them. The grass around the shore was tall and coarse. It was a sight to see.
And Luka knew that Miku could see it, too. Her memory of this place could, potentially, exist for longer than the place itself. Weather, space debris, or the shifting of continents would eliminate this lake, this clearing, ages before Miku would die. In fact, the whole planet would be protected from the passing of time, even long after it would inevitably crumble and fade away, crash into something or get absorbed by the sun, simply because the android had laid eyes on it.
Luka shifted uncomfortably. Miku joined her at the front of the ship, but didn't speak a word, simply looking, taking it all in.
Luka felt a strange, unidentifiable sadness fill her.
"Ruko?"
"Yes?"
"...Please re-instate Miku as second in command."
Ruko couldn't visibly react to such an order, but the android turned to face her. "What?"
"And if anything should happen to me, she's to inherit you."
"Understood," Ruko droned. "Does this include full access—"
"Yes, everything," Luka insisted, leaning on the armrest with her good arm, eyes fixed on the lake.
Miku blinked in confusion. "Why?"
"You're obviously able to make good decisions on your own," the woman mumbled. "And I trust you."
"But..."
"I just want to make sure you'll still have something after I'm gone. With the right maintenance and upgrades, Ruko will stick around for a heck of a lot longer than I will. That way, you won't be left all... All alone."
The android blinked, watched as tears welled up in Luka's eyes.
"Luka?"
"I don't want to leave you all alone," the woman said again, quietly. Her breathing grew shaky as she went on. "I was happy to die and eventually be forgotten. I was never supposed to leave anybody behind. I was supposed to fuck off and disappear. All the people I'd disappointed and betrayed and hurt were supposed to evaporate too. A forgettable life lived, followed by absolute, total oblivion. But... I'll leave you, someday. And you won't be going anywhere. You'll forever remember me, and you'll forever know that I'm gone. Ruko... Ruko will take care of you, for as long as you're both around."
Miku leaned towards her. "Luka..."
The woman forced her eyes to the tealette. Her image was blurry from the tears. "What?"
"You don't have to."
"Of course I do. Except for Meiko, you're the only person who meant anything to me. I've been abandoned more times than I can count. If I were to do the same to you, I would never forgive myself. Except I don't have a choice in the matter. And you won't ever die to forget it. I'll go, and you'll stay, and that won't ever change."
"I'll keep you with me," Miku insisted, slowly reaching forward to hold her.
"That's exactly the problem, though," the woman sputtered, only recoiling slightly as the android's hands found her cheeks. "Remembering people just hurts. Remembering what could be, wondering what you could have done better, remembering better times—"
"Luka..." Miku whispered, drying the woman's tears, sinking to her knees before her. "I will miss you, I will miss you forever. But I will be happy to have known you forever, too. I will hold on to moments like these, and I will strive to create more moments with you to keep, beautiful moments that I will remember in millions, billions of years, so I can remember to be happy to be found by you, happy to have known you, to have been with you. That is what I will hold on to."
The woman shook her head, too slow to completely shake her off. Instead, she raised one of her hands to press against Miku's, keeping her there.
"I'm sorry I have to go."
"Don't be."
"I just want... I want us both to be happy, while I'm here. With no grains of sand and no other stupid worries."
"...I understand," Miku said. "Let's go see where we'll settle, then."
"And if either of us have an issue with the next location, we'll keep looking," the woman said firmly. "Until we have the perfect place for us to spend the rest of... The rest of my life."
Miku nodded. "All right."
"...Thanks for understanding."
"Of course."
"Miku?"
"Yes?"
Luka breathed for a moment, her good hand tightening around Miku's. Her heart was in her throat, her stomach squirmed. "I think..."
"You don't have to say anything else."
Luka sighed, nodded, then let her eyes flutter shut. "Okay."
"We'll talk about it someday soon, okay?" the android whispered. "For now, let's focus on finding our paradise."
"Okay..."
"Want me to give you some space?"
After a second, the woman shook her head. "Stay."
Miku had been ready to pull away, but she settled on her knees, making sure the touch to her cheek was firm. Luka leaned into the touch, her heart aching.
"Please stay..."
"Of course."
Soon enough, they found the perfect site. Even if it wasn't on the ocean, it was breathtaking. The small, forested area, at the heart of the largest continent, promised to be safe from the devastating coastal storms, relatively warm year-round, with only occasional rainfall. The forests themselves were vast and untouched. The trees, ancient and massive, put the ones on Terranova to absolute shame. Strange creatures lurked within, nocturnal animals that almost seemed to swim between the massive trunks, slithering between leafless branches, jumping from one nook to the next. The lake they settled next to was teeming with harmless fish, while small singing birds soared through the skies overhead. Flowers bloomed in the clearings that were blessed by the sun, some even sprouting between the dark, smooth pebbles of the beach.
All in all, for what they were looking for, it was perfect. The days were twenty-six hours long, while the planet itself took four hundred days to orbit the nearest star, a silvery orb that shone with white light. Two moons orbited the planet, though they were slowly, oh so slowly colliding; within the next three thousand years, their impact would devastate the planet's surface. The gravity was also a little stronger than Luka was used to, and the air was a bit thicker. It was safe to breathe, though. While other hazards existed, like the numerous mines that dotted the planet surface, filled with poisonous gases, the toxic metals that waited deep in the ground, and the flash flood risk of the river that fed into the lake they had settled next to, they didn't really have to worry about any of that. Nobody would find them there. Nobody would think to go so far outside of the civilized universe.
It was their paradise.
Having selected the location was only the first step, though. They would have to return to a market, pockets filled with ill-gotten money, in order to purchase the infrastructure needed to build their haven. While they could make progress in the meantime by felling the nearby trees and creating rudimentary buildings from the springy wood, it would not suffice for long-term stays; some things just had to be imported, sooner or later.
Both itched to get started, but Luka's laser would never get through the sheer girth of the trees and Miku's gun was still out of commission. They walked through the area regardless, with Luka pointing where she planned to put a small dock out onto the lake. Farther inland, tucked into the forest, she explained her plans for her living area. They would also need a local security system, defensive and offensive, a med bay, water purifiers, ration stocks, supplies to start a farm, among so many others. They would need furniture of all kinds, a way to generate power and heat.
Their shopping list was long, and the associated cost daunting.
"How long do you think it would take?" Miku asked, facing the sun. The sky was orange as the white star set, no longer visible above the trees at the other side of the lake.
"To get everything? Probably one or two decades. Scavenging can be pretty lucrative, given enough luck, but it'll take a while..."
"Ah," Miku said. "If you had managed to afford the buy-in for the auction with only a month of preparation, however..."
"We were lucky, and it still wasn't enough. We only got in thanks to your tip money," Luka reminded her. "Worse yet, that was the hardest I ever worked. So, yeah. We're really dependent on luck."
"I see."
Luka stole a few glances in Miku's direction, but couldn't read her expression. "If we take it nice and easy, focus on the journey instead of the destination and all that, it could be fun."
"I hope so," the android said with a small smile, though she didn't make eye contact. "As long as you get to actually live here for a moment. If you were only to spend your last decade here, it would be a shame."
"I'm sure it won't take that long."
"Let's hope for that." Miku stood, her shifting weight making the stones underfoot clatter and roll. "I'm going to take a walk, if that's all right."
Luka lifted a brow. "Sure. Just make sure nothing tries to take a bite out of you or anything."
The android smiled, finally showing obvious amusement. "Don't worry. Even without my weapon, I'm sure I can handle myself."
Luka gave her a smile in return, which was apparently enough. Miku walked until she reached the edge of the looming forest, looking over her shoulder, waved, then disappeared into the trees.
The sun had just set by then, tinting the sky a deep purple. The forest would be pitch dark.
Luka shook her head and forced herself to stop worrying. Miku would be fine on her own. She could see infrared and everything. The woman leaned back, taking a deep breath to relax.
Sitting on the edge of the pressure chamber floor, her legs dangling above the pebbles, she took in the sight before her. To her left, a stone's throw away, was the edge of the forest Miku had just disappeared into. Before her was a semi-clear area, mostly grass, flowers, smooth rocks. To her right sat the lake, so large it was almost like a small sea, the near coastline stretching beyond the horizon in either direction, the opposite shore so far away that it was only visible thanks to the forest that grew right up to the water's edge. Waves lapped at the beach of polished stones, filling the air with a calming, regular rustle.
Luka sighed, leaning back on her hands.
She was going to spend the rest of her life here. She could already see the small pier that would lead from the lake to the back yard, how it would hook around the patio, which would stretch into a garden. There, they would plant lavender, grow vegetables and fruit. Then, closer to the forest, there would be her home, mostly made out of the wood. Some rooms, like the medical bay, would be tucked away a little further in. Her bedroom would be on the second floor, a little higher up for the view, if still dwarfed by the looming trees.
There was more to do before they started building all that. Solar panels for energy, the warming system, a water purification system— all that needed to go first. And that could only happen once they cleared the area and outlined where everything went.
It would take a while. A long while. Years and years of scavenging, saving every coin...
Luckily, she had the rest of her life to work on this. With Miku's help, to boot.
A frown settled on her features as she remembered their earlier conversation. She was briefly grateful for the solitude; she hadn't really had time to think about it. To think about how her stomach had sunk down to her knees when she had realized what had troubled her, how she had struggled to name the emotions that bubbled up to the surface.
How long had they been hounding her, stalking her, hidden beneath murky waters of denial and fear? She bit her lip, her hands balling into fists against the floor's rough surface.
She wasn't ready to address them. But she also refused to part ways with Miku, refused to imagine a future that found them on opposite sides of the galaxy. She also hurt deeply at the thought of fixing Miku, only to have her wield her gun in order to threaten, instead of to protect. The android could certainly be described as a soldier in the garden, but while Miku wanted to be the gardener, Luka was tolling the bell of war.
Bitter guilt balled up in her gut. Luka reminded herself that Miku would have all eternity to do what she wanted to by herself; right then, the android wanted to be with her. Luka didn't even have to believe it, she knew it to be fact. Miku would postpone her ultimate goal of uniting people in favor of securing Luka's happiness.
Simply because she loved Luka.
Luka groaned, leaning forward instead, resting her face in her hands, her elbows on her knees. The waves steadily rolled onto the shore, birds chirped in the distance.
Miku was ready to give so much.
The woman lifted her head, scanned the forest edge. The trunks were massive, each one surely able to hide Ruko, had they been hollow. Their bark was textured and coarse, each individual fold capable of hiding a person. If their deep-buried roots had been like the roots of the trees on Terranova, they would have cut the forest floor like walls impossible to scale.
She didn't see Miku. She only saw the steadily darkening forest as the sky turned black. Luka looked up, saw the edge of a moon peek up over the horizon, surrounded by a field of stars.
Luka didn't have much to give in return. She had no fortune to share, no mansions or toys, no power and no friends. She only had her time, her days alive, which she wanted to share with the android more than anything else.
She swallowed, forcing herself not to cry.
Who knew that caring for someone could hurt so much?
Without warning, Miku emerged from the forest, her arms filled with a variety of pieces of wood. All dead, some larger than others, all far too heavy for any normal human to carry in one go, even with her lame limb.
Luka couldn't help but chuckle; it was almost comical, seeing her carry so much.
"You have any plans for those?" Luka asked, forcing her tone to be casual as the android set the wood down in front of them, a fair distance from the ship.
"Just one," Miku chirped, already arranging the pieces of wood into a little pile. "The oxygen density in this atmosphere seems to be similar to what it had once been on Earth, so this shouldn't be too catastrophic..."
Before Luka could ask what exactly she had in mind, the android leapt into the ship to retrieve Luka's blowtorch. Under the woman's curious gaze, the android promptly set one of the smaller pieces of wood on fire, which she placed in the heart of the pile. Before long, the whole collection of wood was alight with flames.
Miku smiled.
"It's a campfire."
Luka stared, flinching each time the wood popped. "Oh, wow..."
"You never did this?"
"No," she admitted, voice hushed. She stayed quiet for a moment, listening to the crackle of the flames. "I've never seen fire like this..."
"It should be safe here. There is enough oxygen to sustain us, and not too much for it to be dangerous."
Luka hummed, feeling the heat against her legs, her previous thoughts and worries gone. "This is really nice."
"We could make a fire pit," the android suggested, sitting down on the stones.
"That would be awesome."
"If this planet has seasons, then a fireplace might be a good idea."
"A fireplace…?"
"An indoor fire pit."
Luka's eyes sparkled. "Fire, indoors...?"
"They were relatively common back on earth."
"Wow..."
Miku smiled at the woman before her eyes drifted to the flame, bright and orange, brighter and more orange than any sunset Luka had ever seen. Time passed with each wave washing up on the shore, the stones rattling as the water ran up and down between them. The flames continued the crackle, the wood popped, sending sparks flying, like small shooting stars.
"What are our plans, now?" the android asked.
"I guess we should visit Meiko," Luka whispered, still transfixed by the fire. "I promised to return with news the moment I could. It's been a while."
"When shall we leave?"
"We could stay the night here. I might keep the door open. I love the sound of the lake..."
"It's very nice."
"If you don't mind, though."
"Of course not."
"What will you be doing all night?"
"I will walk around, I think," Miku said. "There is so much to see. The Sapphire Shores were beautiful, your home planet was beautiful, and Crypton was special, but it has been so long since I could walk through wild, untamed nature."
"You'll be careful? There is so much wildlife here."
"Of course. I hope to see a few of them up close. None of them have learned to fear us, yet. We might be able to gain their trust."
Luka chuckled. "Would that be a good idea? We don't really know what is out there."
"I'll find that out," Miku said with a teasing grin. "If I sense danger, however, I'll be sure to return here."
"Please do."
After a moment of silence, Luka stood to make herself dinner. By the time she returned, sitting with her legs dangling off of the floor of the ship, the very last hints of the sunset had faded away, leaving the sky black, bedazzled with countless stars. Miku had just tossed a huge log into the fire, filling the air with the crackling and snapping of dry wood. In the background, the lake continued to gently roll ashore.
"I love it here," Miku commented out of the blue. "I wonder if it is because this place resembles Earth so much, but... This might be my favorite planet so far."
Luka took her time to reply, carefully chewing the high-end rehydrated pasta. "Yeah. This place really is... It feels like home already."
"How many other planets were you considering?"
The woman waved that off. "It doesn't matter anymore. We found home. I'm finally home."
"...You're right. This is home."
The woman nodded, and realized she was crying. She chuckled. "Oh. Huh."
"Are you all right?"
"Yeah. I guess... I don't think I ever really believed this day would come."
"What do you mean?"
"That I ever feel at home," she admitted, yet more words bubbled up from her chest. "Here? With you? I'm home. I'm happy! I'm actually really happy."
Luka laughed, wiped the tears with the heel of her palm. "God, I've been looking forward to this day for so long. And I'm still looking forward to getting started with building, to seeing it all done, to...to just living here. If this is how I feel now, I can barely imagine how it'll be when it's all done and all I have to do is...relax."
"You deserve to be so happy," Miku said. "You have worked very long and hard for this day. You may not have taken the most noble route, and there is still so much to do, but I'm proud of you for finally accomplishing your dreams."
The woman laughed again. "Proud?"
"Yes. You were chasing a dream, and you have caught it."
"I did, didn't I?" Luka muttered. She chuckled a few times, but the raw joy quickly puttered out. "Do... Do you have any dreams you're chasing?"
"Just the one," the android admitted. "While I have not caught it yet, I feel I have caught up to it. And that is enough."
Luka's smile wavered a bit. "Nothing else?"
"Nothing that can't wait. Right here, right now, I am also happy. Perhaps beyond words."
"Beyond song?"
Miku grinned. "Nothing is ever beyond song."
"Do you think you could sing about how happy you are?"
Miku stood, her expression absolutely radiant. "Absolutely."
The sound of the fire, the lake, of the night all around them was immediately eclipsed by the music. Luka listened, bewitched, as the android sang and danced her heart out.
Yes, somehow Miku had managed to compose a song of pure joy. Everything from her smile to her bubbling, nigh explosive happiness was contagious, even with her broken arm. If she didn't fear ruining the show, Luka was almost compelled to join her.
Her meal was almost entirely forgotten in favor of the spectacle of pure emotion. Luka went as far as to set the dish aside just so she wouldn't accidentally send it tumbling to the grassy floor below as she listened, captivated, enthralled.
The ending of the song should have been heartbreaking, devastating. Part of Luka reasoned that it would be sad to let it go, to say farewell to the joy, but as the melody faded away, she couldn't help but keep it within, to cling to the wondrous delight even as it disappeared into the night.
She was still smiling when Miku came to a halt a mere pace away from her.
"That was amazing," Luka said, unable to even downplay how affected she had been.
"I'm glad you liked it."
"I loved it."
The android accepted the compliment with a proud smile. "An honor."
"I didn't do you justice, when I first found you," she admitted, almost a whisper. "I really didn't."
"We have been over this. As long as you love my song, one day or another, I am happy."
The woman chuckled, shook her head. "I was dumb."
"Perhaps."
"Rude."
This time, the android laughed. "Perhaps, yes."
"For the longest time," she said, but whatever she had meant to say after that died at the back of her throat. Luka's smile wavered; Miku was standing right in front of her.
When did that happen?
The tension crept in, but it had no bite: Luka was sitting relatively high up, and Miku had to look up at her. The door was wide, there was space everywhere she could run to. And the tension that was there, it was gentle again. Almost tender. The butterflies returned, unmistakable, and Luka bit her lip.
They stared at one another for a while, the fire crackling on, the waves washing the shore, the birds of the night singing around them, all uncaring.
Luka breathed deeply, evenly, as Miku took another step to stand between her knees.
In the dark night, lit only by the blazing flame, the android's eyes were so breathtakingly blue. The flecks of gold and red were brighter than ever before, but somehow it only made the blue of the sky, of water under the midday sun, all the brighter and more vibrant.
Miku was so beautiful.
Luka watched the hand approach, willing herself to keep breathing, to stay relaxed even as her heart skipped. Miku continued to smile up at her, so careful, so loving.
When the cool palm once again made contact, the smile grew.
"There we are."
Luka hadn't moved.
"We did it."
"It took a while," the woman whispered, struggling to get the air she needed.
"All the time you needed, and not a second less."
"Yeah." After a gulp, she whispered, "Thanks for being so patient."
Miku shook her head. "Thank you for trying."
The thumb that rested under her eye gently stroked the skin there, yet Luka didn't lean into the touch as she usually did. Her gaze was more focused, and despite the fact that they weren't getting any closer, the tension within her grew.
"Are you all right?"
Luka nodded. "I'm... I think I'm fine."
"Do you need—"
Her question was cut off when Luka slowly reached up, the movement somewhat lurching, as if she couldn't make up her mind. After a tense moment, counted by racing heartbeats, Luka placed her hand on the android in return.
"This okay?" she gently asked, her fingers timidly resting on the nape of the android's neck.
"Yes."
The woman hesitated, frozen, while the android watched, waited, ever so patient. Only the lapping of the waves and the occasional crackle from the fading fire reminded them that seconds kept ticking on.
Except Luka could barely hear them. Her eyes searched the androids', so expressive, for any hint of anger, of bitterness, fear.
Miku only watched, a lingering note of happiness still dancing in her eye.
When the woman pulled a bit, Miku stood on the tips of her toes, offering no resistance. When Luka leaned, she found the android already pulling her in return, barely enough to communicate consent and not a bit of force more.
Luka could still turn away.
Nothing was stopping her.
Instead, she closed her eyes and delicately kissed Miku.
The android's lips were cool, smooth, and unlike anything Luka had ever felt before. Distinctly nonhuman, for sure. But the pressure was real, the way she moved was gentle. The hand at the back of Miku's neck pulled in even more, and she felt the tealette do the same, standing as close as she possibly could while pulling the scavenger towards the edge of the ship.
Not a single shred of Luka's being questioned if Miku really could feel desire. Whatever doubt there may have been was obliterated by how insistent she was even in such a simple, chaste embrace, her lips chasing Luka's, her embrace steady.
Miku didn't breathe. She didn't eat. She didn't even really need to salivate unless it helped her speak somehow. The resulting flavor was subtle, if sterile. Clinical. And yet...
Luka drew back with a subdued gasp.
Miku smiled at her, her expression soft.
After giving Luka some time to think, she asked, voice barely loud enough to be heard over the waves, "What were you hoping to discover?"
She was still on the tips of her toes, her upper body reaching up to be closer to the scavenger. Luka couldn't help but lean down and drape her arms around her, meeting her in the middle.
"I'm not sure."
Miku hummed, let her eyes drift closed. Her good hand had come to rest on Luka's hip, where she started drawing lazy little circles.
"If you wanted to get some questions answered, that's fine. If you were curious, that's fine. But if you want to toy with me and my emotions, then I'll ask you to stop."
"It's not that," Luka assured her, her voice like syrup in her throat. "I..."
Miku waited, patient as ever. The fire cracked and snapped, the waves came and went, the moons slowly rose over the forest which was bathed in the light of a billion stars.
Luka inhaled, exhaled, pulled back to face Miku head-on, no matter how much it made her heart race. "I wanted to know what I was getting myself into."
"That's fine. What have you found?"
"I'm not sure." When Miku hummed in understanding, Luka hurried to add, "Nothing I hated or disliked. I... I want to do that again. But I know you."
"And that makes things complicated."
"Always. Strings like these always makes it complicated. I never was able to make it work. Nobody ever was. I don't want to fall in love. I don't want to get attached. But... But you—"
"I...?"
"You made it work, so far. You make me want to make it work. So I figured that maybe, just maybe..."
"It is teamwork," Miku reminded her. "We'll have to meet in the middle."
"I know. I'll keep trying. But, before, I wanted to know if, well..."
The tealette chuckled and leaned her head to kiss Luka again. The woman peeped in surprise, but didn't pull back. On the contrary, she even wrapped her arms around her shoulders, sinking into the embrace.
"Relationships like the one you are hoping for do not only rely on emotional compatibility and mutual understanding, but also on physical compatibility," Miku summed up after a minute, her breathless words ghosting over the woman's cheek. "You wanted to verify that?"
Luka blushed. "Yes."
"That's fair." After another pause, she asked, "And it was nothing you disliked."
"Right."
"Would you like to try?"
"T-try what?"
"Try being together. But if you need more time to test the waters, or to fall a little further..." Miku trailed off, her grip on the woman's hip tightening a bit.
Luka hesitated, rested her head on her shoulder, holding her close.
"I still need some time to get used to the idea of being committed. With someone," she admitted.
"Very well."
"You don't hate me?"
"Never."
Luka inhaled deeply, hugging Miku closer. "I'm sorry."
"What for?"
"For being so scared about this. It just scares me, what you do to me... I think I'll need to warm up to that, too."
"I understand."
Luka shook her head. "I don't like needing anything. Needing a person… They're so unreliable…!"
"It's fine, Luka," Miku insisted. "I understand. I really do."
The scavenger took a minute to collect her thoughts and steady her breathing. A silence fell over the two, broken only by the soft waves and the sharp crackle of the fire. The stars watched over them, mute and endless.
"Thank you..." she whispered, and she hoped that somehow, Miku could understand the strange feeling that had washed over her. For the first time in her life, there was no struggle, no fight, no longing to be elsewhere. Finally, she was at peace.
She was home.
